Birmingham pledges to make Low Traffic Neighbourhoods work for all

LTNs have been the subject of much debate and inspired local websites such as www.kingsheathltn.co.uk

LTNs have been the subject of much debate and inspired local websites such as www.kingsheathltn.co.uk

Birmingham City Council has made a commitment to work with residents and businesses to adapt and improve Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) schemes in Moseley and Kings Heath.

The council has also promised to implement a series of “quick fix” measures to improve traffic flow in congested locations including better signage and changes to traffic signal timings.

A dedicated project board will be created to oversee future phases, including the continued development of travel plans to encourage walking and cycling to school, as well as a full public consultation on new designs.

The council started delivering the Places for People LTN programme last year as part of its emergency transport response to Covid-19. Schemes created in Moseley and Kings Heath have generated a significant amount of feedback, with strong views expressed both for and against.

Leader of Birmingham City Council, Cllr Ian Ward, said: “Schemes like this are crucial if we are going to meet our ambitious target for the city to become carbon neutral by 2030, but change often leads to disruption and it's important that we now listen to feedback as we work with the local community to get this right.”

The commitment to work with residents came after the council leader met with local councillors and the areas’ MPs, Steve McCabe and Tahir Ali.

Cllr Waseem Zaffar, cabinet member for transport and environment, added: “We are working towards a common goal here – we all want cleaner air to breathe, better environments for our families to live in and improved quality of life for our citizens. But we must work with communities to get this right. We now have an action plan to build on the successful aspects of the schemes and improve on what is already in place."