Cycling Schemes
| | | | Cycling Schemes | |
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The Council currently has 2·5 'cycling and walking' officers. Graham Lennard has been in post since 2000. Assistant, Will Martin joined Graham in 2004 and Rebecca Hawthorne half joined the team in 2006. |
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The council are formulating a list of events for National Bike Week. However, they're planning to have a 'push' on Bike2Work
where members of the public will be able to sign up to the scheme via BCC website to encourage people to cycle to work.
Prize draws are planned in three categories - depending on how many times the person rides their bike to work in Bike Week.
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| Under the 'Considerate Contractor' scheme BCC is looking for 'Lay Assessors' to report contractors who in carrying out their work, cause unnecessary problems for other people - whether blocking accesses unnecessarily, parking their vans in inconvenient places or whatever. If this adversely affects cyclists - as we all know, we get ignored - scenic detours are provided for motorised vehicles and footpath diversions created through the works but nothing for the poor cyclist, let's report them. If you're interested in finding out more about the scheme, all you need to is look ! |
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Birmingham City Council holds 'quarterly' CAG meetings with organisations in the area to discuss various cycling issues. The meetings are our opportunity to talk to the Council on cycling issues. The meetings are attended by: |
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If you would like us to draw the attention of
the Council to a cycling issue in your area, please let us know. The date of the next one may be in the Diary Councillor Bruce Lines has chaired these meetings with enthusiasm for the past two years. It is not known yet whether he will be chairing future CAG meetings. The suggestion of signing many of the advisory cycle routes was discussed. Being a rather large task, it was decided the best approach would be to set up a subgroup where the Council and Push Bikes could work together to identify key routes to prioritise for signage and how to mark less significant routes without incurring great expense or cluttering the streets with masses of unpopular signage. 'Bike Land' is a grand plan to create a major national cycle attraction. The plan was started a few years ago and progress has been rather slow. Some considerable time has been spent on choosing a site. It finally came down to a choice of two, and in the end, a location to the south of Handsworth Golf Course and on the edge of Sandwell Valley Country Park has been chosen due to its size and access to SVCP. A steering group has been formed for the project. Representatives from the Council and British Cycling are the key members. The second phase of the feasibility study is under way to consider the impact of such a facility on its environs and to see if the plans will actually work in this location. In September 2005, a stage of the 'Tour of Britain' started in Birmingham. It has been confirmed that this will happen again in 2006. |
| | | | North Brum route Cole Valley route Future Feasibility Studies Other Schemes | |
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Sheldon Country Park has had a cycle route put through it. A further route is currently being put in to join the existing
route. The new link heads out of the Park in a north westerly direction where it will cross Bell Lane and continue along
Bell Walk behind Whitesmore School to Chelmsley Wood. At the bottom end of the Park, where the route crosses the A45 the underpass will be (or has been) replaced with a Toucan crossing. |
| | | | Sheldon Park Cole Valley route Future Feasibility Studies Other Schemes | |
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A 'loop' route has been on the cards for a few years now. Progress on this is slow due to optimal route selection and
agreements with landowners. When complete, it will become a predominantly off-road route between Birmingham City Centre
and Sutton Coldfield. From Birmingham the route follows the canal through Aston to the Gravelly Hill Interchange. From there,
the loop will form with one arm going north-west through Brookvale Park wending its way northwards entering Sutton Park at
Banners Gate. It will continue on through Sutton Park and southeastwards through Newhall Valley and Pype Hayes southwards to the canal and hence forth back to the Gravelly Hill Interchange. For Sutton Coldfield centre, another sub-loop will link into the main route both sides of the town. A further route off this link will connect in to Good Hope Hospital. The route is complete on the western half of the main loop. There are currently problems in the Pype Hayes area causing a hold up to the completion of the circuit. The western arm of the circuit is planned to form part of the National Cycle Network - Route 62 - linking Birmingham to Lichfield. |
| | | | Sheldon Park North Brum route Future Feasibility Studies Other Schemes | |
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The Cole Valley Route extends from Yardley Wood to Fordbridge. A section of this is scheduled to have electrical cables
installed and in doing so will have its surface improved. Improvements in the Heybarnes Recreation Ground area are also
in the pipeline. Both of these schemes are estimated to be completed in 2007. A section of the route is being considered to form part of the National Cycle Network - Route 53 and signage is being considered. A feasibility study is being carried out, looking at linking the route to schools and making improvements to canal towpath accesses. |
| | | | Sheldon Park North Brum route Cole Valley route Other Schemes | |
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An on-going project to improve cycle access to the City Centre (within the Ring Road) is still being planned. A consultation
was carried out in 2004 to identify key routes into and out of the City Centre. Similarly schemes in Acock's Green and Erdington are being considered. 'Quick wins' are being identified - where easy to implement and particularly useful infrastructure are being identified. |
| | | | Sheldon Park North Brum route Cole Valley route Future Feasibility Studies | |
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A cycle lane has been considered in Yardley Green Road. A consultation took place but resulted in mixed responses.
The way forward is to be determined. A scheme on Linden Road in the 'south-west quarter' has combined cycle lanes with a safety scheme. A finished product is expected by 2007. The cycle route along Bristol Rd between the Ring Road and Priory Rd is being looked at again with plans to improve it. |