Bus timetables set to change

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Joanna Baziana

Bus in Sheffield

Bus timetables are set to change across South Yorkshire between Saturday 7 May and Monday 9 May.

These changes includes routes to Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield. It is part of a summer schedule shift and bus timetables are changed four times a year. Each change lasts from three to four months, so residents are familiar with the changes.

Make sure that you are informed about any changes on the timetables, so that your regular route is not affected.

For further information, and the specifis lists for the changing services, please visit the Journey Planner on Travel South Yorkshire website.

Woman dies after reservoir fall

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Emma McHale

The Agden Reservoir. Picture via geograph.org.uk

A woman has died after she fell in to a reservoir in Sheffield.

South Yorkshire Police said the 88-year-old woman is believed to have fallen down a hill into the water of Agden Reservoir near Low Bradfield at 1pm yesterday.

The woman was rescued by a friend in her 60s but was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

A police spokeswoman said the woman’s friend was taken to the Northern General Hospital and treated for hypothermia, but was released last night.

The women were believed to be walking when the older woman slipped down a hill and fell.

A police spokeswoman described her death as a”tragic accident”.

Road accidents in South Yorkshire at record low

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Alexandra Rucki

Springvale Road Sheffield

The number of deaths and serious injuries on South Yorkshire roads have hit a record low, the police have said.

South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership (SYSP) report that 435 people were killed or hurt in 2010, down by 530 from 2009.

The main causes of road accidents in South Yorkshire were loss of control and excessive speeding.

Reckless driving and failure to look properly also caused road accidents.

Chief Superintendent Keith Lumley from South Yorkshire Police and Chair of SYSP said: “The Partnership is pleased that we are continuing to achieve a reduction in the number of fatal and life threatening collisions in South Yorkshire.

“However although these figures have improved dramatically since county-wide figures were first recorded in 1979,we still need to do more.”

SYSP plan to reduce casualties by targeting people who drive whilst on their mobile phones, encourage more people to wear a seatbelt and stop dangerous driving.

They will also visit schools and improve roads.

Ken Wheat, Manager of SYSP said: “Despite this success we can’t be complacent and we will pro-actively seek to achieve continuous improvement in this vital area of public health and wellbeing”.

In total 34 people died in South Yorkshire road accidents last year.

Potholes damage Stagecoach buses

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Iulia Rosu

South Yorkshire councils have paid out more than £700,000 in pothole damage compensation during the last two years, according to new research by the BBC.

Potholes damage residents' cars

Lawrence Ward, chief of Stagecoach buses, explained the damage that the potholes have done to their vehicles.

“Sometimes the bottom of the bus actually makes contact with the ground. And we normally get bottom scuff in marks on the front bumpers and down the passenger rear side,” he said.

“There’s one particular bad pothole on Wordsworth Avenue and on occasions the driver forgets about it and the front wheel digs down that far, and it’s near the bus stop as well, so the actual bus has to accelerate a fair pace to get back out of the pothole again.”

Mr Ward said the costs of damages are not very high, but the time of the repairs keeps the buses off the road.

“It’s not a great deal in cost, the damage is not severe. It’s the time it takes to repair. The buses are in the garage rather than being out on the road earning money. So it may be off road for a full day,” he added.

Repairs

Mr. Ward added: “We make regular checks on these roads and if it should be a pothole we bring it to the attention of the council and normally they are not bad in repairing them.

“But obviously with severe weather we’ve just had they’ve got quite a lot to work on and it takes longer than normal.”

Huge increase of complaints against Police

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Iulia Rosu

South Yorkshire Police faces rise in complaints

Recent figures released by Independent Police Complaints Commission indicate that complaints against South Yorkshire Police have risen by 39 per cent.

Statistics show that 613 complaints were lodged against the force between April 2009 and March 2010, compared to 442 complaints made the previous year. The force received the 18th highest number of complaints out of all the UK’s 43 forces.

The number of individual allegations recorded against South Yorkshire police personnel was 1,154, which is an increase of 31 per cent on the previous year. Of 1006 allegations, 308 were investigated and a total of 698 allegations were dispensed, discontinued or withdrawn.

The IPCC report states that one of the reasons for the upward trend could be the fact that “it is easier now to lodge a complaint.” People find it easier “to make a complaint via websites and email, as well as police forces are more likely to formally record the matter as a complaint.”

Both nationally and in South Yorkshire, the biggest rises in allegations were for neglect or failure in duty. There were 225 complaints for incivility and 194 alleged assault against South Yorkshire police.

Changes

The IPCC’s interim chairman, Len Jackson, said: “Last year there was a further increase in the number of people complaining about the police.

“Prior to the introduction of the IPCC in 2004, the number of people complaining was falling and later research showed only 10% of people who felt like complaining actually did.

“I believe improved confidence and access has encouraged those who previously were not inclined to complain that making a complaint is worthwhile.”

A number of 33,854 complaint cases about the police in England and Wales were recorded last year, which proves an eight per cent increase on the previous year.

The complaints were made up of 58,399 individual allegations. More than half of the allegations against the officers included impoliteness and intolerance.

A total of 39,030 people serving with the police were subject to a complaint during 2009/10 – an 11% increase compared to the previous year.

Mr. Len Jackson added: “The number of ‘rude and late’ complaints highlights the standards expected of the police service and the need to improve how they interact with the public.

“However, while some aspects can be improved without cost, such as through better leadership, smaller police budgets will present a challenge around levels of service and public expectation. This will require forces to develop an open dialogue with the public.”

Abandoned Cars at Risk

Posted on December 2, 2010 by Amy Nagy

South Yorkshire Police are asking people that are forced to abandon their cars to not leave personal belongings inside them.

Heavy snow and dangerous driving conditions have meant many drivers have had to leave their cars and finish their journeys by foot.

The warning comes after eight cars were broken into along Treeton Lane in Rotherham. Officers are also patrolling the A57 to keep an eye on the HGV lorries that have been abandoned near South Anston.

If you must abandon your car, police advise that you leave nothing valuable in your vehicle.

South Yorkshire set for super-fast broadband

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Liam Oldham

A £90m project to dramatically upgrade the speed and quality of broadband internet in South Yorkshire has secured contracts with two internet service providers.

South Yorkshire based company, Digital Region Limited, are building an optical fiber network which allows download speeds of 24mbps, five times the national average.

The core fiber-optic ring went operational five months ago and roughly one fifth of the region are already able to connect to and use the network, which was designed with in-built capabilities to upgrade as technology advances.

Rotherham based internet service providers DRBSY and RiPWiRE are now on board, using the high speed capabilities to offer telephony and video conference services to local businesses, and hope to provide services to the public sector within weeks.

“This is great news and a significant step forward for the region’s digital presence,” said Digital Region chief executive David Holt.

“Businesses like DRBSY are setting up from scratch specifically to capitalise on the opportunities the network offers,” he added, “the project is already creating jobs and opportunities.”

Digital Region hopes that the new service will create around 7000 positions involved with revolutionary new internet based services over the next 15 years .