Demand for real change to tackle Birmingham road safety emergency over tragic deaths - what should happen

As pointed out during a debate on Tuesday, it’s now been more than 100 days since the city council declared a road safety emergency amid fears over the number of tragic deaths and injuries.

Attention has since turned to what meaningful steps can actually be taken to tackle one of the city’s most pressing issues.

During the full council meeting this week, the findings and recommendations of an inquiry on road safety in Birmingham sparked further calls for action to be taken.

“Earlier this year, the executive announced a road safety emergency,” councillor David Barker, chair of the inquiry, told the chamber. “Several months later, we’re still asking what this means. In practical terms, what are we doing differently to make Birmingham’s streets safer?”

He continued: “This inquiry began before the emergency was declared but following the same belief that more can and must be done to prevent lives being changed or lost on our roads.”

READ MORE: The 27 Birmingham roads having speed limits slashed as part of 'road safety emergency' - see the full list

He praised the “tireless” work of campaign group Better Streets for Birmingham and added that the emergency merits the strongest recommendations possible – 16 were made in total.

Green Party councillor Julien Pritchard also expressed a desire to see meaningful actions being taken during Tuesday’s debate, saying: “This is probably around the third or fourth debate on road safety that we have had in the last year or two.

“It does feel a little bit like Groundhog Day, we don’t seem to move forward or see the real change our residents and communities are crying out for.”

Councillor Izzy Knowles, from the Liberal Democrats, said her aim in taking part in the inquiry was to produce a report that makes recommendations that can be turned into real action.

“When listening to the campaigners who gave evidence to the inquiry, their frustration was clear,” she told the meeting. “Every day of waiting is another day with a high chance of a life avoidably lost or changed forever on our roads.

“I challenge any member here that speeding, racing and dangerous driving, reckless and irresponsible parking on pavements and outside schools, red light running and noisy exhausts aren’t a regular part of their casework inbox.”

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Cllr Majid Mahmood, cabinet member for transport, acknowledged that road safety was an issue that “unites members across the chamber”.

He said progress was being made since the emergency was declared and that he would be writing to the new Secretary of State for Transport regarding the council’s “ambitious plans” to transform the city’s transport system. “I’m pleased that we have already delivered some of the recommendations ahead of time,” he added.

The Labour councillor went on to say the council’s administration has a “desire to have a 20mph speed limit city-wide”. “This is set out in the Birmingham Transport Plan and we are making lots of progress on this,” he continued.

He continued the council was currently consulting on plans to slash almost all of Birmingham’s 40mph speed limits to 30mph.

“This will help us reduce the risk of road harm as well as allow for greater consistency and compliance across the city,” he said.

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Some of the 16 recommendations set out in the road safety inquiry report are as follows:

• The council leader, cabinet member for transport, West Midlands Mayor and Birmingham MPs lobby government to request funding for a ‘London quality public transport and active travel network’.
• The action plan for the road safety emergency is shared with a report to council.
• A review of the parking enforcement service is completed by the end of March 2025 to enable its recommendations to be implemented as soon as possible.
• The approach to tackle pavement parking is outlined.
• The council leader and relevant cabinet members explore how to improve the reporting system for parking issues.
• An implementation plan setting out how it intends to reduce speed limits across the city is provided to the relevant committee.
• A letter is sent to the Department for Transport asking that they introduce legislation for the police and councils to retain funds received from speeding fines in the region.