A recent increase of Sheffield Council’s plan for a new short-term bike storage facility to £410,000 has sparked controversy on social media.
The project’s cost was initially estimated at around £250,000 and was set to open in March of last year.
Less than a year later, the council’s latest capital approvals have revealed a further increase to £410,000 after having already been moved to £330,000 once before.
Speaking on the reason for this increase, Cllr Douglas Johnson said: “One of the issues that affects councils all over the country is the fact that inflation in the construction industry has gone up massively, even above the rate of inflation affecting ordinary spending.”
Building on the council’s aim to promote cycling as well as environmental sustainability, this project will add to the already existent cycle hub in the city’s train station.
Dexter Johnstone, a representative of CycleSheffield, a campaign group focusing on the safety and accessibility of cycling in the city of Sheffield said: “It is vital that we have a secure storage facility in the centre of Sheffield.
“The increase in costs is unfortunate – a consequence of the delays in opening the facility and constant increase in costs.
“The funding for the cycle hub is from central government and can only be spent on walking and cycling facilities so there is no misuse of public funds.”
On Twitter, several users have also shared Mr Johnstone’s concerns with bike theft.
He added: “Bike thefts are notoriously high in Sheffield and in the UK in general and so the fear of getting your bike stolen puts people off visiting the city centre by bike.”
We've been waiting for this for years. It'll make it easier to cycle into town and shop, without wondering whether your bike will still be there when you get back.
— Pharmacist on a Pushbike (@PPushbike) February 14, 2023
Hope this is put in place quickly, I’d cycle into town at the weekend if I knew my bike was safe.
— Anne Tetley (@anne__tetley) February 14, 2023
These claims are supported as data suggests a shallow but significant increase in bike thefts for the year of 2022, highlighting Sheffield’s position as having one of the worst crime rates in South Yorkshire for bicycle theft.
Nevertheless, other users have expressed their discontent with the situation, often referring to the latest failure of the Fargate Container Park as an example of the council’s failures relating to budget allocations.
It's Sheffield Council, it'll end up costing 3mil and be placed 3.5 miles from where it was supposed to be
— Jamie (@jamymym) February 14, 2023
Old news this, budget was 250, then 330, seems their literal years of dithering has cost them even more.
— FingerBoardLies (@FingerBoardLies) February 14, 2023
Julian Barker, a Sheffield resident, said: “Would be better off spending money on something more worthwhile. Or is this short term bike storage recycling the Fargate containers?”
