Car closure trial set for Division Street: City centre road restricted to pedestrians and cyclists over October weekend

Sheffield City Council will trial the closure of Division Street to cars for two days in October, it has confirmed.

The street will only be open to cyclists and pedestrians between 10am and 4pm on the weekend of 19 and 20 October.

15 volunteers from CycleSheffield will act as marshals throughout the experiment. They will also collect feedback from residents and other users of the street.

"CycleSheffield will be using this closure to trial pedestrianisation of the street and work with the Council to determine whether the change works for business, residents and visitors," Andrew of CycleSheffield told Now Then.

"We'll use the weekend closure to discuss with the Council to discuss whether there is a case for pedestrianisation to become a regularised feature or possibly a more permanent change," said Andrew.

The trial is the first major step the Council have taken since declaring a climate emergency in February.

We need to [...] not be afraid to make the right progressive changes

"We work closely with Cycle Sheffield and other transport groups and are pleased that we will have a chance to see how a temporary closure of Division Street might work," Councillor Bob Johnson, Cabinet Member for Planning & Development at Sheffield City Council, told Now Then.

"This won't be enough to make a complete decision on a closure of Division Street on a more permanent basis, but it will help develop our thinking along with other changes to the city centre," Cllr Johnson added.

Now Then first reported on proposals to close Division Street to cars in May. If successful, the experiment could lead to regular closures or permanent pedestrianisation.

Debbie Moon of MoonKo, an independent shop located on Division Street, told Now Then: "I spend every day of my working week breathing in the car fumes. The Sheffield Council has declared a Climate Emergency, fewer cars will mean less fumes, which will have a positive impact on people's health.

"We need to celebrate this vibrant wonderful city and not be afraid to make the right progressive changes in the city centre. Personally I would love to see Division Street permanently pedestrianised, sooner rather than later."

Sam Gregory