Local links to provide safe and easy access to cycle routes
A half million pound package of works that will provide safe and easy local access to off-road cycle routes has been approved.
Councillor Tahir Ali, cabinet member for development, transportation and the economy, and Councillor Lisa Trickett, cabinet member for a green, smart and sustainable city, approved the full business case for the first two batches of highways works for the Local Links to Green Routes scheme.
The works cover 16 local link schemes, which provide a mix of new junction layouts, new toucan crossings and a zebra crossing, with the remainder providing minor improvements to help access for cyclists.
A further package will follow, with the total for all three schemes adding up to £700,000. The local links schemes are part of the Birmingham Cycle Revolution grant.
Councillor Ali said: “These works should really help novice cyclists feel safe, particularly where they have to cross public roads in order to access off-road routes. This should also make a contribution to reducing congestion.”
Councillor Trickett said: “At first glance this may seem a relatively minor package of work, but it will make a significant improvement to the city's cycling network by making it much easier to travel from our established road network to the green routes through parks and open spaces.
“We want to radically improve all transport options and it is only with enabling work like this that we will trigger the Birmingham Cycle Revolution that we've set out to achieve.”
Note to editors:
Birmingham Cycle Revolution is a major initiative led by Birmingham City Council to increase cycling in the city.
A team of consultants, led by WSP (and including Peter Brett Associates LLP, Grontmij, and Steer Davies Gleave) has been appointed to lead the delivery of the project, working closely with BCC and other key partners (such as the Canal and River Trust).
The aim of the project is to make cycling an everyday form of transport over the next 20 years. Currently, around 2% of trips in the city are by bike. We want 5% of all trips to be made by bicycle by 2023 and to double this again to 10% by 2033.
This revolution will help to make Birmingham a greener, safer, less congested and healthier place to live.
To achieve this, Birmingham City Council secured a £17million from the Government's Cycle City Ambition Fund announce in August 2013 , topped up to £24.3million from other sources, to support an intensive programme of cycling improvements.
This funding will be used initially to improve the cycling network within a 20 minute cycling time from Birmingham city centre, providing 95km of improvements to existing cycle routes and 115km of new routes.
This funding will be used to build new cycle lanes on popular commuter routes into the city centre, upgrade tow paths on canals, introduce “green routes” through parks, introduce 20mph speed limits within residential areas, provide secure cycle parking hubs and develop cycle loan and hire schemes (including Big Birmingham Bikes).
For more information on the Birmingham Cycle Revolution, visit: www.birmingham.gov.uk/bcr or contact admin@birminghamnewsroom.com
