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Birmingham Connected - Road Harm Reduction Strategy consultation

Road Harm Reduction Strategy

We are currently consulting on our NEW Birmingham Road Harm Reduction Strategy, which sets out a bold approach to transform Birmingham’s roads and streets to make them safer, more inclusive, and more attractive.

Each year around 25 people are killed and 400 people suffer serious (often life-changing) injuries on Birmingham's roads. This is devastating and unacceptable.

The ambition of this strategy is to end death and serious injury for users of Birmingham’s roads in line with the Vision Zero approach, which aspires to eliminate all traffic fatalities and serious injuries. The strategy also adopts the globally successful Healthy Streets approach and is aligned directly with the vision, aim, objectives, and principles of the Birmingham Transport Plan.

Find out more about the strategy, and have your say on Birmingham Be Heard. Consultation closes Friday 5 April 2024.

New year, new travel habits

The New Year is a great time to make new habits, so why not transform the way you travel in 2024?

Making small, positive, sustainable changes to the way you get around can have long-lasting benefits to the environment and your physical and mental well-being, whilst also saving you some money.

This year, could you consider:

Leaving the car at home for journeys that are less than 2 miles
Using West Midlands Cycle Hire, or Beryl e-scootersto get around
Swapping one car journey a week for a sustainable mode of transport
Commuting to work by bus, train or tram. The maximum single fare on National Express West Midlands buses is only £2
Joining a local walking or cyclinggroup to build your confidence and start to make active travel part of your routine

If you need some inspiration for jumping on your bike, find out about all of the new cycling projects coming in 2024, as Birmingham pedals towards a greener future.

Connecting Bordesley Green

The Bordesley Green Connectivity project is about making this area better for walking, wheeling and cycling and making it easier to travel by these sustainable modes.

This scheme is funded by the Department for Transport’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) programme, and aims to improve pedestrian and cycle safety, improve health and wellbeing, and reduce barriers to walking, wheeling and cycling.

We have identified five corridors for improvements to conditions for walking, wheeling and cycling across the area. We now want to know what you think about our initial proposals.

Find out more and have your say. Consultation closes Friday 1 March 2024.

Road closures and rail strikes

Grosvenor Street West

Grosvenor Street West will be closed for road works from Sheepcote Street to the junction of Sherborne Street from Saturday 13 January until Wednesday 31 January.

M42, M6 link road

The M42, M6 link road (heading westbound from M42 junction 8 to M6 junction 4a) will be closed overnight on
weeknights from Wednesday 24 January to Friday 2 February and Monday 5 February to Friday 10 February (between 9pm-5am).

This is part of HS2 works to put in place the first of two new viaducts in this area. A clearly signed diversion route will be in place over this period.

Aston Church Road

The next few years will see a great deal of activity in the Washwood Heath area of Birmingham to support the arrival of HS2.

These works include the demolition and reconstruction of both Aston Church Road Overbridge and Saltley Viaduct (B4114). As part of these works, Aston Church Road will be closed from March 2024.

During the road closure clearly marked diversions will be in place with the majority of vehicle traffic being diverted along Saltley Viaduct.

Rail Strikes

ASLEF have announced further rail strikes will take place between Tuesday 30 January and Monday 5 February. Different rail operators will be affected on different days.

Saturday 3 February: West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway
Monday 5 February: Great Western, CrossCountry, Chiltern

Find out more about the rail strikes on the ASLEF website.

Cycling for Everyone Go Cycle and Scoot Scheme

Go Cycle and Scoot helps eligible people in the West Midlands with the cost of cycling and scooting by providing FREE access to West Midlands Cycle Hire and E-scooter Hire.

You could apply for free use of these bikes and e-scooters hire if you:

live in Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall or Wolverhampton
are aged 16 or over for cycles, or 18 or over for e-scooters
have an individual income up to £30,000 before tax or receive UK income assessed financial support/ benefits

Find out more about the requirements and how to apply on the TfWM website.

#TimeToAct on wood burners

Lighting fires in our homes is the largest source of harmful small particle air pollution in the UK. That is why we supported the first-ever Clean Air Night on 24 January 2024, where people were encouraged not to burn wood in their homes.

Wood burners can produce ultra-fine particulate matter (PM0.1) and various gases. Using a wood burner impacts not just the air inside your home but releases emissions into the environment through the chimney, affecting the air breathed by everybody in your community. Find out more on the Brum Breathes website.