Do Brummies support banning traffic in Birmingham city centre?

Radical plans to overhaul transport in Birmingham City Council have been announced amid a bid to cut traffic pollution.

The scheme includes plans to make the city centre largely traffic free - eliminating through traffic - and reducing the use of private cars in out of town neighbourhoods.

We spoke to the people of Birmingham about whether they’d support banning traffic in the city centre - here’s what they said about the plans - and car use in Birmingham in general.

Dee says: “No I don’t think it’s right that you should stop the traffic coming through the city centre because well, they’re ruining the streets. I mean, like there’s all these walkways, then they’ve got turnstiles.

“Come on. I think they’re ruining Birmingham city centre. And why would you stop all traffic coming through. I don’t think it’s right.

“I think that you know, car drivers have enough to contend with. They’ve only just bought in the clean zone areas, so charging people to come into town.

“I mean people are scared to drive their cars, even on the outskirts, because they get charged and penalised for it.

“Now, don’t get me wrong, people are paying one way or another. And now you want to stop traffic all together coming into Birmingham now?

“That’s crushing the businesses, the small businesses, yeah, where people would possibly pull over and go into a shop and buy something. They’ll cut all that out. So then we’ll have no shops all together.”

Callum says: “So I’m quite - not unique in this situation - but I’m in the position where I travel into the city for work.

Currently on a driving ban, unfortunately. So public transportation is always available, but it forces another payment on people. I am a capitalist, my man, and I cannot lie. I’m all about people having that money and being able to spend it.

“So if a change is being enforced, we should be looking after people so they can afford to do it. If we’re a capitalist society, people need to spend their money, but we shouldn’t have it so it’s overcharging them.

“Because if they’re gonna have a car at home, and then they can’t use that in the city, and they’re having to pay for public transport, it’s giving them another cost.

“So again,  if there’s a sufficient way where it’s not going to rip the one out of people, then I think - I’m up for not as many emissions - but you know, I don’t like the idea of being told, oh, you’re not allowed to drive. You’re not allowed to do this.

“I don’t want too much restriction on people’s access. But again, we can understand we don’t want as many emissions. Whether global warming is real or not.

“People give both sides of that answer. We can both agree, we don’t want to be just chucking loads of toxic out there anyway, it’s not a positive even if it’s not a massive negative.

“I don’t know but I understand why they’d want to do that. But I think it could have pushback from people that want to pay for their car, rightfully so and don’t want to be there and pay for all public transport to get around these non car areas.“

David says: “Yeah, lovely idea. Let’s get the buses and other public transport running properly first shall we? Because I would have a nightmare getting in if there was no car. I have to start work at 6 o’clock in the morning!”