City cycle lanes and wider pavements to arrive within weeks

ABLUEPRINT to encourage more people to walk and cycle safely in Birmingham has been unveiled.

Several schemes costing a total of £1.6 million will be introduced as the UK virus lockdown eases. The schemes, which include pop-up cycle lanes, pavement widening and road closures to create low traffic neighbourhoods, are part of a package of active travel measures developed with Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) and partner councils across the West Midlands region.

There are 14 schemes outlined for delivery in Birmingham over the coming weeks. The project bids have been submitted to the Department of Transport and include:

Temporary pop-up cycle lanes on seven priority cycle routes to connect into the city centre, with existing cycle infrastructure, to key employment sites and other major destinations.

A Park and Pedal programme to provide park and cycle options at rail station car parks and other suitable locations. These facilities will largely link into current cycle routes, but some short temporary spurs may be required to link to these places.

The launch of Places for People to create low traffic neighbourhoods across Birmingham, created by using bollards or planters to close roads to through-traffic and make walking and cycling safer for local journeys.

Reallocation of road space and pavement widening in two local centres – Stirchley and Moseley – to create space for walking and social distancing. Aligned with other measures to support business spill-out activity in these areas, including the return of the popular Moseley Farmers’ Market.

The City Centre Traffic Cells Initiative, proposed in the draft Birmingham Transport Plan, will also be brought forward, with the aim of creating a less traffic dominated environment and providing people wishing to travel to the city centre with safer alternatives to private car. This will include the introduction of bus gates, banning some turning manoeuvres, and introducing contraflow cycling on one-way streets.

It is anticipated that the majority of the schemes outlined in the bid to the Department of Transport will be delivered in the next two months.

It has been allocated £1 million from the first tranche of the Department of Transport’s (DfT) Emergency Active Travel Fund, with match-funding bringing the total to £1.6 million.