Call for action to make roads safer

Campaign follows series of fatal incidents

CAMPAIGNERS insist more must be done to make Birmingham’s roads safer in 2024

The city was rocked by a spate of tragedies on the roads in 2023, devastating communities.

Over the summer, six cyclists and pedestrians were killed in separate incidents. These deaths spurred a wave of protests as concerned residents took to the streets demanding improved road safety.

Much of this work was spearheaded by Better Streets for Birmingham – a campaign group which has grown from a few dozen members to more than a hundred strong over recent months.

The group was one of the loudest voices calling for reduced speed limits, more low-traffic neighbourhoods and a better third-party reporting system – which has now been introduced by West Midlands Police.

The group’s co-chair Mat MacDonald said: “We’ve seen some unthinkable tragedies on our roads. Young lives cut short suddenly and needlessly in the most brutal way imaginable.

“We’ve seen communities suffering the anguish of bearing witness to these collisions, and we can only imagine the pain of those left behind facing the prospect of a new year without their loved ones.

“Unfortunately, statistically 2023 did not differ greatly from the years that preceded it. But what was different was our determination to challenge this unacceptable status quo.”

After a spate of fatal hit-and-runs in the summer months, Better Streets for Birmingham held a number of protests and vigils calling for more protection for cyclists and pedestrians.

Even here, protesters witnessed brazen law-breaking with drivers blatantly jumping red lights on Belgrave Middleway at a vigil held for a young father killed on the road.

But the group persisted in its campaign work – and now has more than 100 members from different parts of the city.

Since this spate of deaths, a number of changes have been made to improve road safety across the region. The council now plans to cut speed limits across 25 main roads from 40mph to 30mph in a move designed to “prioritise people” and keep communities safe.

Police have also ramped up their efforts to target bad drivers. One new method of combating dangerous driving has been through the expansion of Operation Snap – an initiative that allows members of the public to submit dashcam footage of bad drivers to police.

West Midlands Police has bolstered the team dealing with the submissions and managed to snare hundreds of bad drivers.

Mr MacDonald said while the group had achieved some successes in getting the city’s leadership to “sit up and listen”, there was more work to be done to make the roads safer in 2024 – including better public transport and more car-free school streets around pick-up and drop-off times.

Birmingham City Council said it has a clear transport plan which will “promote the health and well-being of Birmingham’s citizens”.

Under the Birmingham Transport Plan, active travel will be prioritised in local neighbourhoods and road space will be reallocated to protect pedestrians and cyclists.

But with the council facing a dire financial situation, some are worried that road-safety initiatives will be put on the back-burner.

Adam Tranter, the mayor’s cycling and walking commissioner, previously said he expected roadsafety initiatives to be protected by the council given they are statutory requirements and there was “no evidence to suggest that any road safety activity is under threat”.

What was different in 2023 was our determination to challenge this unacceptable status quo. Mat MacDonald