Greater use of alternatives reduces congestion and pollution. A letter to motorists.

by Roy Morris

Oh dear fellow motorists, I’m afraid we’ve jointly messed up good and proper. Compared with the 1960s, there are too many of us and our vehicles are getting bigger and bigger and just don’t fit into the limited space we have on our old roads and above all in our city centres. In the 70s and 80s they started introducing ever more elaborate one-way systems. These didn’t solve the problem, so now the authorities are having to limit our access to key places like city centres. We can grumble til the cows come home, but there’s no changing the reality that we can no longer expect to use our private vehicles wherever and whenever we want.

Furthermore, can we afford to ignore the damage our over-reliance on private vehicles does to our health and to the world we live in? Research in the last 30 years shows that the gases given off by the internal combustion engine are bad for our health and are a major cause of the climate crisis.

So, will electric vehicles save the day? No, ‘fraid not. Sure, they are less polluting but they are heavier and so, cause more potholes and more particulate matter from tyre and brake dust. The effects of this particulate matter are only just starting to be investigated: the one thing clearly established is every part of every living organism is contaminated with them: brain, bloodstream, placenta, unborn babies, the lot.

We’ve created a massive problem: if half of us got rid of our cars, we would have an instant solution!! But as that’s not going to happen, we must accept access restrictions, clean air zones, ultra-low emission zones, parking restrictions, school streets etc, etc. It really is cloud-cuckoo-land naiveté to expect that things can go back to how they were.

We also need to encourage cycling, walking and a return to buses for those of us who can manage them. Sure, Star readers’ comments dismiss as a waste of money any measure to get people out of cars, but greater use of alternatives reduces congestion and pollution.

Finally, John Bunting (16October) asked the council how elderly and disabled were expected to get to Barclays on Pinstone Street. Doesn’t he know about the free SC1 bus that does an extra loop to include a stop 30 yards from Barclays?! OK, it’s not perfect but given the much greater problem, it’s the best that can be done.

Roy Morris Sheffield 10

Sheffield Connect 1 stops at: Sheffield Interchange B1, Fitzalan Sq, High Street, City Hall/Leopold, Pinfold Street, West Street, Carver Street, Rockingham St, Charter Row, Moor Market, Moorhead, Furnival Street,
Paternoster Row 

Sheffield Connect 2 stops at: Sheffield Interchange, Paternoster Row, Furnival Street, Moorhead, Charter Row, Moor Market, Moorhead / Eyre St, Charles St, Arundel Gate, Angel St, Millsands 1, Millsands 2, Haymarket,
Flat Street

The buses are electric so help to keep our air quality good.

Information about the SC1 and SC2 route

Maps and Timetables

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