Thousands sign petition against ‘unsafe’ bus lane
MORE than 2,500 people have signed a petition against a “crazy and unsafe” bus lane in Selly Oak.
Last month the city council set up a temporary 24-hour bus, cycle and taxi lane on the A38 Bristol Road South, between Langleys Road and Northfield town centre.
The lane was established, the council says, on a temporary trial basis for the next few months under the Emergency Transport Plan, with the potential for the measures to be made more permanent in the future.
However, residents, councillors and MPs have slammed the project, with MP Gary Sambrook calling for a “major rethink” of the scheme.
He said: “This bus lane has clearly not been thought through from the council. It’s crazy, unsafe and will increase congestion and pollution at a time when we’re supposed to be climate-conscious.
“There was no proper consultation and so it pretty much just appeared overnight, infuriating local residents.
“We’ve seen similar schemes introduced and scrapped in the past such as on the Tyburn Road in North Birmingham where it was seen to have increased air pollution and connection. Other councils are scrapping their bus lanes all together. It’s time for Birmingham City Council to have a major rethink of its transport policy which is wreaking havoc on our city.”
The council’s web page describing the measures has so far had more than 150 comments from residents, several of whom are opposed to the idea.
“The bus lane from Selly Oak to Bournville has been badly designed and is quite dangerous,” one wrote.
“It has created far more traffic as cars now cannot easily turn at Bournville Lane.”
Another said: “Cycle and bus lane Selly Oak to Northfield A38 is a nightmare, dangerous for all road users and pointless as the lane is empty for most of the time, so the only driving lane is a continuous line of vehicles. “There are no warning signs and there was no consultation with road users or local residents.”
A third commented: “Re-allocating road space to cycle lanes and moreover bus lanes, during a so-called pandemic, when people are not using public transport is a waste of resources.
“As with most initiatives like this it will lead to increased congestion, and pollution. The turn offs from the bus lane are also too short and dangerous.”
Councillors from both Labour and the Conservatives have also raised concerns over the arrangements, with Frankley councillor Simon Morrall (Cons) saying: “Labour have literally put a bus lane down the Bristol Road running from Northfield to Selly Oak on both sides – who signed this off? Where was the consultation? How is this going to prevent congestion?”
Responding to the petition, a Birmingham City Council spokesman said: “Through the Department for Transport’s Emergency Active Travel Fund, we have started to deliver several pilot transport schemes in various locations around Birmingham, to enable more people to walk and cycle.
“Along the A38 corridor between Selly Oak and Northfield we are trialling measures including segregated cycle lanes and a shared bus, cycle and taxi lane.”