Read this earlier on the SCC website, can you imagine the impact of running a census on the Parkway :loopy:

SURVEY TO IMPROVE TRAFFIC FLOWS IN SHEFFIELD AND ROTHERHAM

From Tuesday 6th November, a selection of roads within Sheffield and Rotherham will be staffed with survey teams to count vehicle movements. They will also ask a sample of drivers to stop briefly in order to answer questions about their journey or to hand them a pre-paid postcard questionnaire.

There are 45 count sites in total, so the survey programme will continue for several weeks. The survey will be carried out for one day only, in one direction only, on each of the roads being looked at.

The data that’s collected will be used to update the information that is currently contained in a computerised traffic model of the Sheffield and Rotherham area.

Further information can be obtained from the Survey Project Officer, Julie Meese, on 0114 273 4286 or by e-mail julie.meese@sheffield.gov.uk

The roads being surveyed are listed below, but are not in date order:

A57 Aston Way
A57 Broad Lane
A57 Sheffield Parkway
A57 Whitham Road / Western Bank
A6021 Broom Road
A61 Netherthorpe Road
A61 Penistone Road
A61 Queens Road
A61 Sheaf Street
A61 Westwood New Road
A6102 Rushby Street / Owler Lane
A6109 Meadow Bank Road
A6109 Savile Street
A6135 Barnsley Road
A6135 Spital Hill
A616 Stocksbridge Bypass
A6178 Sheffield Road
A618 Moorgate Road
A618 Pleasley Road
A621 Arundel Gate
A621 Bramall Lane
A625 Ecclesall Road
A629 Cowley Hill
A629 Upper Wortley Road
A630 Centenary Way
A630 Doncaster Road
A630 Fitzwilliam Road
A630 Rotherway
A631 Bawtry Road
A633 Rotherham Road / Rawmarsh Road
B6069 Glossop Road
B6070 Granville Road
B6071 Shrewsbury Road
B6072 Broad Street / Cricket Inn Road
B6073 Furnival Road
B6074 Mowbray Street
B6082 Ecclesfield Road
B6089 Greasbrough Road
B6388 London Road
C426 Pitsmoor Road
C431 Winter Street / Bolsover Street
UNC Meadow Street
UNC Pinstone Street
UNC Shoreham Street
UNC West Street

You don't have to tell them where you are actually going to and where from do you? :suspect:

You understand that a traffic census is just a group of people typically situated on a bridge, counting vehicles, don't you? That won't cause any delays. They'll stop the small sample of people away in a lay-by or side road somewhere. This is a common occurrence up and down the country, nothing to get worked up about! :P

No, they are going to stop vehicles.

You understand that a traffic census is just a group of people typically situated on a bridge, counting vehicles, don't you? That won't cause any delays. They'll stop the small sample of people away in a lay-by or side road somewhere. This is a common occurrence up and down the country, nothing to get worked up about! :P

well the last census i got stopped in pulled every car into a laybye and asked us loads of questions- even though we were late for a match- and there was a copper there to make sure everyone did it.

I've been stopped for a census on the Parkway before. They didn't ask me any questions, they just gave me a postcard with a few questions on it, told me to fill it in and send it off, and that was it. My journey was only delayed by a few minutes, and I don't mind as long as that data is used to improve our roads and traffic problems!

No, they are going to stop vehicles.
Hello PinkJo - would you like to read my post in full? :)

well the last census i got stopped in pulled every car into a laybye and asked us loads of questions- even though we were late for a match- and there was a copper there to make sure everyone did it.
And this time, IF you're one of the minority who are asked to stop, you can simply take a postcard away with you, to fill in later (as described in the text above and by andysvan in the above post). No problems!



Why do people object to an authority trying to make travel around Sheffield easier? I've seen a handful of threads about Sheffield suppopsedly being an "anti-car city" (and incidentally, I laugh at them as it's much easier to get around Sheffield than mot cities I frequent) yet as soon as a post crops us detailing what they're starting to do about it, everyone slags that off too... :confused:

well the last census i got stopped in pulled every car into a laybye and asked us loads of questions- even though we were late for a match- and there was a copper there to make sure everyone did it.

The Council are obviously trying to justify a congestion charge, arent they?

The Council are obviously trying to justify a congestion charge, arent they?
Yes, that'll be it. :loopy:

Too bad they arent including Psalter Lane - drivers treat it like a flaming racing track to cut through from Ecclesall Road South down to London Road etc. :(

Hee hee, yes soz, my disclaimer is my avatar, I was in a hurry x

No problems with census. It's how do they work it out when there are all these roads closed and all these diversions due to the floods? It's going to last until they figure out how to pay for all the repairs so really the census will be a waste of money that should go into the repairs of the roads.:loopy:

Just come down through Parkgate in Rotherham where they are stopping every car and giving them a postcard to fill in.

Consequently the place is jammed solid.

ho hum :|

Is it compulsory to answer the questions? I don't drive but if I did and someone pulled me over one morning to ask me questions on where I was going, I'd tell them to mind their own business. If a person refused to answer their questions on grounds of privacy, could they be fined/arrested for this?

Is it compulsory to answer the questions? I don't drive but if I did and someone pulled me over one morning to ask me questions on where I was going, I'd tell them to mind their own business. If a person refused to answer their questions on grounds of privacy, could they be fined/arrested for this?


I would guess its like the national census that the government does- its illegal for you not to fill that in.

Why can't they just put a questionaire on the net? That way the people who want to answer the questions can and in their own time without disrupting people, wasting all that card and blocking the roads up?

I would guess its like the national census that the government does- its illegal for you not to fill that in.

But what happens if the wind blows it out of the open car window or the dog in back decides to chew it :hihi:

SupraSteve is mistaken if he thinks it might only cause a minor delay. The last time I was stopped by one of these surveys was about 2 years ago in Gleadless Valley and it caused chaos. I spent about an hour queing but most people had managed to turn off just before the survey and then snarled up other roads instead. The net result was that the data wasn't realistic and everyone spent ages stuck in traffic. In that case there wasn't a layby to pull over into, they just stopped cars in the middle of the road and held everyone else up at a busy time of day. It goes without saying that people wouldn't then have been in the mood to answer questions either.

Why do people object to an authority trying to make travel around Sheffield easier? I've seen a handful of threads about Sheffield suppopsedly being an "anti-car city" (and incidentally, I laugh at them as it's much easier to get around Sheffield than mot cities I frequent) yet as soon as a post crops us detailing what they're starting to do about it, everyone slags that off too... :confused:

Because they're basing it on personal experience of what the Council have done in the past, and don't believe it's anything to do with making travel easier. The only strategy the Council seem to have is to make it harder for the motorist in the hope they become so frustrated they'll use the joke that passes for a public transport system in this city, while at the same time maximising their own income.

...make it harder for the motorist in the hope they become so frustrated they'll use the joke that passes for a public transport system in this city...
Sheffield has got it really good IMHO - public transport is widely and cheaply available and generally gets you anywhere you want to go within a reasonable time, and I've rarely had problems getting around the city (city centre & the wider Sheffield) in a car. People will always whinge at any given opportunity, but are things really that bad? Compare & contrast with other cities, and I think Sheffield is pretty sucessful when it comes to the issue of transport & roads. I'm struggling to think of a better example, in fact;
York - poor
Leeds - poor
London - reasonable but nothing like as good as Sheffield
Bradford - haven't been there for a while but wasn't amazing last time I was
Edinburgh - reasonable if you've got a car, rubbish if not
Worcester - poor all round (car owners/public transport)
Oxford - poor
Manchester - poor to reasonable
Cardiff - poor to reasonable
Nottingham - good, similar to Sheffield
Bath - avoid!
Gloucester - poor
Birmingham - not much of the way of transport once you're in the city, cleverly engineered network of bottlenecks that get blocked at every opportunity
Hereford - poor to awful
Plymouth - ok if you've got a car, not if you haven't
Stoke-on-Trent - why would you even go there? ;)

sorry are we talking about the same sheffield here? Good roads, cheap reliable public transport? God if that's good, I'd hate to see poor.

sorry are we talking about the same sheffield here? Good roads, cheap reliable public transport? God if that's good, I'd hate to see poor.
In that case, don't get out more. ;)

The roads themselves (i.e. the surfaces) might not be good, but like I say, I've rarely had an issue getting around & about in Sheffield; in the car or on public transport. The trams (especially) and buses are cheap & clean and run regularly - maybe not as often as people might like but compared to most of the rest of the country, they're fantastic!

I can't comment on the other cities Steve mentioned, but I think Manchester has a good transport network. For public transport you have buses, trams and an excellent train network.

The road infrastructure is also excellent, with motorways (3,4 and 5 lane) and dual carriageway roads linking all the major towns. The M60 ring road is a godsend.

I certainly wouldn't call it "poor to reasonable".

The last time I got stopped for a census, there was police there, and this young one slowly walked over to my car, and checked my car tax disc..!!!

I can't comment on the other cities Steve mentioned, but I think Manchester has a good transport network. For public transport you have buses, trams and an excellent train network.

The road infrastructure is also excellent, with motorways (3,4 and 5 lane) and dual carriageway roads linking all the major towns. The M60 ring road is a godsend.

I certainly wouldn't call it "poor to reasonable".
I was thinking more about the city centres, how easy it is to drive in a private car, and what alternatives you've got in the form of (preferably reliable & cheap) public transport. Manchester does have trams, which are no doubt used by thousands eash day - but in the 3 years I lived there I didn't use them once as they didn't go anywhere I wanted to go. The buses are reasonably reliable and don't take toooooo long to get to places (unlike Worcester, for example, where they feel every single street on every housing estate simply must be visited, regardless of the ultimate destination... grrr) - my main gripe with Manchester is that once the roads get snarled up, and they do every day, the whole place grinds to a standstill and it can take an hour to do 1 mile - car/bus/whatever. :(

I seem to remember something similar a few years back and the questions seemed quite loaded to get the response desired rather than the opinion of the driver being questioned

I've been stopped for a census on the Parkway before. They didn't ask me any questions, they just gave me a postcard with a few questions on it, told me to fill it in and send it off, and that was it. My journey was only delayed by a few minutes, and I don't mind as long as that data is used to improve our roads and traffic problems!

If we all took these postcards and collectively mulched them would there be enough to fill the potholes in Sheffield :hihi:

You don't have to tell them where you are actually going to and where from do you? :suspect:

what a waste of time and money
the questions can not and will not be used to help the traffic problems we have in Sheffield

for you luckily enough not to have had to queue up at peak traffic times tonight
here are the questions they want you to answer and return

firstly the people handing out these cards are meant to fill in certain parts before you get it

time starting site number (not bothered doing this)
then they want a contact name and telephone number

then the questions

1 what type of vehicle were you driving (10 tick boxes to choose from)
2 how many people in were in the vehicle (inc the driver)
3 when you received this card where was your previous stop on
your journey(full address and postcode)
4 what was your reason for being there
(9 more tick boxes)
5 when you received this card what was the next stop on your journey (again full address and postcode)
6 What was your reason for going there (9 more tick boxes)
7 if the start or end of your journey was in the city or town centre where did you park ?
8 what type of parking was it ?
free car park
free on street
paid car park
paid on street
9 if you paid to park in the city or town centre how much was it
10 how long did you park for ?

how will this improve traffic flow:loopy:

They did Shoreham Street today, and what with that, and roadworks, traffic was flowing very slowly.

Ecclesfield Rd last night, giving cards to everyone

Bramall Lane census was yesterday, I turned left just at the junction onto queens road and missed the census, still late to work, it was very frustrating I am very cynical and very much doubt much good will come of this except perhaps an excuse to add a congestion charge and fleece vehicle users even more.

Bramall Lane census was yesterday, I turned left just at the junction onto queens road and missed the census, still late to work, it was very frustrating I am very cynical and very much doubt much good will come of this except perhaps an excuse to add a congestion charge and fleece vehicle users even more.

I saw that. Really backed up, probably because there was no lay by :smile:. Luckily I was going in the other direction.

Is this why Chesterfield Road from Homebase down was still chocka at 9 am this morning? I nipped up Derbyshire Lane and went round the ring road which is what I should ahve done in the first place I suppose! :rolleyes:

I'm a little puzzled here. Why stop motorists on the Parkway. As the main trunk road into Sheffield from the M1 do they want to move drivers away from the Parkway? Chapeltown to M1 road, it's the main Chap to Rotherham / M1 route, do they want to move traffic away from there? Surely they should be canvassing drivers who are filling up roads where there's a viable alternative, not the main trunk roads that we should be using anyway.

I'm a little puzzled here. Why stop motorists on the Parkway. As the main trunk road into Sheffield from the M1 do they want to move drivers away from the Parkway? Chapeltown to M1 road, it's the main Chap to Rotherham / M1 route, do they want to move traffic away from there? Surely they should be canvassing drivers who are filling up roads where there's a viable alternative, not the main trunk roads that we should be using anyway.


By the looks of it there not stopping people on the parkway- there stopping people on major orads in and out of sheffield- bramall lane, chesterfield road, ecclesfield road, shoreham street.

Well I got on a bus on Tuesday morning on Gleadless Road and queued all the way down to town from just after the Daresbury Road junction, so so much for it not delaying people's journeys. Several of us were late for work.

They did Shoreham Street today, and what with that, and roadworks, traffic was flowing very slowly.

They stopped me, I just said "no thank you" and drove on.

In that case, don't get out more. ;)

The roads themselves (i.e. the surfaces) might not be good, but like I say, I've rarely had an issue getting around & about in Sheffield; in the car or on public transport. The trams (especially) and buses are cheap & clean and run regularly - maybe not as often as people might like but compared to most of the rest of the country, they're fantastic!

I love the trams but sadly I rarely need to use them. When I do have to get on a bus it is usually grubby, smelly and crammed to capacity.

Last time they tried this on Penistone Road it caused the whole of Hillsborough (and half the city) to become gridlocked at morning rush hour.

The idiots had to abandon it in the end after all the complaints (and abuse). I remember being about half hour late for work because of it.

If they just wait at a junction where cars are stopping anyway, and quickly hand out some cards then its not normally a problem.

as long as that data is used to improve our roads and traffic problems!

If only that was the case.

The Council are obviously trying to justify a congestion charge, arent they?

That's my reading of it too:(

I didn't use them once as they didn't go anywhere I wanted to go.

I have the same issue with the tram in Sheffield (as do many others).

If they just wait at a junction where cars are stopping anyway, and quickly hand out some cards then its not normally a problem.

Yeah. But that kind of planning would require the use (or at least access to) a brain:D

I guess the idea behind the traffic census is good, sometimes you need to do more than just measure the actual traffic flows, but try and find out where everyone is going and why.

Just a pity there isn't a better way of doing it than stopping people. Perhaps they could just photograph the numberplates and send out brief questionnaires to the owners.

You understand that a traffic census is just a group of people typically situated on a bridge, counting vehicles, don't you? That won't cause any delays. They'll stop the small sample of people away in a lay-by or side road somewhere. This is a common occurrence up and down the country, nothing to get worked up about! :P

I was on Bramall lane yesterday, they stopped *every single car* to give them a questionaire.
Tailbacks were massive.... about 20 minutes delay.

well the last census i got stopped in pulled every car into a laybye and asked us loads of questions- even though we were late for a match- and there was a copper there to make sure everyone did it.

I don't believe you're obliged to answer anything, the copper is there to stop irate motorists attacking the census folk.

I was on Bramall lane yesterday, they stopped *every single car* to give them a questionaire...

Binned mine.

Just out of interest - why did you bin it?

Just out of interest - why did you bin it?

By the time I got to work late I was so annoyed it went straight in the bin.

Census people were stopping all traffic on Cowley Lane at Chapeltown, earlier this week.

The last time I got stopped for a census, there was police there, and this young one slowly walked over to my car, and checked my car tax disc..!!!

The last time I got stopped for the census...they asked me where I had been,where I was going and how often I used that stretch of road...I was taking my kids to the park. The police were there and they where looking at my vehicle, tax disc ect. Just because my car is an old M reg the police seem to like to pull me over at every opportunity. It is taxed,tested and insured and in immaculate condition for it's age and bought and paid for!!! I hate the bloody census I think it's an invasion of privacy I did a U turn the other day when I saw them at the bottom of fence hill... then i went the other way and they were there on the way to beighton near onyx. What a nuisance!:rant: