Brummies react to plans to slash car use in Birmingham & make city centre traffic free

Birmingham City Council has unveiled its radical Transport Plan which includes drastically reducing car use across Brum.

Car use in Birmingham is set to be significantly reduced under radical proposals unveiled in the city council’s Transport Plan.

The scheme was unveiled at a summit yesterday (Wednesday, April 26). It includes proposals to make the city centre ‘traffic-free’ and introduce Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) across a third of Birmingham’s wards.

The council received some instant reactions at the meeting with hecklers in the crowd.

The council say their plans are climate-friendly and will help them to achieve Net Zero by 2031.

Road space for private cars would go down by a third across the city and more electric charging points would be rolled out.

The far-reaching plans also proposes to close the A38 tunnels under Birmingham city centre.

This is how people reacted to Birmingham City Council’s plans

One person wrote on Twitter: “How will people who live, for example, in the north of the city, be able to go to hospital appointments at places such as QE.

“My dad had a serious spinal operation. This is ideological by those who want to push a no car system which will also be the end of city centre shopping.”

Another responded to that saying: “There’s a ring road. How will removing through traffic, that doesn’t stop, ‘end city centre shopping’?

“These people aren’t shopping there because they’re not stopping. They’re passing through and dumping pollution that makes the place less attractive for people that do.”

Another person on Twitter added: “’Real’ is recognising that pedestrianisation and better active travel infrastructure consistently increases footfall in shopping areas, demonstrable across cities globally. It’s also having the introspection to realise you’re just wedded to your car.”

A BirminghamWorld reader said: “That’s fine until the trams are out of action again or the buses are on strike.”

Another added: “What about roads in the suburbs of the city. They are death traps for cyclists and the disabled.”

Another reader said: “Good if the bus strikes taught anyone anything - get a bike. I understand if people can’t walk far.”

Conservative Cllr Matt Bennett said that in last year’s election campaign “Labour accused us of scaremongering” when we said they planned to permanently close A38 tunnels across Birmingham.