500-mile cycle network relaunched for region
AWEST Midlands cycle network has been relaunched with a map bringing together 500 miles of existing and planned routes across the region.
Specific cycle lanes will be separated from traffic as part of the socalled Starley Network unveiled by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).
The 493 miles of routes are largely already in place or have been previously announced – but had not been properly communicated to the public, claimed mayor Andy Street.
The combined authority this week pledged to install cycle lanes along the planned Sprint bus lanes linking Walsall to Birmingham Airport and Solihull, via Birmingham city centre.
There will also be a series of new active travel routes along the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro tram line and a new cycle hire scheme announced recently.
Routes already planned and funded include the A45 Coventry Road in Birmingham and the proposed Binley Road route between Coventry University and University Hospital. The network is named after Coventry-based James Starley and his family who pioneered the modern bicycle.
The move comes as local authorities, government and Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) promote cycling and walking through measures such as pop-up cycle lanes. More than £40 million will be invested in “active travel” such as cycling and walking in the region, including through emergency Covid funding.
Results from a combined authority survey showed one per cent of 6,000 respondents primarily cycled to work pre-Covid-19, rising to seven per cent since the crisis. At the same time, two per cent of customers cycled to shops before the pandemic compared to four per cent since. West Midlands mayor Andy Street said: “Cycling has enormous benefits, both for people’s health and the environment.
“The more people who cycle the more we reduce air pollution, and the more we reduce the strain on our NHS through people getting fitter and healthier.
“That is why we have always been ambitious with our cycling plans, and the fact we set and met a £10 funding per head target is testament to that.
“However, we have clearly not done a good enough job at communicating our ambition to the public, and many see us as a region that is not embracing the cycling revolution – something that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“So with more people taking to two wheels and their two feet following the coronavirus pandemic, we have taken the decision to reimagine and rebrand our initial cycling plans.”
Research published by TfWM and cycling and walking charity Sustrans last year showed 30 per cent of residents in the region do not cycle but would like to.
At the same time, 76 per cent of residents thought more cycle tracks which are physically separated from traffic and pedestrians would be useful to help them cycle more.
We have clearly not done a good enough job at communicating our ambition to the public Mayor Andy Street