Dear Sir,
Speed costs lives. Everyone knows that tens of thousands of people are killed or injured every year in road traffic accidents, but there is less awareness of the deaths and illness due to poor air quality. Driving at a slightly slower, steadier speed is safer and cuts fuel consumption and pollution. The council is right to try to stop speeding on Normanton Hill, where a young girl was tragically killed; and to keep the 30mph speed limit on Penistone Rd, which will make it safer for cyclists and pedestrians.
It is therefore very disappointing that the government has blocked the council’s request to introduce a 60mph speed limit on a stretch of the M1, which would have helped mitigate the damaging effect of the extra traffic using the new IKEA store. Those most affected by poor air quality in Tinsley are the young, the elderly, and those already suffering from chest conditions. This is another example of how the most vulnerable are being made to pay the price of other people’s choices.
Yours
Cllr Jillian Creasy, Sheffield Green Party