Sheffield Green Party is today launching a vision for transport in the City, asking Sheffielders to imagine what life would be like if quality public transport and safe walking & cycling could replace most routine car journeys. The vision sets out changes that could be made across trams, buses, walking & cycling , tackling congestion, improving road safety and putting people first. Local artists and designers have visualised what these changes might look like in practice.
Bex Whyman, Green Party candidate for the South Yorkshire mayoral election, said “We’ve had too many people in power saying ‘it can’t be done.’ We need to have the vision to change transport in Sheffield and the region for the better. These are realistic ideas to make getting around South Yorkshire easier. It would take action and funding from the government, local councils, the mayor, businesses and communities to turn our vision into a reality, but ideas like these have been achieved elsewhere in the UK and beyond. There’s good reason to repeat those successes in South Yorkshire. We’re putting these ideas forward to show what kind of places we could live and work in, and how we could get around, if we had the ambition to make this vision a reality.”
Sheffield Greens are calling on the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and the local councils to unite and demand the funding to expand Supertram and bus services into a metro system fit for the 21st Century. Greens are also calling for a range of other measures, from bringing buses back under public control to tackling congestion, to making our neighbourhoods people friendly.
Sheffield Councillor Douglas Johnson, Executive Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport, said “In Sheffield, the Greens have already secured a Clean Air Zone, walking and cycling travel improvements and a plan to ban pavement parking in the city centre, but there’s a lot more we can do. Our vision for transport reimagines our local places, neighbourhoods and high streets for people. Places with less traffic, where people can get around easily, and where air is clean and safe to breathe.”
“We want to see a city where all trips, but especially commutes and journeys up to two miles, should be safe, convenient and pleasant by either walking or cycling. Sheffield had buses that were cheap and convenient before and there’s no reason we can’t have that level of service again. Of course, some people will still need to make journeys by car, but making other ways to move around the city more accessible will make it more affordable and convenient for everyone”
See more at the GET SHEFFIELD MOVING website
