Opening the M6 Toll to all won’t solve congestion bombshell
It’s hard to put an accurate figure on the cost of the disruption would have on the business community, especially if you take into account the number of drivers who pass through our city via the M6.
The impact would be felt not just by businesses in our region, but also a massive number of lorries and van drivers travelling across the country and having to find different routes.
Some commentators used the situation to make another call for opening up the M6 Toll.
Unknown to many, there is already an existing agreement in place whereby the Secretary of State for Transport can instruct the M6 Toll to open the road up free of charge to members of the public for 24 hours.
However, this only comes into play when there is a major long-term disruption to key transport routes which necessitates a major emergency response (for example where the M6 has been closed for over a week).
The congestion we saw would not have been eased at all by opening up the toll road because most of the M6 traffic is local traffic needing to use the M6, not through traffic that can easily access the M6 Toll.
The disruption was mainly around the A38M Aston Expressway into Birmingham, which meant local drivers who were trying to get into the centre of Birmingham had to use other routes, mainly to the north, south and west.
Again, opening the M6 Toll wouldn’t alleviate this problem.
Despite the heavy congestion, it was great to see workers in the city centre doing everything they could to get the city moving again.
In particular, on a wider point, I believe the long-term solution to tackling these congestion problems rests on two main pillars.
First, we need a resilient transport network which requires longer term Government investment.
Mindful of the potential congestion issues which will arise as a result of the work that HS2, Highways England and Network Rail are carrying out over the next few years, Transport for West Midlands are doing a great job in implementing constructive network resilience programmes which will focus on managing demand, increasing capacity and improving efficiency.
All of this will help tackle the gridlock problems and keep our region moving.
The second aspect is championing a behavioural shift in the city, encouraging and enabling people to walk and cycle to work and using buses more effectively. Birmingham has been chosen as one of five cities to implement a Clean Air Zone and I believe this could be a great opportunity for our city.
For decades, residents in Birmingham have suffered from traffic congestion which causes high levels of pollution and health problems.
On June 15, we will be celebrating the UK’s first ever National Clean Air Day.
The aim is to encourage workers to leave their cars at home and use an alternative method for getting into work. I know I will be catching National Express’s X3 or X5 into work and I will be encouraging my staff to catch the bus, walk or ride to their workplace.
Let’s grasp the moment and start creating a healthier environment not just for ourselves but for future generations who will grow up in this great city of ours. Paul Faulkner is chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of
Commerce