If you’re pondering a move to Sheffield, you might be curious about the transport links in and around the city. We Buy Any Home has looked candidly at how well Sheffield does for public transport, cycle routes, road quality and more. For more on what it’s like to live in Sheffield, read our blog here.
How good is Sheffield’s public transport?
Driving around a busy city in a car can sometimes be a stressful experience. What’s more, cars can be a money pit at the best of times. Forking out on costs like insurance, road tax and maintenance might seem unnecessary if you’re living in a city and know you won’t drive your car often. But that’s only if you live in a city where you can rely on a good public transport system. Fortunately, Sheffield is one of those cities.
The Outdoor City boasts a vast network of buses, trams and trains that stretch over the city centre, surrounding suburbs and beyond into the rest of South Yorkshire. Wherever you live in Sheffield, public transport is likely to be within walking distance.
South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive oversees most services. And then there are quite a few different companies in charge of operations. First and Stagecoach are the two primary bus operators in the city. In their last customer survey, Stagecoach received an 89% passenger satisfaction rating. You can buy all the usual ticket types you’d expect, plus flexible tickets with extended expiry dates. Students, young people and job seekers are eligible for discounted fares.
Perhaps the best method of public transport in Sheffield is the Sheffield Supertram. Trams have been operating in the city since 1873, and the modern incarnation got up and running in 1994.
They run from early morning to midnight 7 days a week along 4 different routes. Whether you’re beginning as far out as Rotheram or Middlewood in the northwest, you’ll be able to make use of the Supertram.
It’s the ideal way to commute into the city. It does get busy, but the spacious carriages provide ample room to stand at peak times. You can grab a one-way ticket for as little as £2. Day tickets are a very reasonable price of £4.80.
As you’d expect, there’s a train station in the heart of Sheffield city centre. The Victorian-style station is one of the busiest outside of London and is served by several operators such as East Midlands Rail, Northern and TransPennine Express. With Sheffield being quite a central location in England, it’s a convenient place to travel from. A journey to Manchester can take just under an hour. Nottingham is 50 minutes away and a trip to Leeds takes only 40 minutes. As such, Sheffield is a great location for train travel around the north and midlands.
One of the standout features of Sheffield’s public transport system is the special passes from the Sheffield City Council. The council offers disabled permits, elderly persons and school passes, and 18-22 discounts. And if all we’ve mentioned wasn’t enough, there are 8 park and ride hubs dotted around Sheffield.
All things considered, Sheffield has some of the best public transport in the country.
Does Sheffield have an airport close by?
People living in Sheffield are spoiled for choice of airports. Although the city doesn’t have its own, there are at least four within a short distance. The closest is East Midlands Airport which is a 50-60 minute drive south. Alternatively, the larger Manchester Airport is also roughly an hour’s drive away, and there is a direct train from Sheffield. Birmingham and Leeds Bradford are additional options that aren’t too far out of the way.
Motoring in Sheffield
The roads are sometimes congested in every UK city. But, sadly, Sheffield is one of the worst for congestion. A 2017 study by traffic analysts TomTom found that Sheffield drivers spend 36 minutes per day stuck in traffic jams. The Outdoor City came in as the 7th worst city for congestion, with levels comparable to New York. A newer study may disprove this assessment of traffic in Sheffield, and anecdotally many residents say it’s much easier to drive around than in other big UK cities.
It’s worth noting that some parts of Sheffield will be much more car-friendly than others. If you’re going to live in one of the outer suburbs, a car will be indispensable. If you move to a central neighbourhood like Kelham Island or Bungreave, you’ll probably have little use for a car.
To combat air pollution, a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) has been implemented in some parts of the city centre as of February this year. It’s too early to say what effect this has had on traffic in the area. But drivers of non-compliant vehicles must now pay a charge t drive in CAZ areas, which may reduce the number of cars on the road. Please be aware of this if you’d like to move to Sheffield and drive to work in the city.
On a positive note, Sheffield’s roads are said to be in good condition. Road quality is something we’ve all had a moan about at some point, but there will be none of that in Sheffield. This year the Bill Plant Driving School undertook a study of A-roads and motorways in several areas of England and found Sheffield’s to be joint-second best. 89% were rated in good condition.
While it may not be breezy to drive in Sheffield itself, there are good road networks around the city. The M1 passes close by, making it easy to connect to the motorway and begin a long journey by car. If you need to commute to work, you’ll easily be able to make use of the M1 and other major roads like the A57 which goes directly to Manchester.
Walking and cycling in Sheffield
As the UK’sUK.s greenest city, Sheffield is a great place for a walk, whether that be a casual stroll or a rigorous hike. It’s actually been voted the 2nd most walkable city in the UK by livingstreets.org. Their survey found that Sheffield residents think it’s easy to walk to shops and the streets are very safe.
Cycling is also a viable mode of transport in Sheffield. Cycle routes are growing in the city, particularly in and around the city centre where there are many secure indoor bike sheds and public bicycle pumps. Plans are in place for expanding the cycling network as part of the Connecting Sheffield project. But be prepared for some challenging rides as Sheffield is a particularly hilly city.
Our cash house buyers can get you moving in Sheffield. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking to sell and move here, or sell and leave, we can help you sell your house fast.
