Our campaign group champions the Birmingham Transport Plan. We recognise the members’ and Council Officers’ work in implementing it. We balance celebration of the good with constructive criticism of Council decisions and policy that can be improved.
We note the Footway Crossings Policy will be presented to Cabinet in March. There is time to improve it. The needs of pedestrians and the importance of city’s grass verges :
Entrance kerbs. Other UK cities have recognised the benefits of entrance kerbs for footway (and cycleway) crossings. These allow the pavement to stay level, instead of sloping. Pedestrians are negatively affected by the undulating pavements in Birmingham. Especially those that use wheelchairs or other mobility aids and people pushing pushchairs. We appreciate they are not suitable in all circumstances (for example at crossings at junctions marked with tactile paving). However, their benefit if implemented for all new driveway entrances will be significant. Our pavements should serve the needs of pedestrians first and foremost. Making a smoother crossing for cars to the detriment of pedestrians is wrong. Entrance kerbs are available for the UK market, for example from this supplier that also provides an explanation of the benefits. (We have no connection with the supplier in question, other similar products may be available).
Grass verges. The comment in the paper about grass verges states: “In some areas residents live on narrow roads but have large grass verges outside of their properties. In such cases residents have expressed an interest to park on the pavement or verge as the individual properties are not large enough to construct a driveway but they do need somewhere to park and access their vehicles. In such areas the grass area is seen as an amenity and assessment would need to be carried out to ensure that parked vehicles did not intrude with the footway if a scheme was introduced.” We think Birmingham City Council should not allow cars to park on grass verges, irrespective of whether they intrude the footway. Our city’s grass verges are an amenity for all and should be actively protected. The damage done to grass verges by cars is common and clearly degrades the appearance of our city. The damage also reduces their ability to handle rainwater, increasing risk of flooding. We champion Birmingham Transport Plan’s objective of managing demand through parking measures. There is an opportunity for your committee to ensure the Footway Crossings Policy does not undermine it.
We thank your committee, all Birmingham’s councillors and Council Officers for your work in improving our roads and public spaces for people walking, wheeling and cycling.
If you have any queries or comments about this letter or any other active travel or public transport matter, please do not hesitate to contact us.