Can Sheffield’s Clean Air Zone solve our air quality problems?

Good morning readers — and welcome to our first newsletter of 2023!

We hope you had a great Christmas and New Year, and that you haven’t missed us too much over the last two weeks! The first few days and weeks of January are when many of us start to think about what 2023 has in store for us and our city. One of the major changes on the immediate horizon for Sheffield is the new Clean Air Zone — which is due to come in on Monday, 27 February. We asked Daniel Timms from urban analytics and strategy company Metro Dynamics to look into how the zone will work and whether it’s likely to have the desired effect.

Editor’s note: This edition is written for our members but non-members are also being sent the first section. The Tribune is entirely funded by our members and in truth we still need many more subscriptions to become a title that can serve Sheffield over the long term. Join us as a member today to get the full story below and all our members-only journalism.

Mini-briefing

🏅 Liz and Charles Ritchie, the parents of a Sheffield teacher who took his own life after becoming addicted to gambling, have been awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours. After 24-year-old Jack Ritchie’s death in 2017, the couple set up Gambling With Lives, an organisation which campaigns to raise awareness of the problems the gambling industry causes. Our piece about their son can be found here. And being awarded a British Empire Medal was Maxwell Ayamba, the founder of the Sheffield Environmental Group. Maxwell worked on the trams when he came to Sheffield from Ghana in the 90s, but since then has devoted himself to creating opportunities for black men to enjoy the great outdoors.

🚨 A fascinating piece on the South Yorkshire Police website over the Christmas break looked at a deadly shooting which took place on New Year’s Eve 1960. When gunman Mohamed Ismail walked into The East House pub on Spital Hill, he shot three people before barricading himself in the toilets. However, the first police officers on the scene, Gilbert Robertson and Denis Hastings, successfully unarmed him before he could harm anyone else. Bizarrely, it was later discovered that Ismail committed his shocking crime in the belief he would be executed. However, he was spared the death penalty after being declared insane and imprisoned at Broadmoor Hospital. For lots more detail on the strange case, see this comprehensive piece on Chris Hobbs’ website.

🚴‍♀️ Volunteers at a much-loved Sheffield BMX track are asking veteran riders to share old photos of themselves at the course to celebrate its 40th birthday. Bolehills BMX track near Crookes was first opened in 1983 — but went through a renaissance during the pandemic. Organisers are appealing for people to send in photos and videos of the track, which will be collected and shown at a special event on 21 January at the Walkley Cottage.

🎭 This week is your last chance to see England’s biggest am-dram panto — the Manor Operatic Society’s Cinderella at Sheffield City Hall. Appropriately for our cost of living crisis times, the action takes place in Hardup Hall in the village of Stoneybroke, and features not one but three pantomime dames. The Star’s entertaining review makes it sound like it could be just the thing if you’re looking for something to rid you of the January blues.

Can Sheffield’s Clean Air Zone solve our air quality problems?

Sheffield’s air is dirty. In many areas it consistently breaks legal limits. By the City Council’s own estimation, air pollution contributes to the early deaths of around 500 people every year in the city. And a growing body of evidence links poor air to other conditions, such as dementia. 

This is not unusual for a British city — like so many, we are reaping what we have sown by giving so much space to polluting vehicles. And — also like most British cities — it’s taken us a while to do anything much about it, particularly when it comes to transport. 

That may be beginning to change. In February 2023 the City Council will be introducing a Clean Air Zone, charging polluting vehicles a daily rate for driving around the centre. But will this help, and does it go far enough?

Who is covered by the zone (and is it enough)?

There are four types of Clean Air Zones, ranking from A (weakest) to D (strongest). Sheffield has opted for a level C zone, which covers buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, heavy goods vehicles, vans, and minibuses.