Birmingham Connected bulletin - 14 January 2020

Draft Birmingham Transport Plan

Drawing of bus, bike and tram

Yesterday we published the draft Birmingham Transport Plan, setting out a vision for the future of transport in the city. This vision for a sustainable, green, inclusive, go-anywhere network is underpinned by four Big Moves:

Reallocating road space
Transforming the city centre
Prioritising active travel in local neighbourhoods
Managing demand through parking measures

Find out more and download the full document at https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/transportplan.

Subject to approval, we will be consulting on the draft plan between 28 January and 27 March. During the consultation, we will be holding public drop in sessions, a schools' event and two stakeholder workshops, which you can now book for:

Clean Air Zone business toolkit launch

Brum Breathes Cloud To tackle dangerously high levels of air pollution within the city and the deadly impact on our health, a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) will be launched from summer 2020, charging the most polluting vehicles to drive within the city centre.

We are working in partnership with the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) on a toolkit to help businesses prepare for the Clean Air Zone. The toolkit will be launched at a breakfast briefing at 7.30am on 30 January 2020. Find out more and book your free place. And watch this space for more Clean Air events hosted by the GBCC.

If your workplace is committed to going green in 2020 or would like to do more to make the air we all breathe cleaner, register with Modeshift STARS to create a simple Travel Plan and be rewarded for encouraging sustainable and active travel. Modeshift STARS is free to Birmingham based businesses.

City centre public realm improvements

Artists' impression of Victoria Square We are working with Retail and Colmore Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) to consult on plans to enhance the public realm in the city centre and create an attractive, welcoming and safe environment.

Find out more and have your say. Consultation closes on 21 February 2020.

Two drop in sessions will take place in February:

Wednesday 5 February: Head of Steam, Temple Street, 12pm-3pm
Wednesday 12 February: Rooms 3 and 4, Council House, Victoria Square, 3.30pm-6.30pm.

Draft Birmingham Parking Supplementary Planning Document (SPD)

Managing demand through parking measures is one of the four Big Moves set out in the draft Birmingham Transport Plan. The draft Parking SPD supports this by outlining our approach to balancing parking provision with promoting sustainable travel and specifying revised parking standards for new developments.

Find out more and have your say. Consultation closes on 21 February 2020.

Birmingham Walking and Cycling Strategy

Following last year’s public consultation, the Birmingham Walking and Cycling Strategy and Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan is due to be approved by the Council’s Cabinet next week.

The strategy’s key aim is to make walking and cycling the everyday choice for local journeys, as part of a safe and integrated transport network for Birmingham.

#WM2041 climate change report

Last week, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) released a report on tackling climate change across the West Midlands. The document contains 74 potential actions that businesses, councils, the WMCA and residents can take to reduce their emissions and limit the impact of climate change.

#WM2041 refers to the target for the region to be carbon neutral by 2041, complementing Birmingham’s target of carbon neutrality by 2030.

Subject to approval, WMCA the report will be subject to a six-week period of public engagement by the WMCA.

Plan ahead to keep moving

The coming year will see an increased level of activity to improve the transport network. This will include the regeneration of Perry Barr, new Sprint bus routes on the A34 and A45, Westside Metro extension, rail stations at Moseley, Kings Heath and Hazelwell and early work on HS2.

While work takes place to build these schemes, your current journey may be disrupted. You’ll still be able to get to where you need to go, but you’ll need to plan ahead and check your journey before you travel.