Birmingham City Council is committed to correcting “concrete-bound mistakes of the past” that put cars before people, and roads before pavements.
Recent tragic events across the region underline the urgency for these changes, creating a city where everyone is safe to get around as they choose.
Ongoing consultations, including in-person events and online questionnaires, are taking place with plans to see a vibrant, active city come to life.
The vision is of a tree-lined greenway replacing the grey ring road. Children having twice the amount of green space to play. A network of active travel routes increased to 200km.
Plans for 35,000 new homes and five new neighbourhoods will see Birmingham fall in line with other major European cities that have fit-for-purpose active travel and public transport connections.
At the heart of these proposals is reducing the reliance on getting about by car.
Prioritise active travel and public transport
In Birmingham, transport makes up more than a third (34%) of the city’s carbon dioxide emissions – higher than the UK average. Motor vehicle traffic is polluting where we live, work, learn, and socialise.
If we are serious about tackling the climate emergency by getting more people to walk, wheel, cycle, and use public transport, we must take action now.
Prioritising walking, wheeling and cycling so it becomes the natural way to make short trips in the city’s central areas will create healthier, connected communities and happier liveable neighbourhoods.
Public transport must be fairly distributed, more reliable and make it easier for people to access jobs, educational opportunities and leisure activities.
Ensuring new housing developments are located near services and close to public transport will reduce car journeys, reduce congestion and improve air quality in the city.
Sustrans welcomes the city’s bold commitment to address the current imbalance and is excited about the ambitious vision.
Clear support for better infrastructure
In 2021, an independent, representative survey of residents in Birmingham found:
- More than half of residents want more Government spending for walking (58%) and cycling (52%) and 67% want more funding for public transport. Only 37% want to see funding for driving.
- 66% of residents would find it useful to walk or wheel more if there were fewer motor vehicles on the street
- 66% of residents agree their area would be a better place if there were more space for socialising, walking, wheeling and cycling.
- A third of people in the West Midlands who don’t currently cycle would like to start. The number rises to 45% among black and minority ethnic respondents.
One third of Birmingham residents drive over five days a week, while a similar number never drive at all. People who don’t drive are equally deserving of investment, and I’d argue are long overdue that investment.
It’s not just in Birmingham that these issues exist. Other UK cities must follow Birmingham in making these decisions if we want to reach our country’s Net Zero commitments. We cannot risk rowing back and leaving a legacy of broken promises for future generations.
Bold changes like these are required if we want to create places fit for the future and for communities to thrive without the need for a car.
Supporting these changes
Sustrans supports Birmingham’s visionary proposals. If you live or work in Birmingham we encourage you to get involved with the consultation. Help the city develop these ambitious plans and create a better, healthier place to get about your community.
You can find out more about the proposals and have your say on the Birmingham City Council website.