Happy Christmas to all

Help Save Santa!

Petition Geoff Hoon

The Sheffield Station barrier campaign RASC is now targetting Geoff Hoon, the Secretary of State for Transport, in the hope that he will intervene and force East Midlands Trains to listen to the people of Sheffield. Please sign this on-line petition and ask all your friends to do the same.
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/rasc/petition.html

Park Hill in the Observer

Thanks to everyone who turned up at the protest yesterday.There was an interesting article in the Observer about Park Hill flats and Doug Bell managed to get a comment published about East Midlands Trains plans to install barriers at the station (scroll down to the second letter).

I would be interested to hear where people think we should go next with the station campaign. We have the overwhelming support of all the political organisations in the city, yet EMT are still planning to go ahead with barriers. Democracy seems to have failed in this case.How can we make EMT listen to the people?

Picket the station tomorrow

Here's the latest press release from RASC. Hope to see you tomorrow at the picket of the station, from 4.30-5.30pm.

Residents against Station Closure Press Release
2nd December 2008
For immediate release

EAST MIDLANDS TRAINS REFUSE TO ANSWER PROTESTERS QUESTIONS

At the latest consultation meeting between East Midlands Trains and those objecting to the imposition of barriers to Sheffield Station, East Midlands Trains agreed to answer questions about the proposed new pass that will supposedly entitle local residents to free passage through the station. Residents put their heads together and came up with a list of nearly 100 questions and concerns about the proposed scheme. (see below) Instead of answering the questions East Midlands have replied that they will only answer 5 or up to a maximum of 10 questions as they do not have the capacity to respond. If they have not got the capacity to think this proposal through to ensure it is workable before they install barriers they will not have capacity to set up and maintain the pass system. Sheffield Council has not yet decided how to respond as all of the questions are relevant. EMT are expecting the city to relinquish a vital piece of pedestrian infrastructure on the assurance that walkers will maintain the level of access we currently enjoy via the use of a smart card. It therefore seems reasonable that the residents should be assured that such a system has been adequately thought through and issues addressed before they go ahead.

Geraldine Roberts of RASC commented " This is yet another example of EMT copping out of taking any responsibility for putting a serious case forward. Mr Kelly wants us to simplify what is, even if they do not realise it, a very complex subject."

Meanwhile the Transport Minister Geoff Hoon has been to Sheffield Station and was met by Richard Caborn MP and Councillor Jan Wilson who showed him the rear entrance and explained how this is a vital pedestrian route for both local residents and the regeneration of the city. With Urban Splash currently working on the redevelopment of the flats and plans going ahead to redevelop Sheaf Valley Park, the installation of barriers would be a significant blow to the area.

Opposition to the barriers is still growing. The latest vote on the City Council website has 94% against the installation of barriers. There is a Facebook group of 500 members and an impressive group of supporters including

Chamber of Commerce - Sheffield
Creative Sheffield
English Heritage
Friends of Cholera Monument Grounds and Claywood
Friends of Sheaf Valley Park
Manor Castle Green Party
Manor and Castle Development Trust
Manor Castle and Woodthorpe Area Panel
Sheffield Campaign Against Climate Change
Sheffield City Council- Unanimous motions agreed 3 9 08 and 5 11 08
Sheffield Green Party
Sheffield Labour Party
Sheffield Liberal Democrats
Sheffield Civic Trust
Sheffield College- Castle Centre
Sheffield Hallam University
Sheffield Pensioners Action Group (SPAG)
Sheffield Transport 4 All
Sheffield Wild Life Trust
Shopmobility
South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive.
Urban Splash
Victoria Community Enterprise
Victoria Environment Group

Julie Smethurst, Chair of Sheffield Transport 4 All, said: "Disabled people, and anyone with a communication, sensory or dexterity difficulty, has much to be concerned about with regard to the potential barriers. We would hope that East Midlands Trains would take proper account of our numerous concerns before they install anything. One of the joys of the pedestrian route through the station has been its accessibility and ease of use for disabled people, and it is a sad prospect that man-made barriers should be introduced into what has so far been an excellent, barrier-free area".

RASC are organising a protest at the station this Friday,
December 5th from 4.30pm.

ENDS

Appendix

Questions for East Midlands Trains on the Sheffield “Gate Pass”

A : General

1. Has a scheme such as this giving timed access, been introduced elsewhere? Has EMT done anything like this before?
2. As the gates are supposed to be compatible with the tram tickets What prevents someone buying the cheapest tram ticket, entering the station and getting on a train whenever they wish?
3. How will intending passengers arriving by the back entrance buy a train ticket? Will such people be allowed free access to reach the ticket office if they do not hold a Gate Pass?
4. How can EMT guarantee that the Gate Pass system will continue indefinitely? It is bound to be expensive and difficult to administer. There is a major concern that barriers will be installed, the scheme will operate for a short while, be found to be unworkable and then removed, thus denying all pedestrian access to the station.







B : Issue of passes



1. How will people be informed that they are entitled to apply for a pass? Will EMT put large notices up at the front and back of the station detailing eligible groups?
2. How will Gate Passes be issued and distributed and how long will that take from application? Is there an application form?
3. Will there be a cost to applicants?
4. Who will process applications and issue passes?
5. Will Gate Passes only be issued to users who register with a name and address?
6. As these passes will be issued to an individual because EMT want to use them to monitor patterns of use and spot fraud, what forms of identification will you require?
7. How will you safeguard and return personal documents?
8. What checks are proposed on the validity of applicants’ data?
9. Will there be any control on multiple or duplicate applications?
10. Are Gate Passes to be transferable in respect of use?
11. Will the Gate Passes be live on despatch to the user, or will some other form of enablement be needed?
12. Would the passes have photos on? What other information would be visible on the pass? What information would be contained in the magnetic strip?
13. How would you define "a demonstrable link to Sheffield"? e.g. what about parents of students who have come to study in Sheffield. Could they apply? This could this mean that if you could be getting requests for passes from parents, siblings, children of students from anywhere in the country. How would you respond to that?
14. Who would have access to the data produced by the passes?
15. Will there be some form of Help Desk?







C Duration of the pass



1. Will the Gate Passes have an expiry date? If so, how frequently will they need to be renewed? What is the process for extension or renewal?
2. Many of the users of the station are students at school, college or university on both sides of the footbridge. This population will change to some extent every year. Will student passes be issued for the length of their attendance at the local institution or be issued every year or be valid indefinitely?



D Stopped passes



1. Under what circumstances would Gate Passes be stopped?
2. What will the mechanism be for stopping Gate Passes?
3. What would a holder do on finding their Gate Pass stopped?





E Lost, stolen or out of date passes



1. What will be the policy be on replacement of lost Gate Passes? Will lost passes be replaced?
2. How quickly would lost passes be replaced?
3. If someone used some else’s pass and then abused its use, what would be done?
4. If a pass was stolen, would EMT be able to cooperate with the police and catch the person using the pass?



F Time limits and re-entry



1. How long will people be allowed in the station before they are deemed to be a fare dodger? What if someone is meeting someone from a train and it is delayed? Or they are helping someone on a train and it is delayed? Or they arrive very early to meet someone from a train?
2. Will the gates exercise “pass-back” control on Gate Passes – i.e. prevent a repeated entry or exit within a specified time period?
3. If transit of the station is to be undertaken within a time limit from entry, will exit be prevented outside that time limit?
4. What sanction will apply to users exceeding the time limit and how would that be enforced?
5. What sanctions will be taken against Gate Pass users without entry and exit validations that correspond?
6. Is there any reason why a Gate Pass holder should not use it to enter or leave the station when they have another valid travel authority that does not work the gates - noting that there are a number of these?
7. What pass-back control will apply on tickets other than Gate Passes?
8. Will this allow exit and re-entry, such as for customers entering by the tram stop access who want to use the facilities on the other side of the station before returning to the platforms?
9. Will the barrier software allow exit and re-entry by passengers who are interchanging at Sheffield and wish to use the station facilities?
10. What would happen if there was a fault in the machinery so it didn't check someone out as they leave the station? Could they be accused of fare dodging? How could they prove that the machine wasn't working properly?
11. If someone walks through the station several times in one day, could the machines misinterpret the data and think someone is fare dodging?

G Compatibility



1. Will holders of SYPTE Senior Citizen travel passes have automatic access, since they can travel free on Northern Rail trains within the region?
2. Will Gate Passes be solely for use as Gate Passes or can they be used for other applications?
3. If Gate Passes can also be used for travel, and passes intended for travel can be used as Gate Passes, how will the gates distinguish between an entry or exit in connection with a journey and transit across the station?









H Disability Discrimination Questions



1. What monitoring has been carried out to measure the number of disabled passengers, in terms of numbers and percentages? What reports have been produced – and please will EMT provide copies?
2. How will the proposals provide access for occasional visitors to those people holding passes?
3. Where EMT says they will allow “mobility-impaired non-rail users (defined in a broad way)” to use the station without a pass, how will it be determined whether someone falls into this category or not?
4. Will it be down to the judgment of individual station staff?
5. If so, how will staff be trained in make these judgments?
6. How broad is the definition – will people with other disabilities fall into this category? (e.g. people with mental health problems or learning disabilities, who may need to use the direct route through the station)
7. If the definition includes people with all relevant disabilities, how will station staff judge people with these (invisible) disabilities?
8. How will people know how to get through the station this way?
9. What provision will there be for disabled people who don’t speak English as a first language – especially if staff are being asked to judge, say, disabled people with learning disabilities?
10. How many people do they expect to fall into the category of being able to go through the station without a pass or ticket? What evidence is this estimate based on?
11. What provision is expected for people who need to collect disabled people from the platform – e.g. someone collecting their elderly mother who has come from Edinburgh?
12. What measures would be put in place to cover the fact that sometimes a disabled traveller would be using their pass as a key to get through the station and sometimes as a ticket for local travel e.g. train to Doncaster or Leeds?
13. in relation to disabled people finding and operating the terminals (wheelchair users, those with manual dexterity issues, cognitive/learning/mental health issues, blind and partially sighted people, deaf/hearing impaired people)?
14. in terms of the impact on these groups of implementing such a system. Are there plans for an impact assessment, risk assessment, health and safety assessment?
15. in terms of sufficient time to navigate through automatic gates (a blind person or someone with a mobility impairment may need longer to get through the actual gate and way find to the other set of gates?)
16. Will the manually controlled free access to be offered to the “mobility impaired” extend to those who have ticket types which do not work the gates?





I Cost



1. How much would it cost to implement such a scheme?
2. How many Gate Passes do EMT envisage having to produce?
3. How long will the scheme take to break even (i.e. save more money from stopping fare dodging than investing in the new system?)
4. If the capital planned to invest in this new system (£1.2 million for the gates + whatever the cost of the Gate Pass system) was used to employ more ticket inspectors, how many ticket inspectors could be employed for the remainder of EMT's franchise?



J Relationship with ITSO and Yorcard



1. What type of ITSO based smartcard is to be used?

2. Is there confidence that an ITSO based scheme will be fit for purpose

3. If they are branded as or linked to Yorcard, can they be used in the same way as other Yorcards?

4. Can a Yorcard issued by other parties be used as a Gate Pass?

5. When is EMT going to issue its own ITSO smartcards for rail travel as in the franchise agreement?

6. Will these EMT smartcards be administered separately from Yorcard?

7. What rail travel products will EMT be offering on Smartcards?Will these also be available on Yorcards?

8. Will they be available on ENCTS ITSO cards (national bus pass scheme or the Scottish and Welsh equivalents)?

9. Will ITSO cards issued under the ENCTS (but not Scotland or Wales) function as Gate Passes, as they are valid on Sheffield Supertram?

10. Will holders of ENCTS passes that are not on ITSO cards (note this includes all those issued in London, and some others) be allowed through the station to access the Supertram?

11. What products will require entry and/or exit validation at Sheffield?

12. Will any of these cards also serve as Sheffield Gate Passes?

13. If so, how will this be administered and the Pass enabled on the card?

14. Can the Sheffield Gate Passes also be used for rail travel?

Monbiot's manifesto

George Monbiot has written an excellent article in todays Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/dec/02/climate-change-lord-turner
He paints a very worrying picture, with evidence that run-away global warming has already begun. "In 2007 methane levels in the atmosphere, which had previously levelled off, began rising again. The most likely reason is that the Siberian permafrost is melting, as a result of the runaway warming of the Arctic. This wasn't supposed to begin for another 80 years. The great global meltdown appears to have started".

Monbiot urges cuts in greenhouse gases by roughly 25% from current levels by the end of 2012 - a quarter in four years. And he has worked out how this could be possible, including support for the Green New Deal Lord Turner's proposals are clearly not strong enough. We can't risk destroying our planet by continuing to do so little about the urgent climate crisis. Climate Change is no longer an environmental issue, it is a security issue, as our very survival depends on us responding to stop it. It should be given a far higher priority than the so called "war on terror". Then we may start to move in the right direction.

City of Sanctuary First Anniversary

Please support this excellent event on Saturday. Wonderful music from East Handed and Body of Sound.Asylum Dialogues should prove to be interesting. Gondwanasound broadcast African music on Sheffield Live! and there's also some West African dancing.

Station Barriers

There was an excellent article on BBC Look North tonight about the new barriers at Leeds not working properly. They were tipped off by viewers that any ticket with a magnetic stripe would open the barriers. So a reporter travelled from York to Leeds with a 4 day old ticket (and a current one in case she got caught). When the ticket inspector came down the train she visited the loo, so wasn't spotted. On arriving at Leeds station the old ticket did indeed open the barrier. It also spits the ticket back out to you so you can use it again! The spokesperson from Northern Rail who has installed the barriers claimed this was just a teething problem- but I'm not convinced he wasn't covering up a much bigger problem.

I need to make clear the RASC campaign does not support fare dodgers- indeed we want the trains to improve their fare collecting systems so they don't have to keep putting the fares up. But we don't want any system to prevent people walking through the station which is now a vital pedestrian route for a very large number of people.

The BBC particularly requested viewers comments about the barriers, so please email harry.gration@ bbc.co.uk or christa.ackroyd@ bbc.co.uk and tell them about the Sheffield fiasco.

There is now a Facebook group called "Keep Sheffield Station open to the Public". Please join this and get all your friends to join too.

Privatisation and PFI meeting this Thusday

Please come along to a public meeting on the effects of the credit crunch and privatisation on the local economy, organised by Sheffield Green Party, will be held on Thursday Nov 20th at the Quaker Meeting House. The Green Party has strongly opposed the “creeping privatisation” of services like education and the NHS and is actively involved in Sheffield Communities Against Post Office Closures.

The key speaker will be Adrian Ramsay, the national party’s Deputy Leader, and Leader of the Opposition on Norwich City Council. At just 27 years old, he is also tipped to be one of the first Green MPs, having been selected to run against Charles Clarke MP in Norwich South Constituency.

Sheffield Green Party chair David Hayes said, “Privatisation benefits big business, not the ordinary people who depend on once publicly-owned services. Private Finance Initiative projects have been shown to be a very bad deal. There are examples of schools built under PFI lying empty but still paying cleaning and heating costs. In Sheffield, the 35-year waste contract with Veolia has left us having to pay extra for recycling and the Council is pressing ahead with a Highways PFI. Our Post Offices are now under threat because the Government puts the cost of running them above the public service they perform, despite finding tens of billions to bail out the banks.

In Sheffield we have already seen many of the schools rebuilt using PFI money- a decision that is bound to haunt us in the future. And now the roads are being improved with a similar scheme. Come and find out how the Greens plan to stop mortgaging our future and build a sustainable future by investing wisely in public services.

Parking restrictions

I continue to correspond with council officers regarding the new traffic restrictions. Here is the latest.People who have followed my campaigning will know I have been lobbying for many years to improve the safety of the 5 way junction between Stafford, Fitzwalter and Glencoe Roads. Making one side of Fitzwalter Road double yellow will I fear, result in traffic reaching much higher speeds on Fitzwalter Road, causing more danger at the 5 way junction. What do others think?
I wish the Council would talk about car crashes, not "vehicle conflicts"! I have still not discovered why this hasn't been discussed at the Area Panel.

Dear Simon Botterill

Please could you inform me of the Council's reasons for the new parking restrictions on the Stafford Road area? I am very supportive of any scheme that improves road safety, increase disabled access and encourages people to walk or use public transport. However I also think it is very important to consult with the local people before introducing such schemes. As an active member of the local community, attending Area Panel meetings and reading the local press, the first I heard of this scheme was a very uninformative notice on a lampost on Stafford Road. I only saw 2 such notices and the scheme covers 16 different roads. Lots of people asked me what the scheme involved, but I was not able to inform them until my wife went to the library to look at the plans for me. I hope any future planning issues in our area will involve real consultation with the residents.I have written about the scheme on my blog (I have failed to find anything about it on the Coucil website) and hope you will offer the Council viewpoint to inform my readers.

Many thanks

Graham Wroe

Dear Mr Wroe

Thank you for your email dated 6th November 2008, regarding the proposed Traffic Regulation Order affecting the Stafford Road area.

If I can first of all provide you with a brief overview of the scheme. It is an amalgamation of measures to address various parking problems reported by residents and commuters, as well as those observed and requested by Council officers. It features three key problem areas - Norfolk Park Road/Park Grange Road, Granville Road/Fitzwalter Road and Norfolk Road/Claywood Drive.

We have carried out detailed parking surveys, which have shown that these three areas are heavily parked in the day, which I believe is due to their close proximity to the City Centre, Sheffield College and Supertram. There is an additional increase in parked vehicles when Sheffield United are playing at home.

The proposed restrictions affecting Norfolk Park Road/Park Grange Road were decided upon after requests from local residents, commuters, Councillors and the Road Safety Team. This was due to the high volume of parked vehicles around Castle College and the Park Grange tram stop. This has lead to several pinch points being created at junctions and central islands, increasing the risk of vehicle conflicts, while creating a danger for pedestrians and cyclists. The proposed restrictions should alleviate these problems without affecting available on-street parking for residents, with some double yellow lines proposed to protect vehicle access points to communal parking areas.

With regards to the proposed double yellow lines on Granville Road, we are aware that parking is at a premium, so - without compromising road safety - we have generally only proposed restrictions at each junction along Granville Road. The exception is a 40 metre restricted length opposite the new vehicular entrance below the bridge that links the two campuses. This length of restriction will give increase visibility as well as creating a safe access to the college.

The double yellow lines at the junction of Farm Bank Road were requested by a disabled resident, who on occasions finds it almost impossible to cross the road due to inconsiderate parked vehicles, the original complaint was brought to our attention through an email from Cllr Jan Wilson. The double yellow lines proposed at each junction and the whole of the west side of Fitzwalter Road are intended to Increase visibility for drivers and pedestrians, while reducing the risk of vehicle conflict.

The proposed restrictions on Norfolk Road and Claywood Drive were determined after requests from local residents who were unable to gain access to their driveways and where concerned of the ‘gauntlet like’ run that had been created by excessive commuter parking. The proposed double yellow lines will provide vehicle passing places and ensure access to those driveways most affected by inconsiderately parked vehicles.

I have attached a drawing which shows the extent of the scheme. I hope this shows that we have tried not to be too draconian in our approach to double yellow lines but have tried to get the balance right with regards to road safety, residents' parking requirements and the need for spaces for commuters.

If you require any supplementary information, or wish to discuss the proposals further, then please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Regards,

Matt Longstaff
Highways Technician
Traffic Management
Transport and Highways Division
2-10 Carbrook Hall Road,
Sheffield, S9 2DB
(P) 0114 2736177
(F) 0114 2736182

Congratulations President Elect Obama!

It's a great relief to know that the warmonger President Bush is soon to be replaced in the White House- and its a great historic day to be able to welcome the first black President of the United States. Barack Obama has immense challenges on his hands-continued war in both Iraq and Afghanistan, the financial crisis and looming recession, climate change and peak oil- any one of these would be a difficult enough problem for a new President. I believe he is serious in his plan to free the States from its addiction to oil and to cut greenhouse gases by 80% by 2050, although this may still not be enough to save the planet from catastrophic climate change. See his energy speech here on You Tube Unfortunately a bit like Gordon Brown and the Labour Party there are lots of contradictions in what he says- for instance massive expansion of biofuels is not going to help food prices and the millions across the planet that are already in extreme poverty. More investment in nuclear power is not a good idea. Support for the car industry should not be a high priority if he is serious about reducing emissions. But the emphasis on saving energy with more efficient buildings and massive investment in renewables is just what the planet doctor ordered!
Let's act quickly to make sure the people of the world are heard as Obama makes crucial choices in the coming days on how to live up to his campaign promises to secure a strong global treaty on climate change, ban torture and close Guantanamo prison, withdraw carefully from Iraq, and double aid to make global poverty history. Rarely has a US President been more likely to listen to us.
You can send a message to Obama here.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/million_messages_to_obama

Parking Restrictions

Some residents have expressed concerns about notices in the area near Castle College about a planning application by the Council to impose prohibition of waiting and loading on many of the local streets.What is happening is that restrictions are being planned to stop cars parking near the junctions of these roads to improve road safety and disabled access.

As a member of staff at Castle College I recently received this email.

A residents story.......

"I live locally and have to travel down Granville Road in my wheelchair in order to get to town/the station/bus terminus etc.

Prior to leaving my home I start to develop butterflies because I dread that my path will be blocked by the way cars are parked on the local roads.

Three times in recent weeks as I have tried to squeeze between the cars and have fallen, the last time I fell on to the offending car hurting my knee.

The dropped kerbs on the corner of the roads that link Granville also get blocked which means that wheelchair-users cannot get past and sometimes I have to go back home!

I gave up again this week and have decided that apart from my voluntary work which I do on Fridays, I intend to stay at home because the challenge of the journeys is making me unhappy"

Clearly it is very important that something is done to improve this situation.

The Highway Code says
DO NOT stop or park

* near a school entrance
* anywhere you would prevent access for Emergency Services
* at or near a bus or tram stop or taxi rank
* on the approach to a level crossing/tramway crossing
* opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction, except in an authorised parking space
* near the brow of a hill or hump bridge
* opposite a traffic island or (if this would cause an obstruction) another parked vehicle
* where you would force other traffic to enter a tram lane
* where the kerb has been lowered to help wheelchair users and powered mobility vehicles
* in front of an entrance to a property
* on a bend
* where you would obstruct cyclists’ use of cycle facilities except when forced to do so by stationary traffic

So many vehicles are already regularly breaking the code. My particular nightmare when driving at the moment is turning right into Granville Road from Fitzwalter Road. There is often a big white van parked right on the corner, obscuring the view of traffic coming up Granville Road. By the time you can see what's coming you are in the middle of the road! It's an accident waiting to happen.

The roads affected by the new plans are Claywood Drive, Donnington Road, Essex Rd,Farm Bank Rd,Fitzwalter Rd,Granville Rd,Glencoe Rd, Holdings Rd, Ingram Rd, Norfolk Park Dr, Norfolk Rd, Park Grange Rd, Seabrook Rd, Park Grange Croft, Stafford Rd, Stafford Lane and Tylney Rd.

You can view the plans at the Central Library. Objections must be in by 31st October.

Although I am generally supportive of the plans there may be some problems in the detail- do let me know if you notice anything. One thing that has concerned me is the lack of consultation. Why wasn't this mentioned at the recent Area Panel meeting? Why are there so few notices? (The only ones I have seen have been on Stafford Road).When it all seems to be so secretive it is no wonder residents get suspicious.

Station Barriers battle continues.

Today the Star reports on the recent meeting between Tim Shoveller of East Midlands trains and John Mothersole, the Chief Exec of the Council. See the story here.
http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/Station-footbridge-row-concessions.4600223.jp
East Midlands trains seem to think they are offering "concessions", but they haven't budged an inch on our main objection to installing barriers to the station. They are proposing a system of passes, whereby local residents would still be able to walk through the station. However they don't say who will qualify as a local resident- but it is quite clear that this will not include everyone who currently uses the footbridge as a pedestrian route. For instance my children no longer live at home, but when they visit they always use that route to get to town.

The plans to improve Sheaf Valley Park,the green space immediately behind the station, and make this a part of the city centre regeneration will also be completely undermined by this scheme. The city centre sadly lacks green space. There are currently plans to improve the footpaths, making them disabled access friendly, install lighting and plant a great variety of new trees and bulbs. Workers in the city centre could escape here for a pleasant lunch break- but not if they can't get through the station to get there.

It is not clear how this pass system will work. Hard core fare dodgers will undoubtedly gain access to such passes and continue to dodge fares. Frustrated passengers who board a train at an unstaffed station, never see the conductor on the train and then can't be bothered to wait to pay for a journey they have already made, may be stopped by the barriers causing further delays to their journey. Surely it would be more efficient for both train passengers and fare collection to have enough conductors on the trains?

Elderly, disabled and parents with young children are still to be allowed through the barriers. How are these categories going to be defined? Surely this is discrimination against the fit and healthy? Will someone who is disabled (say with ME) have to prove they have this disability to get through? How old is old? And how young is young?

East Midlands trains have still not managed to offer us any statistics on how much revenue they are losing from fare dodging or how much will be saved from the barriers. The new pass scheme will obviously be expensive, as will the installation of the barriers. No one is saying we should go easy on fare dodgers- but I don't believe this is the best system to catch them. It will be less expensive, more productive in catching fare dodgers and far more popular with the many people that use this pedestrian route to employ more conductors and keep the station barrier free.

New website

Residents Against Station Closure have launched a new website at http://www.rasc-sheffield.com/

Sheaf Valley Park consultation dates

Here are the dates for the Sheaf Valley Park Consultations. Please go and see the plans and give your feedback. Share your views by commenting on this blog.

Mon 13 October Park Library 10.00 - 12.30 and 3pm - 6pm


Tues 14th October Train Station 8.30 - 10.00 and 4.00 - 6.00


Wed 15th October Train Station 8.30 - 10.00 and 4.00 - 6.00


Thurs 16th October Winter Gardens 11.00 - 3.00



Fri 17th October Winter Gardens 11.00 - 3.00



Mon 20th October Victoria Methodist Church 4.00 - 7.00



Tues 21st October Bard Street Community Centre 2.00 - 4.00

Sheaf Valley Park

I went to a meeting this evening about the development of Sheaf Valley Park. I was quite encouraged, as it seems we are close to finding the money to create a well lit disabled access path from the tram stop to the new events arena, which will be carved out of the top of the hill, near Norfolk Road.There will be consultations on these plans, with a stall in the railway station and Winter Gardens soon. The main problem with the plans at present is they include chopping down about 40 trees (chestnuts and maples)to make way for the path. But these will be replaced with a great variety of trees, bringing much more colour and interest to the park.There is also a plan to invest in a spectacular display of bulbs, bringing a blaze of colour to the hillside.

I can't yet find the latest plans on the Council website, but will add a link here when I have it. Do have a look at the plans and tell the Council what you think.

One interesting talking point was the cobbles. Some people love this original feature, but they make the paths inaccessible for wheelchair users and difficult for buggies etc. The consensus of the meeting was to make a tarmac path wide enough for a wheelchair user at the side of the cobbles.

I was hoping the lighting might be powered from renewable sources such as solar or small wind turbines as you often now see on motorways. The budget does not stretch to that, but the lighting will be white light, not yellow, which will make the park look much more attractive.

The team are still hopeful that they may win further grants, but at the moment the money originally planned to build the terraces for the events arena is what is paying for the path and lighting. If more grants are forthcoming the terracing may be able to go ahead too. Work is expected to start on the scheme next spring. I certainly think the path and lighting should take priority.

Free Annociate

My friend and former student Annociate was arrested yesterday and taken to Dungavel Detention Centre in Scotland. We fear she will soon be deported to Burundi, where her life would be in danger. I have created a new blog for the campaign to release her at http://freeannociate.blogspot.com/ Please visit the blog, e-mail or fax Liam Byrne, and join the campaign e-mail list by contacting me.

Conference

I've just got back from the Green Party conference in London. There's been some good coverage of Caroline's election, and I don't think we could have chosen a more capable or inspirational leader. Have a look at her speech here.
I was particularly pleased that the motion on the "right to rent" got through. The Greens' new policy states that any house owner who could not pay their mortgage and is threatened with repossession would have the right to sell to the council and then continue to live in the property and pay rent. With so many people in Sheffield hit by the credit crunch this is a realistic solution.

The Greens now have a new home to bring together Green Bloggers. You can find it at http://greenpartyblogs.org.uk

Where are you on the Political Compass?

I love this video!
http://www.youtube.com/user/legoactivist

If you're looking for an interesting website, do you know where you are on the political compass? I am proud of my position on the Libertarian Left, in the same quadrant as Mahatma Ghandi and Nelson Mandela! The political compass adds a new dimension to the traditional left -right political spectrum. The second dimension is Libertarian-Authoritarian. It is no real surprise to find both the Conservatives and Labour in the Authoritarian Right quadrant, and the Lib Dems quite near the middle but just in the Libertarian Right quadrant, along with Adam Smith and Milton Friedman. The BNP come out slightly left wing on the Left-Right access, but of course their racist policies put them as extreme authoritarians, in a similar position to Robert Mugabe and Nickolai Caucescu. The Greens are in the Libertarian Left quadrant. To find out where you are on the compass you just have to spend a few minutes answering some interesting questions. It's well worth a few minutes, and may make you rethink who you should be voting for!

Residents furious at continued proposals to "gate" the railway station.

East Midlands Trains complain trains are too overcrowded for ticket collectors!

I joined a group of local people who represent a wide range of interests, such as access for people with disabilities, the City Council, SYPTE and local residents last week at the station. We met with 4 reps from East Midlands Trains (EMT)on Thursday 31st July. The group presented a united front and gave EMT a hard time about their proposal to install ticket barriers.

EMT claim that this will tackle fare “dodging” although they have no information on the current level. It was established early in the 2 hour meeting that EMT had no alternative suggestions to discuss other than the installation of gates. EMT insisted that this was consultation and they wanted to listen to local views but despite the total rejection of ticket barriers they had nothing else to offer. They managed to get the group to discuss other ways of solving their, unquantified, problem of fare evasion, but went on to reject all suggestions as unworkable. For instance the suggestion that they should put more staff on trains to collect fares was ruled out as impractical as trains were already "over- crowded, sometimes eight deep!"

The group was shown around the proposed sites for locating gates. The current plan is approximately thirteen barriers in the front hall consisting of 10 standard size and 3 wide aisle to be located between the arches and probably 5 at the back entrance, two standard size going in, and two standard size going out with one wide gate off to the side where the lift is. These ideas are subject to change as a result of a computer modelling exercise to check safety. One look at this layout makes it clear that if gating is introduced all free movement through the station would be at an end. Even people meeting passengers from trains or help them with their departure would only be able to do so at the discretion of staff on the barriers. It is also likely that wheel chair users who find the system of lifts in the station the most convenient way of getting to the city centre from the communities on the hill above the station would be blocked.
There are no arrangements in place for tram users getting off at the back of the station to go into the city centre, or walking from the bus station to the tram stop at the back of the station to be able to use the footbridge.
There was some talk of enabling local residents to be able to walk through and EMT suggested the possibility of developing a token or pass system for Residents. When informed that there are 70,000 residents in the Central Constituency alone there was no response. EMT were unable to define the meaning of "local resident".
There are a number of large organisations and proposed developments on either side of the station. Staff and Students at Castle centre of the Sheffield College; Sheffield Hallam University; a number of secondary and primary schools in the immediate vicinity and the residents of the huge Park Hill development, in addition to people who already live here, would all be prevented from using this award winning listed building which the city has spent millions of pounds to refurbish.
If readers have concerns about EMT's proposal that can email them to getintouch@eastmidlandstrains.co.uk
or write to Tim Shoveller, East Midlands Trains, FREEPOST DY940, Derby, DE1 9BR

For further information contact Residents against Station Closure at RASC2008@live.com

Vote for Caroline!

As someone who supported the Green Empowerment campaign, I was opposed to the recent changes the Green Party has made to its constitution to enable us to elect a leader. However, now the candidates for the post have been announced I have no hesitation in recommending that people vote for Caroline Lucas. Her excellent record speaks for itself. She is a formidable speaker and she has always managed to combine her politics with direct action, showing those with power that there are alternatives to the unjust system we have at present. Her excellent book, Green Alternatives to Globalisation, is a must read for all Green activists. Do have a look at her website, http://www.carolinelucas.org.uk/biography.php and support her campaign. When the General Election finally comes along, I believe Caroline will become the first Green MP in the House of Commons.

Station access/ Sheaf Valley Park

Earlier this week I attended the Manor Castle and Woodthorpe Area Panel. Two representatives attended from East Midlands trains, who are still going ahead with plans to "gate" the station despite opposition from all the local political parties and many organisations and individuals.I will be attending a meeting at the station next Thursday, 31st July, to discuss the plans.If you would like me to convey a message to the train company (that I can repeat!) please get in touch.

There are also developments with the plans for Sheaf Valley Park. The council has released plans for the section of the park that they will be responsible for- Urban Splash will be developing the section in front of Park Hill flats. There will be various consultation opportunities in the near future, so you can let the planners know what you think. I remain to be convinced about the "event space" and grass terraces, and would prefer money to be spent on disabled friendly paths (the paths all seem to have steps on the plan) and lighting, to encourage people to walk this way to town. There is no funding at present for the Park Cafe, which would be at the top of the hill opposite Claywood Road. What do you think?

Assist coverage in the Guardian

Many congratulations to Assist for the excellent coverage they got in G2 this week.
See http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jun/13/immigration.immigrationpolicy
The bits about Sheffield are at the end of the video and article.

We're all Green now, aren't we?

At the count I got chatting with some Conservative ladies. Much as I am opposed to Conservative policies, I did feel sorry for them- they had seen their poll rise to 20% of the vote, but their reward was to have the last Tory Councillor ceremoniously booted out of the Town Hall. I have a lot of respect for Anne Smith as she has been a hard working councillor and has always been open to discussions and debate.Our ridiculously unfair electoral system has now thrown her out of office. However the conversation soon became much more heated when one of the Tory ladies said, "but of course, we're all Green now!" How I wish that was true, then I wouldn't have to bother with politics! But the truth is all the 3 main political parties, at local and national level, still haven't grasped the serious situation we are in. I believe the next decade will determine whether or not we save the planet from catastrophic climate change. We are not just talking about looking after our parks and keeping the streets clean (important though these issues are) we are talking about changing our economic system so that life can continue on this planet. I am currently reading Mark Lynas's new book, 6 degrees. See http://www.marklynas.org/ In it he catalogues what climate scientists predict will happen to the planet as it warms by each degree. It should be required reading for all politicians and business people. It shows how we are already very close to various "tipping" points, which when we reach them will further speed up climate change- for instance as the artic melts, the ice cap, which acts like a massive mirror that currently reflects the suns energy away from the north pole will disappear. This means that the energy will be absorbed by the dark sea, further warming the planet and speeding climate change.

Politicians that say they are green, while proposing new airports, new roads, encouraging wasteful consumption, opposing sustainable energy solutions and encouraging massive hypermarkets while local shops and post offices are shut down should be voted out of office as soon as possible!

Station access

Whilst all the sitting and hopeful candidates were busy at Ponds Forge watching the count another very important meeting was taking place in Sheffield. Here is a brief report of what went on. If you are concerned about the issue of gating the station please put June 3rd in your diary and come along to the Area Panel meeting at Victoria Methodist Church, Stafford Road, 6.30pm where it will be discussed, and you will have an opportunity to question a representative of East Midlands trains.

Report of a meeting at Sheffield Station
about access through the station: Held at 11.00 am 2 May 2008

Who?
The meeting was called by Jake Kelly, Customer Services Director of East Midlands Trains (EMT). Jake appears to have responsibility for implementing the plan to make Sheffield a “gated” station.

About 20 people were present, including:

1. Richard Caborn, MP
2. Representatives of a range of Disability Access groups
3. Chair of Transport of All
4. Chair of Friends of Sheaf Valley Park
5. Chair of Sheffield Civic Trust
6. Secretary and Convenor of Victoria Environment Group
7. Member of the petition group
8. Rep of British Transport Police responsible for the policing of the station
9. Sheffield City Council Officers responsible for Highways, Planning and Regeneration
10. Several station employees with a range of responsibilities

Why?
Jake Kelly explained the rationale for considering restricting access. It is to reduce fare dodging but also to reduce crime within the station and on trains.

MP Richard Caborn pointed out that the huge financial investments involved in Park Hill and the e-campus, are reliant on good access through the station. He requires the Director to provide detailed figures on how much would be saved in fare dodging if the station were closed. When available, a cost benefit analysis would need to be carried out and considered in the wider context of
·the huge sums already committed and
·the possibility of future income to be generated by communities which could be cut out.
The MP also required the police representative to give figures on crimes and arrests over the last 6months, 12 months, 18 months and two years, so that a similar analysis could be carried out. This was agreed.

Towards the end of the meeting another train employee said that the Dept for Transport included a requirement to gate 5 stations on their network, was a condition of awarding the franchise to East Midlands Trains. Other stations such as Chesterfield could be considered. Jake confirmed that the reason that Sheffield is being considered at the moment, is that it is the station with the highest income.

It is clear that the main motivation for this proposal is financial and currently EMT does not perceive that the wider issues of the city and the communities around the station are it’s concern.

How?
A Design Consultancy has been commissioned to draw up plans for gating the station.
The needs of train users with disabilities will be one of the design criteria but there is no commitment to include the needs of people “in transit” through the station, rather than catching trains. The impression is that EMT plans to divert “none-travelling “ public via other bridges and routes. A couple of routes suggested were a “goods” bridge which is used by station staff and could be upgraded for use by the public, or the old south bridge. The view of the meeting was that the latter is an unacceptable alternative - it has no lifts and it lands on a back street. This will merely displace any of the alleged theft, begging and mugging that the British Transport Police spokesperson was concerned about. There was some discussion about allowing none travelling people with disabilities to have access through the station, but the representatives felt that separate arrangements for them would be divisive.

When?
The Director anticipates that any gating would take place around May 2009.

Jake plans some consultation and said that the views of today’s meeting would be passed through to the consultants.

Outcomes
· EMT will be in no doubt that there is strong and vocal opposition to gating the station and that it is a coalition of national politicians, local councillors and officers, representative disability groups, city wide groups concerned with access and local residents.

· As Director of Customer Services Jake Kelly is looking for a solution to “mitigate the effects of the gates in the interim” period before a public bridge makes the connection across the valley - however there is no current , proposal for a bridge, with identified funding .

We Want:
· A copy of the brief given to the design consultants

· Opportunities to meet the consultants at a convenient place and time, before they start serious work on the plans.

· a further consultation meeting at a convenient date and time. (Mid morning on a week day excluded many.)

· to see any plans as they emerge

· genuine consultation, which is structured rather than ad hoc and as part of this Jake Kelly was informed that the station issue will be a key item on the next Area Panel meeting at 6.30 pm on Tuesday 3rd June…( venue to be confirmed) After the meeting he confirmed that although he personally cannot be there a senior member of EMT will attend the Area Panel.


Jake Kelly appeared to agree on further consultation and was prepared to look at ways of enabling us to meet the designers when they come to look at the station.

This report was compiled from notes made at the meeting by
Doug Bell, Terry Gallagher, Simon Gedye and Geraldine Roberts
5th May 2008

Fly tipping fruit and veg

On the Victoria Environment Group litter pick today we went to the the little triangle of land at the junction of Granville Road and Fitzwalter Road. It was a terrible mess again, and it seems that a fruit and veg trader has taken to regularly dumping rotten fruit there.If you have any information about who is doing this please let me know and I will report him to the authorities. The ironic thing is we haven't got a local fruit and veg shop- a few years ago there was a lovely greengrocers on City Road, just near Skye Edge Avenue, but it had to close and the local shops there have never been the same since. All we seem to get now is take away shops! So whoever it is is driving into our area especially to dump their waste. I hope we catch him! We didn't manage to shift all the fly tipping, but have reported it to the council.

Results

This was the result in Manor Castle Ward.

Pat Midgeley (Labour) 1621 53%
David Croft (Lib Dem) 687 22%
Christina Stark (Con) 400 13%
Graham Wroe (Green) 357 12%

Thank you to those of you who supported me in any way- leafleting- putting up posters, and especially voting. I was very disappointed to come last- but my vote didn't go down very much (I was 13% last time)but the other two parties managed to take votes from Labour. What's most upsetting is that the Conservative candidate beat me without doing anything- there wasn't even a poster in her window! So the Conservative vote was purely on media coverage- the "David Cameron" effect. The Lib Dem vote again increased and their leaflet wrongly insinuated that the Greens always support Labour.

It was very clear that the postal vote was not Green. Postal votes favour the 3 main parties as people often vote before the election leaflets are distributed and are much more influenced by the national media. Despite our excellent election broadcast the Greens have struggled to get a fair representation in the national media. The Question Time debate not giving the Green mayoral candidate, Sian Berry, a platform is a a prime example of this.

In Central Ward our hard work paid dividends and we now have a third Councillor, Rob Murphy. Result

Rob Murphy Green Party 1611 40%
Mohammad Maroof Labour 1563 39%
Mohammad Azam Lib Dem 522 13%
June Ledbury Conservative 311 8%

It was nail bitingly close, but we have now managed to complete the team of 3 councillors in Central.

Throughout the city Lib Dems swept to power and how have 45 seats, Labour 36 and Green 3. The Independent lost in Stocksbridge and Anne Smith lost the only Tory seat in Dore & Totley. We now have an important role to play as the third council group with a clear alternative agenda to Labour and the Lib Dems. Other noteable Green results include

Rob Cole came second in Broomhill, 756 votes 27%
Gareth Roberts beat the Tories in Gleadless Valley 781 15%
Chris Sissons beat the Tories in Burngreave 638, 14%
Julian Briggs beat Labour in Crookes 698, 14%
Mervyn Smith came 3rd beating Con/UKIP in Nether Edge 780 13%
James Wilson came 3rd in Walkley beating Cons.540 12%
Jason Leman beat Labour in Ecclesall 615 9%

The full results are on the Council website

http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-council/elections/election-results/election-results-2008

Skye Edge field

I had a letter today from a future voter. It said

Dear Mr Wroe
I am hoping you will help my friends and me.
I would like you to put more youth clubs for us 12 years olds.
The older kids are mixed in with the younger ones so there is a little bullying so to keep the ages separate we need a bigger place.
We also need Skye Edge field cleaning up as there is glass and rubbish there and spray paint.
We would like a bigger place as well for skate boarding and biking. Our neighbours get annoyed if we play in the road. So we need better lighting and better security. Skye Edge field would be ok.
A future voter
...........

Skye Edge field is definitely a problem. I am asking the council to pay a visit and do a clean up, but what the area really needs is some local people who will take real care of it- like the Friends of Norfolk Park and the Friends of Sheaf Valley Park. And people need to feel safe there. I have been intimidated there before with youngsters on motorbikes driving at crazy speeds across the field and on the footpaths. The next Victoria Environment Group litter pick is this Saturday-meet at Victoria Methodist at 10am. If enough people come who are concerned about Skye Edge we could send a team in that direction.

As for facilities for youngsters, I must admit I am a bit out of touch on this. My kids have now all grown up, so I am not sure what is available in the area.There are sports activities at All Saints (contact Vicky Joel on (0114) 274 3529 or email v.joel@allsaintslearning.co.uk)and Green Watch organise football coaching at Park Academy on Monday evenings 5.30-6.30, for 10 to 18 year olds.(Jake Bonsall on 07769 912 872)Jake’s also looking for volunteers to work on environmental projects on the Manor and Arbourthorne estates.If readers know of other good activities for young teenagers in this area please add a comment to this article and inform everybody.

There is a list of Youth Clubs in Sheffield here-
http://www.finder.co.uk/b2b/Sheffield/Youth-Centres-And-Associations
I assume you go to the Park Centre? Have you asked the leaders there about the possibility of a group for you younger ones? What did they say? And have you told them about the bullying? If they know about it hopefully they can do something about it.

I think your idea for a skate park on Skye Edge is a good one. We will need to convince the people that hold the purse strings, as it would be expensive. Maybe you and your friends could put a petition together and present it to the Council. Ask me if you want some help with this.

Housing list problems

The news that Sheffield tops the UK waiting list league for houses is a big cause for concern. However it may not be as bad as the headlines suggest. According to Mark Hookham in the Star "The number of families registered as waiting for a council house in Sheffield is higher than any other local authority in the country. A total of 87,773 households are recorded by official government figures as waiting for social housing in the city last year. This represents almost 40 per cent of the total number of households in Sheffield.

In contrast, there are 87,565 households waiting in the whole of Greater Manchester, 40,697 in Merseyside and 24,780 in Leeds. But the figures include tens of thousands of families who have historically registered for local authority housing but who are no longer actively looking for accommodation... A Sheffield Council spokeswoman said: "Sheffield maintains a policy of having an open housing register. The housing register is not the same as a waiting list. So, whilst there are over 80,000 people registered, less than a quarter of this number are actively seeking rehousing.""

This doesn't mean we can be complacent. According to Shelter there are 287 families currently homeless in Sheffield. Since 2000 house prices have risen four times faster than wages. Nearly two thirds of Sheffield households are priced out of the market and the number of people accepted by the council as homeless is growing year on year. In the renovation of Park Hill, 80% of the properties will be turned into luxury flats which most of the people living there will not be able to afford. Meanwhile, Sheffield Homes continue to perform badly on their Decent Homes Investment Project. Owner-occupiers and leaseholders are being left out, the quality varies a great deal between different areas and some basic repairs and improvements are not included in the project.

What is the Green Party doing?

·Pushing the Council to repair leaky roofs and walls under the Decent Homes scheme.

·Calling for a full review of the council’s lettings policy to make it fairer and more transparent.

·Calling for the repair and renovation of council properties.

·Helping to develop planning guidance requiring at least 15% affordable housing in all large developments, while continuing to push for 40%.

·Lobbying to keep the current programme of tenancy support services in place, and for more sheltered accommodation for vulnerable people.

·Pushing the Council to give advice on insulation and grants to all householders.

How should Trade Unionists vote?

Tomorrow I will be on strike from my job at Sheffield College. Under the Labour Government public sector workers like teachers and lecturers continue to be offered pay deals well below the rate of inflation. At the same time Gordon Brown attacks poor people by removing the 10p band of income tax.

Unison however still think it is a good idea to spend their members contributions on a letter from Jan Wilson, telling them to vote Labour! Trade Unionists would be far better off supporting a party that wants to put an end to poverty, stop the oil wars and the creeping privatisation of our schools and health service.

SOME IMPORTANT Green Party Policies:
The Green Party:
• Opposes privatisation of public service and the Private Finance Initiative.
• Campaigns for fair pay and decent conditions for all workers.
• Opposes the sale or privatisation of council housing.
• Campaigns for an extensive programme of affordable social housing.
• Campaigns for a massive increase in investment in public transport within a publicly controlled integrated transport system that makes car use less necessary.
• Campaigns for healthy public services such as health, education and transport, funded through adequate taxation, in which the well-off pay their fair share.
• Campaigns for fair trade that promotes concrete improvements in the conditions of workers in developing countries without hurting workers in the industrialised West.
• Supports the Charter Of Workers’ Rights endorsed by major trade unions
• Encourages un-unionised, temporary, and migrant workers to join trade unions
For more reasons why Trade Unionists should vote Green see
http://brentandharrow.greenparty.org.uk/GPTU_release.pdf

Demo at Station

There was a very successful demonstration at the station this morning, to protest at East Midlands trains plan to install barriers and prevent pedestrians walking through.There must have been about 50 people there, including representatives from all 4 political parties, Transport4All,Friends of Sheaf Vally Park, Friends of Norfolk Park, Park Community Action, Victoria Methodist Church, Grace Owen Nursery and probably other organisations I wasn't aware of. When was the last time all 4 political parties in Sheffield came together on the same demonstration? I have just been forwarded another email from East Midlands trains, which is much clearer about their plans. It says

Dear ***** *****

Thank you for your email of 24 February 2008.

I can confirm that we are installing ticket barriers at Sheffield on a
trial basis- these have been well received at the stations at which they
have already been installed e.g. Leicester.

These barriers are intended to reduce the amount of fare evasion taking
place, and this is one of a number of measures we have implemented to
ensure this is the case - ultimately, this is to benefit the travelling
public by helping to keep fare rises to an absolute minimum.

If the installation is successful the barriers will become permanent.

Thank you for your enquiry.

Kind regards

******** ***
Customer Relations Officer

What is rather ironic is that even though it is the clear democratic will of the people to keep free access to the station, because it is now a private concern, in the end East Midlands trains can do what they like. We need to renationalise the railways to bring them back into democratic control.

I have had a letter published in the Telegraph about the station access, which is at http://www.sheffieldgreenparty.org.uk/archives/letters/2008/080413eastmidlandstrains.htm
and Rob Murphy, Green candidate for Sheffield Central, has written about the demo
http://www.sheffieldgreenparty.org.uk/archives/letters/2008/080418demo.htm

The coverage on Radio Sheffield was a little disappointing, as it gave all the publicity to Jan Wilson, when the hard work that has been done by local campaigners bringing this to everyone's attention was ignored. However it has sent a very stong message to East Midlands trains- lets hope they now reconsider and come up with a sensible alternative.

Bernard Street/Duke Street traffic lights

Further to my earlier posting I took a few pictures of the junction at rush hour this morning. True, there weren't many pedestrians- but is that surprising when crossing here is such a nightmare? It is enough to persuade even the most conscientious climate change campaigner to resort to using a car.

Here a van mounts the pavement to try to turn left up Duke Street.




The top picture shows how busy the junction has become. It has been made more difficult to cross because of the bus gate at the bottom of Duke Street. As traffic can't continue down the hill to town, everything is channelled along Bernard Street.

Here a pedestrian dashes across the road between traffic, as there is never a gap in the traffic going along Bernard Street.

Maybe we need to start a local petition to get a pelican at this crossing. What do you think? Maybe with more Greens in the Town Hall we could secure more finance for pelican crossings.

When the junction is right next to the Trades and Labour Club, you would think the Labour Party would be sympathetic on this one!

Station access protest

Jan Wilson, Labour leader of the Council and Councillor for Manor Castle ward, has called a protest at Sheffield Railway Station on Monday 21st. She writes

Dear All

You all know about the intention of East Midland Trains to make Sheffield Station a 'closed' station.

I am organising a protest there on Monday 21st at 11.00, meeting at Supertram stop at rear of station - we are going to go through with a placard saying 'Don't stop Access through Station' or something like that.

Would anyone like to come? and can you inform anyone you think might be interested.

I will try to get the Sheffield Star to come with photographer

I have also emailed the Chair of the Transport 4 All group, which is active on issues which affect people with disabilities

Best wishes

Jan Wilson
Council Leader

I will be joining the protest and I have challenged the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives to get involved too. This must not be an election stunt, it must be a powerful show of force from a united community, determined to keep pedestrian access to the station.

Party Election Broadcast

See our innovative Party Election broadcast here
http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/3381

Postal vote?

Wednesday 16th April (this Wednsday!) 5pm is the deadline for postal vote applications. You can download the form at
http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-council/elections/voting-by-post and send it back to Electoral Registration Department, Sheffield City Council, Town Hall, Sheffield, S1 2HY.

Pedestrian Crossings

I have been investigating the Councils priorities for new Pelican crossings in our area. There is a city wide scheme where any proposal is listed and scores points according to various criteria. Here are the possible places in our area along with the current score.

Granville Road (by All Saints School) 10
Manor Oaks Road/Wybourn Primary School 9
Prince of Wales Road/Castlebeck Avenue 9
Manor Lane between Manor Park Road and Seaton Crescent 8
Bernard Road (by Megacentre) 7
Bernard Street at Cricket Inn Road signals 7
Bernard Street (between Cricket Inn Road and Duke Street 7
Norfolk Park Road/All Saints School 7
City Road near Stafford Lane 6
Duke Street at Bernard Street junction 6
Duke Street south of Manor Oaks Road junction 6
Bernard Street at Duke Street signals 6
Manor Lane/Warley Road 6
Duke Street nr Red Lion pub 6
Stafford Road/Fitzwalter Road 6
City Road / Manor Lane 6
City Road between Park Grange Road and Wulfric Road 5
Cricket Inn Road/Whites Lane 5
Shrewsbury Road/Granville Street 5

Around the city there are 6 places that score 10 like Granville Road, so these are the top priorities for the Council. The Granville Road crossing is scheduled to be built in 2010-11. It seems unlikely that crossing possibilities scoring less than 9 will be built unless there is a big transfer of funds from road building to road safety, which is what I would like to see. There are 244 places around the city where people have requested the Council install a crossing and 19 of those are in our area.

Sheffield currently has a 'hung' council with no party in overall control. This has enabled the Green Party to get funding for 10 extra pedestrian crossings into the 2008/9 budget.

If you feel strongly about where we should have new crossings, please reply to this article and send an email to John.Bann@sheffield.gov.uk who is head of Transport at the City Council.

One of the important criteria is the number of accidents, so it is very important that all accidents get reported.

My pet hate of a junction at the moment is Bernard Street/Duke Street, where there are traffic lights for cars, but no pelican crossing for the pedestrians. This has become a very dangerous crossing in recent times. I am surprised there haven't been more accidents there.

The junction between Stafford Road and Fitzwalter Road is on the list, but I don't think this needs a crossing- it would be better to have some sort of mini roundabout, and measures to slow down cars on Fitzwalter Road . At present, if motorists obeyed the highway code they would never be able to turn out of Glencoe Road onto Fitzwalter Road, because if you stop at the Give Way line you can't see on coming traffic coming up the hill along Fitzwalter Road. But it is clear we need some accidents here before the Council will be prepared to do anything about it.

So, over to you- how can we make our roads safer? Where would you put a crossing if you could decide where to put it?

Area Panel meeting

I went to the Area Panel meeting at St Swithun's last night. We had a good discussion about the stations plans to restrict pedestrian access. There is massive local feeling against these proposals, yet in the end it seems that East Midlands trains could do it, as the land belongs to them. It is very important that we keep up the pressure on them so that they realise we are not a walkover. We don't want to have to organise demonstrations at the station, but we will if we have too! The main result of the discussion was that the station manager would be invited to the next area panel meeting which we think will be on Tuesday 3rd June. Urban Flash will also be invited to this meeting, so they will hopefully further reinforce how unpopular the station will make itself if it goes ahead with the plans. We will also get a chance to question Urban Splash on their latest plans to make the Park Hill redevelopment more environmentally friendly, something I have been lobbying for since the plans were first published.

The main item on yesterday's agenda was the new Area Action Plan for Manor, Castle and Woodthorpe. This is now in its second draft. The main theme in this is to develop a local worklessness programme. This is a worthy idea, but we shouldn't just be challenging worklessness, as many of the jobs created by multi national corporations still leave people with little sense of self worth. We should be promoting "good work", work that will improve our communities, and make them more sustainable and self sufficient.
I suggested that the Area Panel should seriously look at promoting schemes to make our housing stock, both private and council housing, more energy efficient. This would create jobs, alleviate poverty and reduce our carbon emissions all at the same time. A first phase might involve ensuring all roofs are properly insulated, but then we could go on to consider cavity wall insulation or enveloping for older houses that don't have cavity walls. Individual householders are unlikely to tackle such a project, but if a scheme for a whole street was organised it might then become very much more affordable.

If you would like more information about making your home more environmentally friendly, pay a visit to South Yorkshire Energy Centre at Heeley City Farm. This is the centre that the Green Party ensured funding for in the Council budget- without the pressure from the two Green Councillors its future would be completely uncertain.

Area Panel and litter pick

If you are able to join Victoria Environment Group for the litter pick we will meet as usual, at Victoria Church at 10.00 on Saturday 5th April. Litter pickers and bags are available. Please bring gloves.

Jan Wilson will be giving an update on her discussions with East Midlands Trains about the proposal to stop pedestrians using the station, at the Area Panel meeting next Tuesday 8th April, at St Swithen's Church, Cary Road. Refreshments are available from 6.00pm and the meeting starts at 6.30pm. I understand that this is due to be the first item. All are welcome.

22 bus service

SURVEY: Are you put off using the no. 22 bus?
The 22 bus service serves the Wybourn estate. Help Sheffield Green Party to improve your no. 22 service by completing this online survey. It will only take five minutes of your time.

Litter Pick

Next litter pick is this Saturday, March 1st at 10am-meet at Victoria. Bring gloves. See you there!

Graham

Skye Edge windfarm?

Skye Edge was mentioned on the front page of the Star this week as a possible location for a windfarm.It is certainly a very windy location, and I think the turbines would be a spectacular sign that Sheffield is becoming a green city. I certainly wont be taking the NIMBY view on this one- we need alternative renewable sources of energy and wind energy makes a great deal of sense for Sheffield. The arguments NIMBY protestors use against windfarms, such as noise and bird kill have no justification. Having said that, I am not giving the developers free reign to build all over Skye Edge! This is the best viewpoint of the city of Sheffield and it is a vital piece of open land for recreation. I hope a windfarm can be developed that will still allow access to the open space and viewpoints. And this land belongs to the people of Sheffield- I hope the people of Sheffield will profit from the use of the windfarm, not some rich utility company!

For a 360 degree tour of Skye Edge click here.

The windfarm would compliment the new sustainable housing that is planned for the site where the old flats have been demolished. See the council website for more details.

Pedestrian access to the railway station

I gather there are plans to stop pedestrians using the railway station. This has got to be the most stupid proposal I have heard for a long time. We need an integrated transport system and the most important part of that, to reduce our carbon footprint, is encouraging people to walk. Closing the station for pedestrian access will discourage people from walking and using the Supertram, which has to be accessed through the station for that part of the city. Many residents in the Park Hill area regularly use this route to walk to town. I urge people to protest to the station management. They are managed by East Midlands trains and the email address is getintouch@eastmidlandstrains.co.uk

Area Panel

The Area Panel met on Feb 1st. Unfortunately I wasn't able to be there as it was during the day when I am at work. You can find out all about the area panel and read the minutes and download the newsletter here.
http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/in-your-area/area-action/manor-castle-and-woodthorpe-area-action
I think the panel should meet in the evening when people are available to attend.

Norfolk Road Conservation Area

There are proposals to alter the Norfolk Road Conservation Area. To find out what is proposed go to
http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/planning-and-city-development/urban-design--conservation/conservation/norfolk-road

If you want to comment on the proposals you can email planningudep@sheffield.gov.uk before February 22nd.
There is a half day workshop at Park Library on Friday 22nd February from 1.30 to 5.30pm where Officers from the Urban Design and Conservation Team will hopefully be able to answer your questions.