Summer of active travel!

Walking and cycling are great ways to get about, stay safe and keep fit and healthy as we ease out of lockdown. Birmingham City Council and Transport for West Midlands offer free advice on walking and cycling in and around the city with top tips on what routes are available in your area, free maps and where to hire bikes.

Cycling Activities

Thursday 5 August is Cycle to Work Day, with lots of cycling action happening in the free Love to Ride online community. You don't have to cycle to work to take part, you could have a cycle ride before or after work or on your lunch break. Full details of the event at Cycle to Work Day

Cycling UK is holding the Women's Festival of Cycling from 17 July to 1 August 2021. Join women around the country for organised rides, digital events, advice and more: visit the Women's Festival of Cycling.

British Cycling are hosting events and rides for all ages and abilities throughout the summer. More information can be found at British Cycling.

New cycling facilities

Network Rail and West Midlands Combined Authority have installed a secure cycle pod at Birmingham New Street station. Located on Hill Street, the cycle pod is accessible 24 hours a day and monitored by CCTV. The pod holds up to 46 bicycles and one adapted cycle. To use the hub, you need a valid Swift card and to complete an online application form. View details and apply to use the hub.

Hire a bike today from West Midlands Cycle Hire. Bikes are available across the West Midlands and there is a new video on the website showing you how to hire and return your bike.

Later this year, we will be providing electric bicycles, in partnership with local organisations, to help increase cycling provision for vulnerable people and the wider community. Electric bicycles, or E-bikes, offer similar health and environmental benefits to regular bicycles, but have a battery-powered ‘pedal assist’ which reduces stress on knees, and allows you to make longer journeys in a faster time.

Commonwealth Games 2022

Be first in line for #B2022 tickets! The ticket ballot for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games opens soon! Residents of Birmingham and the West Midlands can apply for an early release of tickets from 14 to 30 July 2021. Read more about the ticket ballot and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Street art mural in Digbeth

Birmingham City Council has boldly unveiled a stunning new street art mural on the roof of the former Markets Car Park in Moat Lane, Digbeth. Selly Oak artist Joshua Billingham, also known as Gent 48, was commissioned to create artwork as part of our Be Bold, Be Birmingham initiative.

Clean Air Zone is one month old

A reminder that Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone is now live and charges apply for non-compliant vehicles which are driven through the zone. Payment must be made within six days of your trip or a Penalty Charge Notice will be issued. Find out more about making payment and applying for exemptions or financial incentives, including the Vehicle Scrappage and Travel Scheme on the Brum Breathes website.

Workplace travel planning

Birmingham City Council has been awarded Modeshift STARS Business Bronze Accreditation for its green travel initiatives and encouraging staff to take-up more sustainable methods of transport.

Modeshift STARS Business webinar: Embedding Active Travel Into the Commute

Modeshift Stars will be hosting a webinar on Thursday 8 July (10am) on Embedding Active Travel Into the Commute. Speakers will include the Department for Transport, Sustrans, Transport for West Midlands, and Next Plc. Find out more and book your free place.

Public Transport

Ready when you're ready!

Transport for West Midlands has teamed up with operators including West Midlands Railway and National Express West Midlands to highlight how public transport remains fully operational and reassure travellers that their safety remains a priority.

Train, tram and bus services are safe, ready and waiting to welcome more passengers back on board following the relaxation of Covid-19 lockdown measures.

National Express Travel Pass Portals

National Express has developed a new digital platform for employees to easily access discounted bus travel across the region. The new Travel Pass Portals are bespoke to your company, built and managed free of charge by National Express. For more information, contact David.gallagher@nationalexpress.com.

11A/11C ‘Outer Circle’ route change

From Sunday 4 July, National Express West Midlands, bus service 11 (Outer Circle) operates in two overlapping sections. This is to improve reliability which has been affected by the various roadworks which affect the route. The new sections of overlapping routes will be as follows;

• Acocks Green Village to Erdington, via Kings Heath, Bearwood and Perry Barr
• Acocks Green Bus Garage to Perry Barr, via Yardley, Ward End and Erdington

Active Travel toolkit

The Prince's Responsible Business Network has launched an Active Travel: getting people back to work safely toolkit. The toolkit outlines some of the challenges and opportunities in promoting active travel in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the pressure to respond to the climate emergency. It also includes the latest examples of best practice from leading responsible businesses. For more information please visit the Active Travel website.

Walking Works

Walking Works is Living Streets’ programme for embedding the culture of walking into workplaces. Living Streets will work with workplaces to increase walking as part (or all) of the journey to work and walking during the working day by providing led walks, bespoke maps, online resources and pledge events.

Construction in Birmingham

Perry Barr regeneration

Work continues in Perry Barr, along the A34 route. With all projects underway, traffic management is in place to allow construction to continue. We would ask that you plan ahead and leave more time for your journey and consider using another route where possible. For more information, please visit Transport for West Midlands.

HS2

A series of surveys and inspections will take place in and around the Saltley Viaduct Lane area from Monday 12 to Friday 16 July (operational from 9.00pm to 5.00am). Access to properties and businesses will be maintained at all times. The closures will allow inspections to be undertaken safely and effectively.

Metro Eastside Extension

From 25 July until October, Midland Metro services will terminate at Bull Street. This is to allow ongoing construction of the Birmingham Eastside Metro extension and to allow for track upgrades on Corporation Street. Lower Bull Street remains closed to all traffic with access maintained for pedestrians and to businesses. Buses have been relocated to outside The Square Peg public house (Corporation Street) and alternative stop locations nearby.

Digbeth Public Realm improvements

This month sees the Digbeth Public Realm improvements commence construction. The £15m scheme will transform Digbeth High Street into an attractive, pedestrian-friendly space, with major improvements to public transport, and a reduction in traffic. Lane closures will be in place. Every effort will be made to minimise impacts on traffic and reduce any disturbance as far as possible, and travel advice will be provided by Transport for West Midlands.

Have your say

Wellington Road local highway changes - give your views on the proposed scheme on Wellington Road, Sir Harry's Road and Ampton Road. Consultation closes for comments on 12 July.

Dates for the diary

1 to 30 July - Fix-Learn-Ride - Trikes and Bikes, based in Sutton Coldfield, are hosting Fix-Learn-Ride sessions on select Mondays and Wednesdays in July. Find out more

6 July onwards - British Cycling events - British Cycling are hosting many events in the West Midlands for all riders at all levels. Find out more at British Cycling.

8 July - Modeshift STARS Business webinar: Embedding Active Travel Into the Commute - register for the webinar on EventBrite.

14 to 30 July - B2022 West Midlands Ticket Ballot - sign up to register for the ballot for tickets to the Birmingham 2022.

17 July to 1 August - Women's Festival of Cycling - visit Cycling UK to sign up for the events and for further details.

5 August - Cycle to Work Day - Take part in the UK’s biggest cycle commuting event. Please visit Cycle to Work Day to sign up and get more information.

Article posted on 7 July 2021