![\"Alex](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0_Alex-Maxwell-La-Biblioteka.jpg\")
Alex Maxwell outside his bookstore, La Biblioteka(Image: Andrew Dowdeswell \/ YorkshireLive)<\/p>\nSheffield City Council is pushing walking, cycling and public transport in the city centreAlex Maxwell outside his bookstore, La Biblioteka(Image: Andrew Dowdeswell \/ YorkshireLive)<\/p>\n
Sheffield’s city centre businesses support the council’s plans to pedestrianise key high streets, increase public transport<\/a> options, build more cycling infrastructure, and limit the use of cars.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Sheffield City Council<\/a> published its plans to revolutionise how people get around the city centre over the next 15 years<\/a>. The overarching plans included various schemes, including extending the supertram, prioritising bus lanes on key through roads, pedestrianising some high streets, and building a network of connected cycle lanes. The plans also would restrict driving into the city centre, with fewer two-way roads and drivers encouraged to use the inner ring road.<\/p>\n Some have criticised the plans as being “anti-car”. They unquestionably prioritise using public transport and active travel, including walking and cycling. But the businesses that will be affected the most, those in the heart of Sheffield’s<\/a> city centre, are in support.<\/p>\n Alex Maxwell, who runs bookstore La Biblioteka in Leah’s Yard, one of the council’s premier developments as it continues to revive the city centre, said he is a huge fan of prioritising cycling and active travel. \u201cI am generally in support of the plans. They provide more options for people to come in and travel in different ways,\u201d he told YorkshireLive.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople say they would cycle more if it were safer. I think people would like that option, and that frees up space for people with reduced mobility who need to drive in. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s an either-or. I think it can work holistically as one.\u201d<\/p>\n Email and online newsletter, The Sheffield Drop, highlights the very best news across the Steel City, regardless of the source.<\/p>\n Edited by Yorkshire Live’s Sheffield reporter Andrew Dowdeswell, the free bulletin has no adverts and features the city’s most important news, all curated in an easy-to-read, digestible format.<\/p>\n You can read The Sheffield Drop in two places – on our website, here<\/a>, or delivered straight to your email inbox by subscribing using this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n Alex, who used to be an urban planner himself, says town has changed since coming out of the coronavirus pandemic. He said more and more visitors have shopped at the bookstore, while people seem to be happier and more vibrant. He puts this down to greater walking spaces in the city centre. \u201cIt\u2019s busier than before, and people are happier. Walking around, I think Sheffield is pretty good for green space and urban parks and benches,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n However, while Alex, who admits he is slightly biased as he is car-free and uses a cargo bike to get to work, travelling more than 6,000 kilometres a year, supports the plans, he warns public transport services must go \u201chand in hand\u201d with added cycling and walking infrastructure.<\/p>\n \u201cThe development has to go hand in hand with more public transport,\u201d he said. \u201cBus routes cannot be cut. The tram has to happen. We shall soon see if bringing the buses under public control makes a difference.\u201d South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority is aiming to franchise bus services by 2027. He also warns that work-related journeys, such as deliveries, must not be overly hampered.<\/p>\n Jim Campbell, store manager at Bird & Blend Tea Co, agrees with Alex\u2019s positivity. \u201cFor us, having more people walking around would be really good. We sample products outside at the weekends, and it would give us a better opportunity to speak to more customers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cMore footfall for us is better. We have had a quiet summer, but since the weather has changed, our business has picked up again.\u201d<\/p>\n But Jim, like Alex, has one key reservation: the price of parking. He says parking must be affordable for those who do want to drive in. Having worked at Meadowhall previously, where the main selling point is free parking, he has seen how the shopping centre has drained retail resources away from the city centre.<\/p>\n A recent study by think tank Centre for Cities showed Meadowhall has had a hugely detrimental impact on Sheffield\u2019s city centre spending. It showed that \u00a31 in every \u00a312 that Sheffield residents spend in a physical shop is in Meadowhall. For the city centre, this rises to \u00a31 in every \u00a320, meaning Meadowhall is pulling shoppers away from town.<\/p>\n The council hopes that regenerating the city centre with a greater residential presence, more public transport, and fewer retail outlets will transform the area rather than compete with Meadowhall.<\/p>\n Announcing the plans, Cllr Ben Miskell, chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee, said: \u201cAs more people live, work and spend time here, demand for travel into and around the city centre will grow. To meet that demand, we need more attractive, reliable and space-efficient ways of getting around \u2013 so people can enjoy everything the city centre has to offer without creating more congestion.<\/p>\n \u201cThis plan responds directly to what you told us, setting out clear proposals for the next 15 years. It\u2019s a shared vision \u2013 shaped by residents, businesses and the Council \u2013 and supported by councillors from across the city.<\/p>\n \u201cDelivering it will require bold choices, major investment, and working closely with you to get it right. Together, we can deliver the city centre transport network Sheffield needs \u2013 and deserves.\u201d<\/p>\n Ultimately, however, one thing will fix Sheffield\u2019s city centre struggles. \u201cMore footfall means more business,\u201d Jim concluded. Now, we must see if the council\u2019s bold public transport plans will bring the greater footfall promised.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1_Sheffield-Drop-Logo.jpg\"){kind=logo}
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Jim Campbell is in support of the plans(Image: Andrew Dowdeswell \/ YorkshireLive)<\/p>\n