A38 - Birmingham Big City Plan Consultation

I registered for this consultation as the representative of the ABD - others in the Birmingham area, or elsewhere, might want to register as individuals. Hurry up though - the consultation closes on 6th February 2009:

http://bigcityplan.birmingham.gov.uk/big-city-plan.php

Now the A38 is regarded as an obstacle to pedestrians and cyclists! This could be quite serious from a drivers' point of view - restructuring the A38 could be a nightmare:

4.2.1 Traffic congestion is currently related primarily to key junctions on the Ring Road, while the A38 corridor also continues to experience high levels of traffic demand. The main areas of congestion in the centre are at the junctions of Holloway Circus, Paradise Circus, St Chads, around the gyratory systems at Bull Ring/Moat Lane and at Masshouse. While access by car is and will remain vital for the success and vitality of the city centre, reducing traffic levels will be necessary if carbon emissions targets are to be met, while reduced congestion will also benefit the city. Improving the quality of alternatives to the car will clearly be essential (see later sections). The negative impacts of the physical traffic and highway infrastructure on the development and overall attractiveness of the city centre must also be addressed.

4.2.2 The A38 corridor within the city centre could be radically reconfigured to greatly enhance the city centre environment and improve pedestrian/cycle crossing links between the core and the rest of the city centre. Comprehensive restructuring would enable areas to the west of the corridor to fulfil their full potential as integral parts of the city centre. Lowering Great Charles Street, dismantling the Suffolk Street viaduct or changing its slip road arrangements and filling in the Holloway Circus underpass are all major engineering projects that could be pursued. The road would still retain an important traffic carrying function. However, depending on the extent of the changes to the road infrastructure, capacity could be reduced and this could have an effect on congestion, so any proposals would require modelling to establish the impact on accessibility and design.

Traffic flows into and out of the city centre have been falling gradually over the past decade, and the City Council wants to continue this trend. However, new development within the centre, as envisaged by the Big City Plan, will lead to the generation of new car trips and therefore current levels of congestion are expected to increase unless a range of appropriate action is taken. Highway capacity increases in key locations may be necessary as a result of the increase in the total number of trips related to new development. Such infrastructure changes should be designed to keep as much traffic as possible on the main roads and out of the most sensitive city centre environments.