Sheffield goes Dutch

Good afternoon readers — and welcome to our Monday briefing.

Get out the clogs, tulips, and a big wheel of Edam — Sheffield is going Dutch. This morning, pedestrians, cyclists and motorists got their first opportunity to use the new Dutch roundabout at West Bar. Like anything to do with active travel, it’s become controversial, with many cyclists arguing it’s an important positive step, and some motorists claiming it will make things worse. We asked our colleague Daniel Timms, who commutes to the city centre every day by bike, to test it out.

As well as that, we have news of a big change at Sheffield Theatres, and a home of the week with what you might call bold wallpaper choices.

Catch up

For our weekend read, Dan got the journalistic assignment of a lifetime and watched the Sheffield Beatles Project rehearse ahead of their annual Christmas gig. Since 2016, the band have played a Beatles album in full every year, and over the last nine years have won thousands of fans in Sheffield and beyond. You can read that piece here.

Last week we sent out two great newsletters to our 2,451 paying members. In the first, Dan went on a shisha tour of Sheffield to find out why smoking bubblegum-flavoured tobacco in a hookah pipe has recently become so popular in the city (there are at least 18 shisha bars in Sheffield now). And in the second, Daniel reported on worrying problems at Tamper, the popular coffee and brunch destination on Arundel Street. The cafe has a reputation for having a laid-back Kiwi vibe, but we have spoken to staff who describe a highly stressful environment and inappropriate sexual remarks being made by management.

“It's hospitality, there [are] always shitty things,” one more experienced member of staff told us, but they were clear that what they had been through at Tamper was on a different level.

Editor’s note: It would be much easier not to take on the risks of reporting stories like last Thursday’s. We could, instead, have published an adorable listicle of the best places to have brunch in Sheffield (one where you have to keep clicking through to make you look at the ads more often).

But when we spoke to former staff, we knew that ducking this one would be a failure to live up to our mission: to investigate and report what happens in Sheffield, without fear or favour.

So do you back us? Lots of people would love you not to press that button below. These are the same people who have been delighted to watch local news — and the scrutiny it brings — wither on the vine. We’re fighting back. If you think that’s a fight worth winning, then press the button below.

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The big picture: Up in smoke 🔥

This was the scene on City Road last night as the Manor Social Club was gutted by fire. Five fire engines were called to the scene shortly after 6pm on Sunday, and the road was closed all evening. People in the area were advised to keep their windows closed due to the amount of smoke. The fire service say one engine was still damping down at the scene this morning, and an investigation into the cause will begin once the fire is completely out. The club was closed earlier this year pending a licensing review. Our piece about the club from earlier this year is here.

The big story: Sheffield goes Dutch 🇳🇱

Top line: Sheffield’s long-awaited Dutch roundabout at West Bar is now open. For some, it's another vital piece in the incomplete jigsaw that is cycling infrastructure in Sheffield, while others claim it’s a giant waste of money and will “cause chaos”. Who is right?

A Dutch what? Dutch roundabouts are a type of roundabout that prioritizes pedestrians and cyclists over motor vehicles. Pedestrians have the highest priority, followed by cyclists and then motorists. Drivers have to give way to both cyclists and pedestrians before going onto — and coming off — the roundabout. They are used extensively in the Netherlands (unsurprisingly), but this is only the second one in the UK (one is in Cambridge and another will be opening in Chichester soon).

The data: The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said similar roundabouts in the Netherlands had reduced serious incidents by about 46%. However, at the only other Dutch roundabout in the UK in Cambridge, there has actually been a small rise in collisions. Last year the BBC reported that in the three years since the roundabout was opened there had been 10 collisions, three of them serious. This was an increase from the three previous years when there were six, all of which were minor. However, some of this may be due to increased usage. Cambridge City Council said the number of cyclists using the roundabout had increased by almost 50% since 2017, while pedestrian use had risen by 30%.

Culture wars: Much of that nuance gets lost in the active travel culture war that is Facebook comment sections, however. A piece in The Star from October illustrated just how polarised people have become about the issue. Many angry readers described the roundabout as a “pointless waste of money” and a “death trap”, or said it would lead to “carnage”, while another reader went even further and said the roundabout made him “glad [he didn’t] live in Sheffield anymore”. However, other readers said that the roundabout would help reduce congestion by taking cars off the road, and that slowing cars down would make pedestrians and cyclists safer.

Sampling carnage: Our interpid reporter, Daniel Timms took his life in his own hands when he went to give the roundabout a test this morning. He cycled round at least six times at increasing speed, building up to a point of feeling G-forces. He reports that for the most part drivers gave way, though once or twice he had to pump the brakes — we’re not quite at the stage where you can cycle on and off with complete confidence as you would in the Netherlands. But because most drivers slow down for roundabouts anyway, and are familiar with the need to give way at the zebra crossings next to the bike lanes, it seemed to work fairly well.

Joined-up thinking: While cycling organisations welcome new infrastructure, many point out that unless they are part of a comprehensive cycling network, individual schemes won’t lead to a big increase in the number of people cycling. The Connecting Sheffield masterplan is the council’s overarching vision for active travel in Sheffield, but has been beset by delays. However, with the opening of the city centre bike hub on Charter Square, there are now signs that things are beginning to change. And just last week, Sheffield Council announced plans to place bike secure bike storage hangars on 14 more streets across Sheffield (there are already seven in Crookes and Walkley, with another on the way).

Give the gift of good journalism 💝

It’s December. There’s no getting around it. You need to start sorting out those Christmas presents pronto.

But don’t fear — we have the perfect gift for the Sheffield lover in your life. With a subscription to the Sheffield Tribune, they’ll spend the next year being reminded four times a week just how much they mean to you.

Our prices for gift subscriptions are:

• Three month subscription: £25
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There is a tiny snag! In order to offer these deals, we need to get off our current platform (Substack) which doesn’t have this functionality. But we’re moving over to a new platform this week — so hold on a couple of days and we will have it set up!

This week’s weather 🌤️

Our weather forecast comes from dedicated Sheffield weather service Steel City Skies, who say high pressure settles our weather down after a stormy weekend, but cloud amounts will be high for much of the time.

Monday 🌥 Some bright spells developing but generally large cloud amounts to deal with. Mainly dry, though breezy from the NNE with highs of 8°C 

Tuesday 🌥 Bright spells limited, but around in between the lengthier cloudy spells. Light to moderate NNE breezes with highs of around 7°C.

Wednesday 🌥 Little change with mainly cloudy skies and some fleeting brightness. Odd pocket of drizzle, otherwise dry with light NNE winds and highs again around 7°C.

Thursday ☁ Cloudy for the majority with an increased risk of drizzle, especially in places where mist and fog lingers from the calm night. Light winds and highs of 6°C, so feeling chilly.

Friday ☁ Again rather dull and potentially damp in those spots that catch the drizzly spells that are likely to be around and trapped in the high pressure cell. Calm, but chilly with highs of 5°C.

Weekend: Our high relaxes east, aiding the clearance of the stubborn cloud. Brighter, drier, though still cool with a new high pressure cell to the west beginning to influence.

To see the full forecast and keep up to date with any changes to the outlook, follow Steel City Skies on Facebook.

Mini-briefing 🗞️

🔎 Last week, we told readers that we have reason to believe Jared O’Mara, Sheffield Hallam’s disgraced former MP, has been released from prison. It now seems we have confirmation, after reader Elizabeth Broadbent got in touch. “I believe he is out of prison, my partner recognised him in Costco the other day”, she told us. Jared, we’d still love to do that interview…

🎭 The Montgomery Theatre and Arts Centre is to become part of the Sheffield Theatres group from next month, it has been announced. From January, the Surrey Street theatre will become the fourth in the Sheffield Theatres group, along with the Crucible, the Lyceum and the Playhouse. Sheffield Theatres say all scheduled performances will go ahead and that they are currently consulting with the theatre’s staff, with the aim of transferring all employees over.

🏛️ The Guardian reports on the case of Roger Leadbeater, the Westfield man who was murdered in August 2023. Mr Leadbeater was walking his dog Max when he was stabbed to death by Emma Borowy, a 32-year-old woman with severe mental health issues, who had absconded from a six-bed psychiatric intensive care ward in Bolton two days before the murder. The inquest into his death begins today, and his family demanding answers about why Borowy, who died in custody last December, was granted supervised leave two days before the murder took place. “It seems like her treatment and care was very poor,” said his niece Angela Hector. 

Coming up

This week our paying members will get two extra newsletters packed with original journalism. In the first, Daniel Dylan Wray looks back at Sheffield music fanzines. It’s a fabulous piece which reads like a who’s who of the Sheffield music scene of the 70s and 80s, and includes reference The Bath Banker, a fanzine created by future Pulp guitarist Russell Senior which Jarvis Cocker described as “the most terribly badly photocopied fanzine in the history of Sheffield badly photocopied fanzines”. In the second, Victoria is writing about the illustrious past and disappointing present of one of Sheffield’s most lauded exports. Get all of that and more, by clicking below.

Home of the week 🏡

With a stuffed fox’s head on the wall and what you might call bold wallpaper choices, we think this one’s a winner. As well as two double bedrooms (one ensuite), this characterful detached home in Crookes also has an additional office/nursery room and a separate studio building with wood-burning stove, ideal for art space, office, or creative use. It is on the market for £375,000.

Tribune tips: If you want to tell us about a story or give us some information, please get in touch with us by emailing editor@sheffieldtribune.co.uk. We are happy to speak to people off the record, and we guarantee we will treat your information with confidence and sensitivity.

Things to do 📆

Theatre 🎭 On now at The Crucible is the hilarious rock musical Little Shop of Horrors. It tells the story of flower shop assistant Seymour who, when he acquires a mysterious new plant, names it “Audrey II” after his crush and co-worker. As the succulent grows and grows, it offers Seymour the kind of success he could only dream of… as long as he keeps feeding it. Tickets are priced £15-£47 and the show runs until 18 January.

Plants 🌱 On tonight at The Mowbray in Neepsend is Talking Plants, a social evening for people who love all things horticultural. The main talk this evening will be from Owen Hayman from Pictorial Meadows and Green Estate about the Glasgow MegaFlora scheme, an urban meadow project featuring 11,000 bulbs, 100 different plant species and a hundred and fifty-three million seeds across 15 mixes. Tickets are priced £6 (£4 for students) and doors open at 7.30pm.

Gaming 🎮 Celebrate the holiday season with festive fun at the National Videogame Museum’s new Christmas Lates events. Available for adult groups of six, tickets include a welcome drink and mince pie, plus exclusive late access to the museum's fully interactive gallery and team competitions. Sessions are available from Wednesday 4 to Friday 20 December from 5:30pm to 8:30pm. To find out more and to book your place, head to the NVM's Christmas Lates page.