Birmingham City Council’s cabinet member for Transport and Environment visited the site of a controversial new bus and cycle lane yesterday (Wednesday 30th September).
And road users are invited to submit their thoughts on the changes online.
Councillor Waseem Zaffar came to see the feature to consider some of the issues raised by road users, local politicians and activists after two petitions opposing the changes – containing thousands of signatures – were presented to the council last month.
With people being encouraged to turn to cycling and walking as transport options – both due to COVID-19 and with councils being pushed to hit emmission reduction targets – the A38 has seen additional temporary measures put in to place to encourage commuters to cycle and walk as part of the Emergency Birmingham Transport Plan, funded by the Government’s Emergency Active Travel Fund (EATF).
In Selly Oak, a segragated cycleway has been installed but, with not enough room for two normal traffic lanes and a segregated cycleway, it was decided to convert the two lanes of the dual carriageway between Northfield and Selly Oak in to a dedicated bus and cycle lane alongside a single lane for normal traffic.
While some support the changes, the scheme has angered many local residents and politicians, who have voiced concernsm including commuting times, safety of road users and lack of consultation before implementation.
During his visit, Cllr Zaffar spoke to the Bromsgrove Standard. He said: “I have come here to see the bus and cycle lane in operation.
“We need to encourage more people to take up cycling as a viable alternative to cars and we need more space for buses and bikes but it has to be done in a safe way.”
He encouraged people to give their views so they could consider if any changes needed to be made.
Some views
MP Gary Sambrook (Northfield, Conservative) submitted a petition to scrap the bus / cycle lane with over 2500 signatories to Birmingham City Council last month.
He said: “This bus lane has clearly not been thought through from the council. It’s crazy, unsafe and will increase congestion and pollution at a time when we’re supposed to be climate-conscious.
“There was no proper consultation and so it pretty much just appeared overnight infuriating local residents.
“We’ve seen similar schemes introduced and scrapped in the past such as on the Tyburn road in North Birmingham where it was seen to have increased air pollution and connection.
“Other councils are scrapping their bus lanes all together as well, such as Coventry. It’s time for Birmingham City Council to have a major rethink of it’s transport policy which is wreaking havoc on our city.”
A second petition with around 1000 signatures, started by community activist Gemma Cartwright and supported by Cllr Julie Johnson (Weoley & Selly Oak, Labour), was also handed to the council.
Mrs Cartwright visited the site with Cllr Zaffar and local councillors yesterday. She said: “The main concerns are the need for the safety of all road users. The pop up cycle and bus lane sandwiches cyclists between traffic and is not fit for purpose. I understand the government have informed Birmingham City Council that they will be fined if they do not reach the clean air zone but these measures do not support that either.
“I have asked for more thought in the planning process to ensure no one is hurt and will be meeting again in a few weeks for the resolution.”
Cllr Oliver Armstrong (Northfield, Labour) said: “The planet is collapsing. We need to transform the way our cities work so as to leave a planet fit for our children to live on. A key way to do this is make it safer, easier, quicker to get about on public transport and bike.
“This current change is not perfect, but its a start. This allows us to test new lanes for bikes and faster routes to get more of us on public transport. Done well, this kind of work transforms our transport networks.”
Cllr Fred Grindrod (Bournville, Labour) said: “A lot of residents have been in touch and deserve answers to their concerns – i’m looking forward to the Council’s response.
“I recognise that there are a lot of different views amongst local residents – it’s important we look at all the comments, concerns and challenges to find the best solution for all road users, particularly cyclists – do give your views […]”
Cllr Liz Clements (Bournville, Labour) has started a petition in support of the changes.
Cllr Simon Morrall (Frankley Great Park, Conservative) raised the issue in August. He said: “When residents told me about this I thought they were joking! But no, Labour literally put a bus lane down the Bristol road! When was this signed this off? Where was the consultation!? What’s worse is I understand that this has been done using government funding that was provided for highways measures yet this council has decided to waste that money on a bus lane down a stretch of road that doesn’t suffer from congestion! No nobody asked for this, it’s a serious road hazard and another example of how ideologically “anti-car” this Labour run City Council are who have a shocking record of wasting tax payers money.”
HAVE YOUR SAY
- CLICK for more info and to submit your views online
- Sign Gary Sambrook MP’s petition to scrap the bus / cycle lane
- Sign Mrs Cartwright’s petition to have the safety of the changes reconsidered
- Sign Cllr Clements’ petition in support of the changes
I’ve lived in northfield for 35 years I’m a driver and a cyclist , I have cycled along the main Bristol road and a cycle lane is long overdue due , but half the road over to bikes and buses, taxis is not necessary , I’ve driveN down the Bristol road since and actually consider the bus lane etc to be an issue not only does it cause traffic to the right hand lane especially if a car is turning right but also when you come out of a road onto the Bristol road you have to pull out into the right hand lane which has become very dangerous with the flow of traffic , I feel the bus, Bike , taxi lane is very little used , most times it’s empty . I feel the lane is not a good use of the road space
Donna has summed this up perfectly. I’m a cyclist and support the idea but this is a dangerously poor solution. Bus lane is not needed until Selly Oak so just use bollards to protect the cyclists from parking/driving on them.
This bus and cycle lane is so dangerous! I’m not a big fan of the ill disciplined, untrained cyclists that plague our highways but I don’t want to be the one to kill one! At the very least remove the bus lane immediately and reduce the danger. There have never been issues on this stretch of the A38 the traffic flows well because it can move in and out of the lanes. BCC need to admit that it was an error to implement this without any prior consultation and without proper planning.
This is not a good comment. I’ve moderated my thoughts.
Drove in the bus lane off peak & a car on the outside pulled in front of me to turn left. Near miss for me. Absolutely Stupid idea & a fatality waiting to happen! Then over an hour to get to the priory is a joke. You’re never get me slumming a bus or me cycle to erdington.
I needed to turn left into middle park rd a bus had just pulled off from stop. Now I’m in dilemma. I have traffic behind me and bus to the left and cycle lane at the curb. There’s not enough notice to exit as the arrow is in top of exit. The bus flashed his lights to allow me to pass him. Great but then from now where cones a cyclist. Ok so now I’m having to slam my brakes to prevent hitting the cyclist. Council, get your act together and live in our world. Your putting money before lives. Your not the ones that would have to live with the guilt of killing someone. Cut congestion by cutting cost of public transport.
Its really dangerous. To turn off the Bristol road now, I have literally 10 feet to move into the left lane and turn off. If there’s a bus, a taxi or just some twat who’s ignoring the bus lane at the time, that’s either an accident waiting to happen, or because I know how to use my mirrors, a missed turn and forcing me into the already overcrowded Selly Oak due to all the road works going on there. Also the grayed out speed limit signs, PLEASE don’t tell me they’re reducing the speed there to 30!! 40 is fine, there’s hardly any houses around there and the lanes are seperated by a grass verge.
there is no need for a bus lane here, it is going to cause large traffic jams.
Loving the cycle lane, just need a few more drivers to check their mirrors a little more often and I’d feel a little more comfortable.
Waste of tax payers money and very dangerous seen so many near misses since this has been put in accident waiting happen it’s not needed on this stretch of road
I assume that when Councillor Armstrong chooses to be out and about driving his own car he decides that he can forget that “the planet is collapsing” for the time it takes him to make that particular journey. Then it starts collapsing again. Meanwhile many local people are experiencing a nightmare on the Bristol Road.
Further to my previous comment, a second point to make is that although it isn’t mentioned in the article, Councillor Johnson, in her Councillor profile on the BCC website, describes herself as the “Cabinet Adviser (Buses)” which means we have a senior Labour Councillor, with a presumed expertise in bus services, supporting a petition against the Bristol Road bus lane which must make things even more difficult for Mr Zaffar.
Councillor Johnson’s petition is also rather odd in that it is promoted by a resident of Longbridge, related to a former Labour councillor, not by a resident of any of the areas mentioned in the petition – Bournville, Cotteridge, Weoley and Selly Oak. Surely as the petition states “we the undersigned residents of …(the above areas) …” it would have been better for one of the actual residents of those areas to front this petition. The ‘Weoley’ petition smacks of a very late attempt by some members of the local Labour Party, sensing how angry local people are about the Bristol Road bus lane and with their thoughts directed towards the 2022 local council elections, to try to distance themselves from it and from their Labour colleagues who support it rather than it actually being a genuine effort to persuade Mr Zaffar that the scheme is a thoroughly bad idea and should be abandoned forthwith.
It’s just ridiculous. I have lived in this area all of my life, and I have never seen a bus held up in traffic on this part of the A38. The cycle lane is needed and should be put in the central reservation as it is further towards town. This is just a cheap fix to tick a box on a report somewhere. Very poor. The money would have been better spent repairing some of the many many potholes that exist, making it safer for both motorists and cyclists together.
Driving this route now is bonkers. It requires any cyclist to pull out around a stopped bus and into the path of cars turning into or pulling out of junctions. I’d love to see the risk assessment for this design.
About time they got rid of that barmy bus and bike lane. What plank thought that would be a good idea, it’s dangerous for bikes and it’s causing more danger for cars.
The dumb council need to get and sort potholes out instead of this stupid effort. It’s bad enough dodging potholes in a car must be worse on a bike.
And while they’re at it, do something about traffic blocking vineyard right off the A38 with people waiting to buy a cup of coffee at Starbucks. The bloke standing there in a high vis vest is doing nothing.
Talk about parties in a brewery, this council could not even organise that.
How much did it cost Birmingham tax payers to have the bus lanes installed along the Bristol Road and then last week to have them removed?
Please release this information under the Freedomm of Information