A Place for People

KINGS HEATH & MOSELEY A Place for People

You can help shape your neighbourhood

Making a positive difference every day to people’s lives Kings Heath & Moseley A Place for People Places for People in Kings Heath and Moseley aims to reduce traffic in residential neighbourhoods so that it is safer for people to walk and cycle, and nicer to be outside for children to play and neighbours to chat. In many parts of Birmingham, residents find their streets are busy with traffic, particularly when people are taking short cuts to avoid main roads. When traffic is reduced the neighbourhood becomes quieter, the air is cleaner, and streets feel safer. The principle of Places for People is that residents can continue to drive onto their street, have visitors, get deliveries, etc, but it is made harder to drive straight through the area. Last year we started to introduce measures in parts of Kings Heath and Moseley, and we are now looking to work with you to make improvements to what is already in place and extend this to other areas to make it a better place for everyone.

The work so far: In 2020 we delivered £1.6m of emergency transport measures across Birmingham, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic improving safety for walking and cycling and providing space for social distancing. We have: • widened the pavement on both high streets to create space for queueing and social distancing • pedestrianised sections of York and Cambridge Roads to create places for people • put fixed bollards on the pavement of School Road to prevent pavement driving • introduced modal filters to stop drivers from using residential streets as through routes and to encourage more walking and cycling for local trips We’ve received a lot of feedback, both positive and negative, about the new measures. This has helped highlight what is working and identify issues, which we are working with the community to address.

Message from Councillor Waseem Zaffar, MBE Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment:

I welcome residents’ passion and commitment to improving local roads by making them safer and less polluting as well as finding ways to encourage fewer local journeys to be taken by car. I have seen evidence of this commitment in many street engagement exercises, virtual meetings and emails. I know that not everyone is feeling the benefits from the first stage and there is much work still to be done. As a council, we are committed to continue engaging with all residents to hear about their experiences and problems, and to work together to find solutions. I would encourage you to input into the current consultation and to get involved in shaping plans for the area in the next phase. Your local Councillors Mike Leddy, Lisa Trickett, Kerry Jenkins and Martin Straker Welds, continue in their commitment to engage with all residents. For more details on how to get involved see the back page.

Kings Heath & Moseley: A Place for People 2 So what next: Birmingham City Council has been awarded further funding through the West Midlands Active Travel Fund to deliver more schemes in 2021.

KEY: We want to use some of this to make 2020 phase 1 area walking and cycling easier and safer in Area under consideration for phase 2 in 2021 Kings Heath and Moseley.

Indicative timeline for 2021

Feb/Mar April May/June July Aug/Sept

Commonplace Concept designs Consultation on Development of Delivery of consultation to developed based next set of proposals final designs based next phase on identify issues & on communities on Birmingham on feedback from trial basis for explore options views & ideas Be Heard consultation further review

We have already started talking to residents and businesses and will continue to actively seek your input. Firstly, we want to make sure we understand the issues and concerns you have on your streets and then work together to find the best solutions. There will be a number of ways for people to feed in views and information throughout this process.

Kings Heath & Moseley: A Place for People 3 Your questions answered: We know these changes can be controversial and not everybody agrees with them. Below are responses to some of the concerns that are raised most often.

How are disabled people or those with accessibility issues meant to get around? People who need to drive are still able to get to where they need to go, and all car parks and access roads remain available. Those who are able to, should find it easier to walk, wheel or scoot along quieter roads, and modal filters are located so that dropped kerbs remain available for use by wheelchairs, buggies, etc.

How do the emergency services get to where they need to? We work very closely with the emergency services to inform them of new road layouts and make sure they can still reach everywhere they need to. They have reassured us that they have not experienced any significant problems to date, and we are committed to resolving any issues they do raise with us as a priority.

Don’t they create more air pollution? Transport is one of the main causes of air pollution in our city, and we want to make walking, cycling and public transport the most effective way to get around Birmingham for as many people as possible. It can take time for some of these changes to take effect, but we do need to drastically change how people move around the city to help reduce air pollution.

What about the main roads that border these areas? The Birmingham Transport Plan outlines various measures intended to reduce traffic and improve air quality across the city, as well as making these roads safer to cross or cycle along. We know people live on main roads too, and want them to be able to walk or cycle for local trips and benefit from these changes.

Why aren’t local people’s voices being listened to? They are. We have received lots of feedback and these schemes will be shaped by the people who live and spend their time in the area. Your feedback has shown that there is a lot of local support for these measures, but it is important we continue to work in partnership with the local community to identify where improvements are needed and what changes can be made for those who feel differently.

How to get involved and have your say: To get involved in shaping your neighbourhood go to: https://covidmeasuresbirmingham.commonplace.is/overview To have your say on the first tranche of measures visit: www.birminghambeheard.org.uk/economy/ebtp-kingsheathltn-etro www.birminghambeheard.org.uk/economy/ebtp-placesforpeople-etro You can also contact your local Councillors for Brandwood & Kings Heath and Moseley wards. Find out how to contact them at birmingham.gov.uk/councillors