£1.6m to upgrade key walking routes in the Gay Village and other Birmingham streets

A number of key walking routes in Birmingham are set to be upgraded ahead of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The new city council scheme covers upgrades to seven routes which, once completed, will enable residents and visitors to move around the city with greater ease and safety during the Games and for years after.

The improvements to the walking routes - which connect rail and bus transport hubs and event venues - have been designed around three topics: illuminating routes, wider footways and safer pedestrian environments.

Which routes will be upgraded?

A £1.6million package has been set aside for the upgrades, with the funding coming from the overall Commonwealth Games budget.

Here are the routes which are set to be upgraded:

• Enhanced lighting at the Dudley Street underpass near the Bull Ring Indoor markets
• Footway build-out and resurfacing along the eastern footway on the southern end of Hurst Street in the Gay Village
• Removal and relocation of cycle stands on Pershore Road in front of the Bellevue Pharmacy near Digbeth
• Upgrade of footway around the bus shelter on Pershore Road in front of the access to the Edgbaston Cricket Ground to increase footway width and improve pedestrian movement
• Upgrade of Hurst Street/Bromsgrove Street junction introducing signalled controlled pedestrian phases to the four arms in the Gay Village
• Formalised uncontrolled crossing at the Station Link Road at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC)
• Decluttering and installation of anti-ramming bollards on Lower Temple Street in the city centre

Completion of the projects is scheduled before the end of March 2022.

What’s been said about the project?

Cllr Waseem Zaffar, Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment at Birmingham City Council, said: “This work will ensure are making it as easy as possible for pedestrians to get to and from some of the key locations that will be used by spectators during the Commonwealth Games.”

He added: “But, just as importantly, they are enhancing the city’s infrastructure for residents and future visitors – making it easier than ever to consider sustainable choices for relatively short journeys in and around the city centre.

“Ultimately this package of work shows just why Birmingham 2022 is more than just 11 days of world class sport. The Games are a catalyst that is bringing our city wider benefits that would not have been possible so quickly if not for us taking the bold decision to bid for the Games.”

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