Sprint buses fast-tracked
THREE rapid transit ‘Sprint’ bus routes are being fast-tracked into construction to be ready for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
It is the first example of a longawaited major infrastructure project being brought forward since Birmingham was appointed official host for the global sporting event.
Plans for a £279 million Sprint network have been discussed for five years and were included in the longterm Birmingham Connected policy plan in 2014, but no progress to deliver them has been made until now.
Sprint routes will see mean low noise, low vibration buses running on a segregated roadway bypassing traffic jams. They are likened to trams without rails. Now the three routes to be finished in time for 2022 will be:
Birmingham to Walsall along the A34 – passing the Alexander Stadium and athletes village at Perry Barr;
Birmingham to Solihull along the A45 – passing the Games venues at the NEC;
Birmingham to Sutton Coldfield town centre via Tyburn Road – linking to the new housing and industrial developments at Langley and Peddimore.
Meanwhile, further routes linking Birmingham city centre to Dudley and Halesowen via Hagley Road, to Longbridge via Bristol Road and an extension to Hall Green will be completed as scheduled by the time the HS2 rail line opens in 2026.
Birmingham City Council and Transport for West Midlands are behind the project. Birmingham cabinet member for roads Stewart Stacey admitted the Sprint project had been stuck for some time.
He said “Everyone’s wondering where Sprint has been. It’s been got out, the garage doors have been flung open by the achievement of winning the Commonwealth Games. Sprint is part of our strategy for moving people about for the Games.”
He said the council had agreed with Transport for the West Midlands and mayor Andy Street to rearrange its priorities.
“The three routes which are essential to the Commonwealth Games are going to be done first,” added Cllr Stacey.
A report to cabinet highlighted the following features of a full network:
75 miles of Sprint routes carrying up to 23 million passengers a year;
Comfortable vehicles with air conditioning and wi-fi;
80 new vehicles – low noise, low vibration and low polluting; live arrival information at new stops;
Reliable journeys on segregated streets, saving two million commuter hours a year.
Some parts of the routes would see parking spaces removed, changes at junctions and road widening and in rare cases could involve compulsory purchase orders and demolition of buildings.
Cllr Jon Hunt (Lib Dem), whose Perry Barr ward includes a large slice of the A34 route, urged the council to keep residents impacted by the route fully involved.
He said: “Once we start talking about closing side junctions it is going to cause stress in the local community. We need local consultation.”