‘Resilience’ plan as more jams predicted
A STRATEGY to cope with anticipated congestion caused by major road, rail and infrastructure projects have been backed by West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).
The combined authority’s transport arm, Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), the Police Commissioner and business leaders have drawn up a regional “resilience strategy”.
A gloomy national report recently revealed Birmingham was the fourth most congested city in the UK, behind London, Manchester and Aberdeen.
Research firm Inrix calculated drivers were spending an average of 32 hours a year stuck in jams during peak periods in the UK. The costs of hold-ups reached £31 billion last year, or £968 per driver.
Councillor Roger Lawrence, WMCA lead member for transport, said a co-ordinated approach was the only way to cope with the impact of major construction projects like HS2, and motorway improvement works.
He said: “Projects are planned by Highways England, Network Rail and a number of local authorities, all of which are likely to cause short term and long term disruption for commuters and businesses.
“We know we still have a great deal of work to do but we are now at a point where we agree what our priorities are and how to meet them together.”
Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said: “I welcome this work to reduce congestion and ensure our roads keep flowing.
“It is crucial for the region’s economy and ultimately for jobs and growth that people and goods can get to where they need to be quickly and efficiently.
“HS2 is going to bring great benefits to the region, but it is also important that its construction does not bring us to a standstill. These plans will help to make sure we have the necessary resilience in the network to guard against that.”
A report set out the scale of the challenge as several projects takje shape including: major maintenance at the M5 Oldbury Viaduct, HS2 Phase 1, Network Rail’s upgrades around Birmingham, WMCA’s own investment in HS2 Connectivity, Metro and local transport, essential maintenance and utilities works and major development in Birmingham city centre and other locations such as Cannock.