5,000 signatures reached
To: Andy Street West Midlands Regional Mayor
Protect Birmingham Cyclists
Hold Birmingham City Council accountable for the delivery of a real Cycling Revolution by:
a: Ensuring the actual delivery of its existing commitment to safe, segregated cycling infrastructure according to monies already recieved and plans already outlined. No more delays.
and
b: Lobbying central government for a further commitment of £20 per head of population designated specifically for on road cycle infrastructure.
Why is this important?
Birmingham is home to 1.5 million of us. We're the youngest city in Europe. We're home to a deep cycling heritage and some of the most innovative entrepreneurs of the future. We're a city capable of building amazing infrastructure. We're a city where every life matters. Or so you'd think.
The truth is that in 2013 the second city recieved a grant of £24 million to spend on cycling improvementd in the city via the Birmingham Cycle Revolution. A major part of the BCR plan involved the installation of cycling infrastructure on major roads to help make Birmingham a ' safe cycling city'. These works were due to be completed by 2015. None of the meaningful on road infrastructure improvements have even started.
The cold horrible truth is that £24m might sound like a big number but is totally inadequate for a city of our size and ambition. To put this into context Mayor Sadiq Kahn is commiting to spend £68 per head of population over four years (£770m). That compares to Birmingham's £3.60.
We are not the second city. To 1.5m of us Birmingham is our first and only city. We need our mayor to respect this reality and ensure the delivery of the on road infrastructure we need.
On Monday 9th October cyclist Dr Suzanna Bull lost her young and beautiful life in a fatal road traffic collision on the junction of Pershore Rd and Priory Rd. Suzanna was a doctor at Birmigham Childrens Hospital who devoted her life to routinely saving the lives of others. Her life was tragically taken. Her death could have been prevented had Birmingham City Council rolled out effective infrastructure on a par with other major cities. This tragedy happened at a junction recognised by the Birmingham Mail as one of the most dangerous in our region.
Had safe segregated cycling been in situ Suzanna would, at the very least, have had an alternative choice of route offering her greater levels of protection. She had no such choice.
While cycling remains one of the safest modes of transport (far far safer than travelling by car) the madness of under investment in on road cycling infrastructure needs to end.
We all have families and friends we cherish. The call for immediate implementation of increased spend on infrastructure is a call for no more excuses, a call for children to have safe routes to travel to school, a call for loved ones not to live in fear, a call for those who can to begin delivering on very old promises.
The Birmingham Cycle Revolution began in 2014 and has so far delivered zero on meaningful on road infrastructure. That's zero, not an inch! £24m and not a single piece of on road infrastructure.
We therefore call on Andy Street as mayor for the region to both garauntee an immediate spend of existing monies according to existing plans and to further lobby for a £20 per head spend exlusively on segregated on road infrastructure.
Remember this is a petition for everyone, cyclists and none cyclists.
A lack of infrastructure means motorists are at a signififcantly higher risk of unintentional collision. Failure to build infrastructure makes us all vulnerable and merits immediate redress.
We know our local authority can build amazing infrastructure. They prove it time and again as they plough millions into defending the car all we ask is that they now divert some of their attention and stop killing cyclists.
