On Thursday night at about 5.00pm I tried to drive from Broomhill to the Parkway. I gave up after about half an hour having only got just past Brook Hill roundabout.

Now I haven't tried a similar journey for a good few years as I live 5 minutes from my office but I was surprised just how congested the ring road was. All the shortcuts I used to use have been closed off.

Looking at the driver's faces I mainly saw bored resignation which seemed to imply that the gridlock was nothing out of the ordinary.

Do people really sit in traffic for an hour every evening? Don't think I could!

Originally posted by MichaelJP

Do people really sit in traffic for an hour every evening? Don't think I could!


When there's no suitable alternative, yes.

As you rightly point out, the council have closed off every side street - 'rat running' they call it - leaving the motorist to sit amongst the exhaust fumes on their way to and from work.

That's why, whenever there's a paper bag blown onto the road, the city grinds to a halt.

I've just read in today's Sheffield Telegraph that the owners of the Riverside Pub in Neepsend are on the verge of going bust due to the roadworks. The council's answer:

'They knew years ago that these roadworks were coming.'

All you need to know about our car-loving council in one fell swoop.

Yes- its while the relief road is being build- it will be like this for another year or so at least so u may as well get used to it- your best bet is to wait till after 5 and let the rush go- OR try and leave early! (we have just gone on flexitime cos of it!!)

Originally posted by scottf
- your best bet is to wait till after 5 and let the rush go- OR try and leave early!

I thought 5pm was quite early to leave work!

Luckily for me, I don't have to travel in the rush hour but I really feel sorry for everyone who does, what a waste of time, not to mention fuel as all those cars sit there idling.

I dread to think what will happen if and when we get a fall of snow, it will be chaos the likes of which have never been seen:(

Driving in sheffiled is a nightmare. I wish there was an alternative to driving. I have no option other than to drive. The tram doesn't go near my house and the buses are in frequent and too slow. I work in town.

Really the solution is fairly simple. More buses, more routes - some subsisidising. Make the buses cheaper and more frequent - give them priorty on the road. Eventually folk will cotton on its cheaper and quicker to catch the bus than using their cars.

At the moment its a vicious circle - no decent bus service - so I drive - because I and so many others drive - the roads are clogged.

As for the physical state of Sheffield roads - they're shocking too.

What you need my friend is a Motorcycle, otherwise know as going past cars apparatus. They come in all kinds of styles and colours.

they also leave you very vunerable to being squished

Originally posted by dubsta
... very vunerable to being squished

Vunerable ?
I always wear my thick armoured leathers when I am riding is that vunerable for you?

Originally posted by muddycoffee
What you need my friend is a Motorcycle, otherwise know as going past cars apparatus. They come in all kinds of styles and colours.

I was gonna suggest a m/bike, however by the fact the poster hadn't accepted this as a possibility, I'd assume a warm, comfy chair could be more important than getting somewhere.

I'd prefer my life back and getting a bit cold-wet than to have some of my life stolen by traffic jams. .

Originally posted by munky
I was gonna suggest a m/bike, however by the fact the poster hadn't accepted this as a possibility,

The original poster hasn't yet replied to my suggestion of joining the many thousands of forummers who enjoy the healthy and safe persuit of motorcycling, so far...

motorcyclings not safe

I used to ride bikes for a good few years - I used to supplement my student grant working as a despatch rider in London.

If I had to travel across town I would definitely get one again, far more efficient, if you ask me there should be massive incentives to encourage more people to use scooters and motorbikes for commuting.

thick leathers are only gonna stop you getting grazed - not squished.

Heres an analogy:

If you drop a frog into boiling water, its reflex will make it try to jump out. However if you put a frog in cold water and then heat it up it will eventually die of overheating.

The point being people who drive in rush hour everyday don't notice as the traffic gets gradually worse and worse. And so do nothing about it.

Now imagine if all those people who drove across town from home to work started cycling to work on cycle tracks. This would ease up the traffic no end!

The answer, get a bike.

Originally posted by rogue state
motorcyclings not safe

Nice and specific comments there, very constructive. .

Allow me to elaborate on your behalf and retort as required.

Motorcycling is not safe..

if you're not on the ball as you need to pre-empt every possible scenario. This is pretty easy if your paying attention.

if you have a dirty visior. This can be remedied with a damp cloth.

if you are in-experienced. Starting on small bikes and progressing naturally is the best and only way to gain a vast biking experience. So, don't pass your bike test and jump on an R1 and you'll keep your organs internal.

I think that completes your post. . no need to thank me. . ;)

I've got a moped and it's brilliant slowly making my way past all these motorists sat in their cars in jams! I hardly go fast enough to be dangerous, but the constant movement of overtaking and keeping up when the traffic does move gets me home a full 3/4 hour earlier than when I used the bus.

And that's over just 6 miles... :o :clap:

I had a 125cc scooter, till someone wrote it off for me and have been waiting for the niche in funds to get another scooter. .

They rule, especially the 125, as everyone is a car assumes your on a hair dryer, untill you wax their butt at the lights. .

With reference traffic congestion in Sheffield.Yes it is terrible at rush hours.Having travelled around many of the major cities in the UK. I have yet to find any that are any different to Sheffield. Just try Leeds Manchester.Hull etc. It is not just Sheffield. There are just too many cars on the roads.

I disagree

I lived in hull for 4 years and it is nothing like sheffield - way less traffic. I will point out however that I also lived in London for 2 years and is the only place on earth where you will be in a traffic jam at 3am! Yes its true, just try driving past tower bridge at ANY time of the day or night and you will get stuck in a jam - it really is quite strange.

I am most annoyed to hear that the riverside pub is under threat cause of the roadworks. I live just round the corner and this pub is truly one of the undescovered gems of sheffield. Hopefully they will be able to keep things going for another year though cause a huge student halls is being built just over the river from the pub - should bring in some nice studenty revenue for them (and hopefully some drinks offers for us tax payers too :hihi: )

Hello Stebbil
How long ago did you live in Hull.
Was working there a few weeks ago. On some days it took up to 45 minutes to get from the start of Clive Sullivan way to the centre of Hull

I have been driving for about 6 weeks and find it a rather unpleasant experience. The rush hour seems complete madness especially going over Brook Hill roundabout pure whacky races

sometimes I can get ut of work early but other times there is no avoiding the rush hour.

I have noticed that Fridays seem particularly bad even around 3,30pm as I guess many people finish early or scive of cos it is the weekend coming up:D

Brook Hill seems to be the bane of everyone's journey. I walked home from uni tonight at 5, past the granville square gyratory system. Its busy and slow, but it does flow.

I think they need to restrict access at the Brook Hill roundabout somehow, once this ring road is complete. There's too many exits/entrances and the placing of the pedestrian crossings does not help matters either.

At the bottom of Cemetery Road where it joins London Road going into town (near the Waitrose petrol station), I notice they have placed dead end signs (buses only) to deny access to London Road from Cemetery Road. WHY?! It's just about the only alternative route when Ecclesall Road is snarled up. I for one will be ignoring the signs, like many of the other motorists I've seen do the same.

i now what u mean about the traffic, but what i don't understand is why really get annoyed at traffic jams. if u drive its up to u to sit back and chill or wait for the bus...

Originally posted by fhardy
i now what u mean about the traffic, but what i don't understand is why really get annoyed at traffic jams. if u drive its up to u to sit back and chill or wait for the bus...

Because pretty much of it is preventable, the anti car council just keep on making the situation worst rather than takling the problem in a logical manner.

Originally posted by fhardy
i now what u mean about the traffic, but what i don't understand is why really get annoyed at traffic jams. if u drive its up to u to sit back and chill or wait for the bus...

At the rate the bus prices are going it will soon be cheaper to take the car..

Hello Mega Monty
How how about letting us in on the" logical manner"? Iam sure all the frustrated motorists as well as the town planners would like to hear about it

Originally posted by t020
At the bottom of Cemetery Road where it joins London Road going into town (near the Waitrose petrol station), I notice they have placed dead end signs (buses only) to deny access to London Road from Cemetery Road. WHY?! It's just about the only alternative route when Ecclesall Road is snarled up. I for one will be ignoring the signs, like many of the other motorists I've seen do the same.

You're a bit slow they have been there for about 3 or 4 years. And the police sometimes lie in wait for arrogant tossers who think they own the road and drive through them.
They are in operation in the morning rush hour, it stops both lanes of st marys gate being gridlocked due to rat runners, and also stops rat runs through to bramall lane.

Originally posted by bazjea
Hello Mega Monty
How how about letting us in on the" logical manner"? Iam sure all the frustrated motorists as well as the town planners would like to hear about it

It doesn't take an einstein to see that many of sheffields roads and road junctions are poorly designed or in fact have been recently vandalised by traffic planners, obvioulsly if you cant see that you must be a traffic planner working for Sheffield City Council.

Originally posted by muddycoffee
You're a bit slow they have been there for about 3 or 4 years. And the police sometimes lie in wait for arrogant tossers who think they own the road and drive through them.
They are in operation in the morning rush hour, it stops both lanes of st marys gate being gridlocked due to rat runners, and also stops rat runs through to bramall lane.

They can't have been there that long. In rush hour sometimes, the queue to get on to London Road from Cemetery Road is backed up right around the corner and up the hill. There must be an awful lot of "law breakers" that I've seen over the years if that's true. There's absolutely no need for it either - I don't see how it could lead to St Mary's Gate suddenly being gridlocked, are you sure you know where I mean?

Go to http://citysnapper.org/dm/sheff2000/03/20000321londonrd1.jpg - towards the right of the picture is a queue waiting to get on to London Rd - that's where I mean.

Yes that's right.

These signs ( electrically operated ) only show in the rush hour mornings.
What happens is people used to try to avoid driving into town down the flat (northern) part of Ecclesall road by going down psalter lane or through sharrow vale to use boston st/london road st.mary's gate to get to the moore st roundabout avoiding the main congestion of Ecclesall road.

This had the knock on effect of gridlock on the bottom part of London road and through the rat run to Bramall lane where TC Harrisons used to be.

I have been very familiar with this part of the city during the last 3 years and the sign has been there all that time.

Originally posted by muddycoffee
Yes that's right.
I have been very familiar with this part of the city during the last 3 years and the sign has been there all that time.

I can confirm that they have been there for at least three years, the police had a crackdown earlier this year which was reported in the local press, they collared loads of motorists who either hadn't seen them or thought they would ignore them.

Most of the snarl ups (particularly bad on Tuesdays for some reason), come from the traffic going down past the Uni roundabout, towards West Bar and Corporation Street. This is now effectively one lane where it used to be at least two, three if you count going left at West Bar to Shalesmoor. It backs all the way up and the traffic blocks the Uni roundabout so that nothing can move out of town up to Broomhill or across towards the bottom of Ecclesall Road/St Marys Gate. When you do get across you meet the traffic which has backed up from the Midland Station roadworks. It's a nightmare, thank goodness I walk to work!

You're right about the traffic being worse on Tuesdays - I've noticed that myself and have spoken to many others who have too. I wonder why it is?

Out of interest, when does the "morning rush hour" time operate for the traffic to not be allowed on to London Rd from Cemetery Rd? Is it the usual 8:00am - 9:30am?

I must be honest, I did notice there were some signs at the Cemetary Road/London Road junction, but i've never taken the time to actually read them!

Whoops!:hihi:

I wish people would stop referring to rat-runs, which is a derogatory term.

Before the council closed most of them off, the side roads provided excellent safety valves when traffic built up on the main roads.

We now have two main problems:-

- the slightest problem on any junction causes absolute gridlock through the whole system as there are *no* alternative roads.

- what used to be a short journey across town can become a ridiculous 3 or 4 mile epic, with all that short-hop traffic shoved onto the ring road along with everyone else.

I seriously doubt the competence of Sheffield traffic planners.

I sit in traffic to and from college (or work on Wednesdays) but I can't use a motorbike as I'm disabled.

Personally unless I'm going to be late for something I try not to get too het up about waiting in queues.

Afterall - yes, you are wasting minutes of your life, but why waste them thinking 'damn traffic I'm wasting minutes of my life!' when you could be singing 'aint no mountain high enough' along to the cd and just using your traffic jam time as your bit of relax time for the day - afterall, you'll be busy again when you get home!

Originally posted by MichaelJP
[BI seriously doubt the competence of Sheffield traffic planners. [/B]

With the way things are in Sheffield I'm sure that's a contradiction in terms? :)

Originally posted by MichaelJP
I wish people would stop referring to rat-runs, which is a derogatory term.

Before the council closed most of them off, the side roads provided excellent safety valves when traffic built up on the main roads.

We now have two main problems:-

- the slightest problem on any junction causes absolute gridlock through the whole system as there are *no* alternative roads.

- what used to be a short journey across town can become a ridiculous 3 or 4 mile epic, with all that short-hop traffic shoved onto the ring road along with everyone else.

I seriously doubt the competence of Sheffield traffic planners.
I quite agree with Michael, I really do not like the term 'rat runner'. We pay road tax, insurance, have our cars MOT'd, so surely we are allowed to drive on what roads we like, and if we don't want to sit in traffic surely that is our choice, but as soon as the Council see where people are taking short cuts, they shut the road, "You will sit in the traffic"

Originally posted by munky
I was gonna suggest a m/bike, however by the fact the poster hadn't accepted this as a possibility, I'd assume a warm, comfy chair could be more important than getting somewhere.

I'd prefer my life back and getting a bit cold-wet than to have some of my life stolen by traffic jams. .
Quite agree with the getting cold bit but these past few days it`s been bl***y cold on th m/bike. All i can say is i`m glad i`m not a brass monkey :mad:

Originally posted by Mandem
I quite agree with Michael, I really do not like the term 'rat runner'. We pay road tax, insurance, have our cars MOT'd, so surely we are allowed to drive on what roads we like, and if we don't want to sit in traffic surely that is our choice, but as soon as the Council see where people are taking short cuts, they shut the road, "You will sit in the traffic"

You sit in traffic because you're a contributor to the traffic. Side roads were never intended as 'safety valves' to relieve gridlock; most of them were constructed as an integral part of the housing along them to provide access to that housing. The cost of running your car doesn't entitle you to use those roads for any other purpose than to gain access to the property along them, - it certainly doesn't entitle you to turn somone else's residntial amenity into a convenient short cut to avoid traffic jams you're a part of.

'Rat Run' seems wholly appropriate to me :P

Traffic jams are an integral part of life Lotti has the right idea you have to live with it.

On a recent visit to London, and seeing another line of perfectly lovely houses with nice bay windows and gardens, with their windows bricked up ready for demolition so that the already 3 lanes each way of the Orbital ring road {north} can be expanded to 5 or more lanes. You realise that there are limits to what roadway can be allowed.

In reply to (Mr?) Greybeard. I assume that you don't live over 15 miles away drom your place of work, too far away from a train station for that to be an option, with a ridiculously useless bus system in place?

I agree that the volume of traffic is increasing rapidly, and some of it is unneccesary, but some of us simply have no choice but to drive to work. If that labels Me a contributor to the state of the City's traffic, then fine, some of us have to live out of Sheffield City Centre becuse we cannot afford to live closer.

Originally posted by delsy
some of us have to live out of Sheffield City Centre becuse we cannot afford to live closer Park and Ride?

best thing aboute owning a naked bike muddycoffee - having the option to warm your hands up on the engine, i work in rotherham so its normall just a quick blast to the m18. :D

Must agree with Lotti..carry some favourite cds..Or tune in to Classic fm. and chill out. Its not going to improve overnight so get used to it.