Memorial protest planned at fatal Birmingham crash site on Soho Road in Handsworth

Road safety campaigners at Better Streets for Birmingham spotted 20 drivers on their phones on Soho Road in Handsworth within two hours - metres away from where Hizar Hanif was killed.

The campaigners launched a look out on the road between 4.30pm and 5.30pm on Tuesday, February 27 following the death of dad-of-one Mr Hanif nine days earlier. They said they saw one driver holding a mobile phone or talking into a handset as they drove every three minutes.

Dr Ewan Hamnett, a retired GP who participated in the exercise: said “People fail to realise that when they drive a car they are responsible for a potentially lethal weapon as we witness all too frequently in Birmingham. Looking at your mobile while driving is definitely not responsible behaviour.” 

BSfB is collaborating with the Soho and Handsworth Neighbourhood Planning Forum to hold a demonstration in memory of Mr Hanif who was 31 years-old. They are demanding urgent action to improve the safety on Soho Road for all who use it. The memorial protest will be held outside Handsworth Library on Sunday, March 3 at 1pm.

'Huge impact on the loal community in Handsworth'

Shuranjeet Singh, who heads up the Forum, said: “The tragic crash which happened recently has had huge impacts on local communities here in Handsworth.  Pedestrians are increasingly concerned about dangerous driving and its impact on themselves, their families and especially young children.

"Faith and cultural groups have been talking about these issues for years but they have not been acted upon. While the crash was tragic, it was ultimately preventable and these issues have been spoken about for years in local groups.

“When someone talks about road safety on Soho Road all I can think of is chaos, unpredictability and fear. While traffic is largely standstill, there are often incidences of fast driving and distracted divers. 

“As a key arterial route between Birmingham and the Black Country, Soho Road often experiences drivers from all around the region. Sometimes this means that residents experience the negative impacts of poor driving not from residents, but from people travelling through.

“We need solutions to these issues which many before us have openly discussed. The demo and memorial is an opportunity to raise awareness of these challenges, build community confidence and capacity, and support decision makers to realise what needs to be done to improve lives locally. 

“We need to ensure that Soho Road is safer for those who use the road, we need to improve active and public transport solutions in the area, whilst ensuring that crossings and traffic enforcement take place accordingly.”

'A four-year-old child is growing up without a father'

Mat MacDonald, Co-chair of BSfB, agreed, saying: “This horrendous collision has shaken the local community to its core. A four-year old child is now growing up without a father, whose life was taken in an utterly senseless and avoidable way. 

“Instead of treating this as an accident with no solution, we need to ensure that lessons are learned. By rethinking how we regulate vehicles and lay out our streets, we can make lethal speeding physically impossible in built up areas. 

“Local Councillors have some resources from Clean Air Zone funds to start this process, and we will be encouraging them to engage with residents here to do so. But legislation and investment are also needed at a national level to make our streets safe for everyone who uses them. 

“This Sunday people across Birmingham will stand together in solidarity with the shattered community on Soho Road to call for these changes with one voice, so that the Khizer Hanifs of tomorrow, and their families, can have the futures they deserve.”

Better Streets for Birmingham has organised several demonstrations across Birmingham in response to other collisions in which people have been killed or seriously injured, including most recently a “die in” on a road outside the Council House to commemorate the 25 people killed every year in crashes on the city’s roads.