Sign the station gates petition

2 09 2008

Keep Sheffield Midland station open access for all

The debate about East Midlands Trains (EMT) and their plan to block public access through the station rumbles on.

It seems ridiculous to me that they should consider this proposal considering that it is a key pedestrian route into the city centre from the Park Hill side. Not to mention the fact that it would also stop all Sheffielders greeting people all trains on the platform.

If you haven’t already, then it may help to sign this petition and give your view.

Image by pauldcocker and used under Creative Commons license


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Categories : council, sheffield, transport, walking

Ten ways to improve Sheffield (part two)

5 07 2008

Part two of the post that collects together a list of ideas to improve Sheffield (parts one to five)

Address the spiralling cost of public transport
Ever before the price of petrol started going up, the bus fares in Sheffield were unreasonably high. In London, you can hop on a bus for 90p using an Oyster card. Sheffield may not be as big as the capital but is the city not of a sufficient size to apply the same economic principals? It is a far cry from the 2p single bus fares I used to pay when I was a child. Obviously we can’t return to the heavily subsidised days of the 1980s but if fares are lower in other big cities then there must be something First can learn from these revenue models. The least they can promise a pricing consultation and review.

Further develop Sheffield’s gay scene
It was good to see a successful South Yorkshire Pride taking place earlier this month. I’m not an expert on Sheffield’s gay scene, but it seems that over the years the city has struggled to maintain momentum when trying to establish decent venues that appeal to a LGBT crowd. Other places like Manchester and London have streets that are home to many gay bars and venues. I’m not sure whether this is the way to go for Sheffield - and perhaps these areas should develop organically - but a start would be for venue owners to realise that working together to establish a cluster of gay-friendly venues (in the city centre, not tucked out in Attercliffe) may benefit their business more than competing against each other until none are left. Or is Sheffield ironically too-friendly a city to support a gay scene?

Build a landmark building that will make the city’s skyline distinctive
So we are resigned to losing the cooling towers, but why not be brave and create a high-quality, distinctive and tall building in Sheffield that would sit proudly on the city’s horizon and be recognisable the world over? I sometimes think our town planners are overly-cautious with what they allow, perhaps due to mistakes in the past, but imagine if we had our own London Eye, CN Tower or Opera House? It wouldn’t have to be on such a grand scale, but a distinctive and tasteful development along these lines that compliments the existing skyline could be spectacular.

Promote more live music at Don Valley Stadium
The organisation that runs Sheffield International Venues recently announced a record annual turnover of £21m, but I would like to see more live music taking place at Don Valley Stadium. My memory, and some internet research, recalls ten stadium gigs at Don Valley since it opened in 1990, which averages at around one every two years. Surely we can do better than that. The Arctic Monkeys played Lancashire CCC ground last summer; would a homecoming gig at Don Valley have been more fitting?

Get both Wednesday and United back in the Premiership
Easier said than done, but this would be worth millions to the city in terms of raising its profile across the world, while making a lot of Sheffield football fans very happy. Obviously we can’t wave a magic wand to make this happen but the Blades are a well-run club, perfectly capable of mounting a promotion challenge this coming season and if Wednesday’s imminent takeover actually happens then it may not be such a pipe dream after all.


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Categories : architecture, arts, bands, cooling towers, development, drink, football, live, music, sheffield, sport, transport

Ten ways to improve Sheffield (part one)

1 07 2008

Part one of a two part post, identifying ways that the city can be improved. Here are numbers one to five (not in any order)

Sort out the traffic congestion
 Is traffic congestion in Sheffield really that bad? According to this report Sheffield traffic is in the top 10 slowest-moving in the UK. If South Yorkshire is looking to further develop its economy by attracting business investment on an international level and also ensuring that its potential as a tourist destination is fulfilled, the road infrastructure must improve. As part of this, the problem of car access around the station must also be addressed, as the good impression visitors get from Sheaf square is soon forgotten once you are embroiled in the gridlock on the way out.

Focus on the city’s digital strategy
City leaders are recognising the importance of developing Sheffield’s digital and creative industries with the development of the Digital Campus, but the strategy needs to be more wide-ranging than this. We need to work further to encourage residents, businesses and community groups to embrace the technologies on offer in order to create a digitally-literate population. In Birmingham, a Get into digital festival took place in June as part of the Digital Birmingham initiative, aiming to “help make the transition from an industrial city to a digital one by driving forward the use of these technologies in order to increase prosperity, knowledge and quality of life of its citizens.” This is definitely something to Sheffield to consider…can we afford not to?

Grow the city centre as an after-work destination
The council has been working hard at promoting Wednesday night live in the city centre. It has recognised a need for the city centre to become a viable option for post-work and evening recreation. For too long, Sheffield has become a ghost town after the shoppers and workers have gone home, with people not feeling compelled to stay in the city centre. There is potential for expanding the after-work economy, but it needs the support of Sheffield citizens, not just the local authority and businesses.

Attract more quality restaurants to the city centre
Every week in the Sheffield Telegraph I enjoy seeing what the interviewee in the Food For Thought Q&A column says in answer to the ‘What do you think of Sheffield as a place to eat out?’ question. The most positive answer seems to be that Sheffield’s restaurant scene is improving but few people have much to shout about. There are good restaurants across the region but many of these in the suburbs or out in Derbyshire, and for every highly-rated one that opens, another closes. A limited number of chain restaurants is acceptable, but Sheffield also needs more high quality restaurants in the city centre, particularly ones that stay open late to cater, for example, for the post-theatre/gig/concert crowds. Which brings me onto…

Introduce a night bus services on key routes
If the evening/night economy were to expand then would it be worth trialling a night bus service? Currently, many routes finish around 11pm, and with town pubs now generally open later than this, I think there would be a demand for buses every half hour on key services out of the city throughout the night. The impact on Sheffield taxi drivers would need to be carefully assessed, but it would certainly help the queues and scramble for cabs in the early hours of the morning when demand outstrips supply.

Parts 6-10


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Sheffield to London by train

11 05 2008

Are East Midland Trains any better than Midland Mainline?

Having been a regular traveller for the last eight years on the train route between Sheffield and London, I watched with interest the impact the transfer of the franchise from Midland Mainline to East Midlands Trains (EMT) in November 2007 would have.

Recently it seems EMT has spent money updating the corporate livery on the outside of carriages, however it wouldn’t hurt to prioritise passenger benefits instead. The first thing that most regular travellers noticed after the change was the immediate withdrawal of free tea and coffee. What a warm welcome to the franchise!

I am writing this as I travel from Sheffield to London but will have to upload it later this weekend, as there isn’t a sniff of wi-fi on the EMT fleet. Never mind the livery; would the money have been better spent on installing a wi-fi network, at least on the trains that serve London?

It is good that the trains look smart and the branding is becoming more consistent (and less confusing) across the fleet, but EMT failed in an opportunity to put customers’ needs before corporate ones and match NX Trains in offering free wi-fi as standard across the whole train.

To be honest, I haven’t noticed any difference in punctuality or reliability since EMT took over. Some trains still arrive early, some are on time and there are still delays: on a recent journey I was stuck on a service outside Leicester for 2 hours, and in total arrived 4 hours later than scheduled.

I didn’t mind too much as I was in no hurry and knew I would get a refund on my ticket. However when I applied for my money back I was told that in accordance with their friendly passenger charter, as the delay was due to vandalised points and signals, I wasn’t entitled to a penny.

At least the beginning and end of the Sheffield to London journey is a pleasure. Sheffield station is looking really good (ignoring the well-documented traffic access problems) and St Pancras has gone from being the most run down major London station serving national connections to being by far the most spectacular. I am looking forward to doing a trip to France from Sheffield by train.

Next time I travel to London, due to timetabling and ticket prices, I am actually going via Doncaster, so can look forward to the free, unrestricted wi-fi access for everyone.


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Categories : drink, sheffield, transport