BSfB – 2026 Annual Supporters Meeting Summary

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Co-chairs Paul Manzotti and Florence Cadge have revealed Better Streets for Birmingham’s aims for 2026-27 at the group’s annual supporters meeting, held on 19^th May 2026.

Aim 1: Provide resources for local communities to drive change for their streets

We will achieve this with:

·         Guides for groups to identify the common issues residents have with their streets.

·         Resources on the various infrastructure options available and their merits.

·         Map the various routes for funding and official channels to advocate for change.

Aim 2: Encourage councillors to be bold with their £150k fund.

We have been bitterly disappointed to see around £1m allotted to speed cushions over last year and next, when the evidence is that they are not a cost-effective way of producing safer streets:

·         Lobby councillors to back more radical (and cost-effective) plans for their wards.

·         Produce infrastructure guides to collate the evidence and provide suggested infrastructure.

Aim 3: Be the leading advocates for explaining and selling change in this city

We will aim to lead the way when it comes to explaining to citizens why we need safer streets in this city:

·         Marking the second anniversary of the road safety emergency (!)

·         Running public actions using the Action Network platform, including helping people write to their elected representatives

Aim 4: Advocate for a network of pop-up cycle lanes

We will achieve this by:

·         With the coming fuel crisis, push for Birmingham to emulate the Netherlands during the 1970s oil crisis, but also taking inspiration from how Paris has transformed the inner city in the last 6 years.

·         Cycling infrastructure only works when it is a network, so let’s start building one rapidly.

·         Focus on school routes, then commuting routes.

Aim 5: Begin to spend the Barrow Cadbury grant

We will achieve this by:

·         Employing an administrator to help the group with our general administration (1 day a week)

·         Working to set up active supporter groups in every constituency in the City. 

The funding will enable us to buy in some community development support; will pay for the development of new resources and allow us to attend events across the city.

Committee Vacancies

There are four vacancies on the committee which members can apply for.