Boost for Acocks Green centre
Citizens of a Birmingham suburb can now move around their local centre easier and safer after the completion of a package of improvements to transport and public space.
The project at Acocks Green is the latest to be delivered under the city council’s Birmingham Connected strategy which seeks to give the travelling public a range of viable and sustainable choices about transport.
The Warwick Road improvement scheme through Acocks Green local centre has been delivered at a cost of £1.7 million funded by the Local Sustainable and Integrated Transport Funds.
The works include:
• Reducing a dual carriageway to one lane each way which has allowed on street parking bays to be introduced and footways to be widened and paved with high quality paving
• New pedestrian crossings and improvements to existing ones
• Provision of shared use pedestrian / cycle footways through the local centre
• New street lighting, litter bins, street benches, cycle stands, trees and planting boxes together with upgrades and relocation of bus stop facilities
• A 20mph speed limit through Acocks Green local centre
The scheme was developed after consultation with local residents, businesses and shoppers. It was delivered jointly by Birmingham City Council as part of the West Midlands Smart Networks Smarter Choices initiative with funding from the Government’s Local Sustainable Travel Fund.
Councillor Tahir Ali, Birmingham City Council’s cabinet member for development, transport and the economy, said: “The measures which we have put in place have created a more attractive and safer local centre for Acocks Green. Local people now have a wider choice about the mode of travel that best suits them including walking and cycling in safety. In addition, we believe that investment in transport improvements in local centres such as Acocks Green is a key ingredient to improving employment opportunities and delivering sustainable economic growth right across the city.”
Councillor Judith Rowley, chair of the Smart Networks Smarter Choices Board and lead for fair and safe transport on the region’s Transport Delivery Committee, said the improvements would be a real boost to pedestrians, which was also good news for local business. She said: “This will really open up the area for people – both shoppers and commuters– and help everyone get around more quickly and safely.”
More information about the Birmingham Connected long term vision for transport in the city is available at www.birmingham.gov.uk/connected
