Residents say council plans to make major changes to roads and transport across busy Sheffield neighbourhoods will be “devastating” and “a nightmare”.
Sheffield City Council is consulting on potential widespread highway changes, which would affect Hillsborough, Middlewood, Malin Bridge, Stannington and Walkley.
More than 1,600 residents and businesses have signed a petition against the changes, which include extending the hours of an existing bus and tram gate.
The council has said the proposals will improve reliability and journey times for buses and trams to allow more people to use public transport and “free up space on our roads for people who need to drive”.
Proposed changes include extending the operating hours of the existing bus and tram gate at Hillsborough Corner to between 07:00 and 19:00, Monday to Saturday.
Mavis Martin, 74, from Stannington, said changes to the bus and tram gate – which currently operates from 07:00 to 11:00, and again from 15:00 to 19:00, Monday to Saturday – would leave drivers facing a long detour.
“It will take people up Whitehouse Lane, which is a winding old road with a lot of parked cars and school traffic,” she said.
“There are older people who need their cars to get about and that bus gate is about half a mile, which someone may have to walk to reach the shops. Hillsborough will be dead.
“Another concern is the businesses on Holme Lane, as the council are going to take away all the parking. Those little side roads are not built for cars, and already have a lot of parked cars.
“There is no joined-up thinking. The council talks about traffic flow, but it doesn’t flow, because so many roads are blocked off and traffic is diverted all over. It will be a nightmare.”
