Birmingham wages war on drivers with plan to turn ring road into park

Now Birmingham wages war on motorists as Labour-run council plan to turn ring road into a ‘park that circles the city’ and build 124 miles of walking and cycling routes in bid to mimic the ‘cycle-friendliness’ of Copenhagen

• Ian Ward, Birmingham council leader expects the plan to be well received

Birmingham will see part of its famous ring road turned into a park in a bid to put ‘pedestrians and cyclists first’ as part of the ‘most ambitious plan in a century’ for the city.

Labour’s City Council Leader Ian Ward revealed ‘a route map to a greener city’ will be launched tomorrow – which aims to double the amount of green space and become ‘carbon zero’. 

Speaking to Radio 4’s Today programme, he said the ring road – opened by Elizabeth II on 7 April 1971 and which runs through the city centre – will still have access for cars. 

He said: ‘There’ll still be public transport and cycle routes, but they will require less space so we can green much of that ring road and turn it into a park that circles the city.’ Mr Ward insisted the 20-year plan was not ‘a war on motorists’ and that the city would become as green as Vienna. 

According to the plans for how Birmingham might look in 2040, it will double its green spaces and build around 124 miles of walking and cycling routes, placing it on a level with Denmark’s cycling haven capital city Copenhagen.  

Pictured: Plans for how the city might look following the implementation of the green scheme

Mr Ward insisted the 20-year plan was not ‘a war on motorists’ and that the city would become as green as Vienna (pictured: Traffic at Bordesley Circus, Birmingham) 

‘The plan we are going to be launching tomorrow is a route map to a greener Birmingham, creating more jobs, better transport options and having higher quality, more energy efficient new homes,’ Mr Ward, told Radio 4 Today.

‘We are already a city on the up and we’re looking to use the investments coming in to double the amount of green space in the city, making us as green as Vienna, and to double active travel routes to some 200km which will put us at the same level for cycle friendliness as Copenhagen.

‘This is probably the most ambitious plan in a century for the city and it’s going to map out how we’ll become carbon zero and how we will green our city in the future.’

Mr Ward claimed the council is attracting record levels of investment into the city.

He said they are working with developers and investors ‘to ensure that as the city expands out into the deprived communities beyond the ring road that the wealth that this creates as a result is shared with those communities’.

‘We’re also working to create a new park in Birmingham, right in the heart of the city centre, creating a green space – in order to ensure the city is more liveable.’

Mr Ward claimed the council is attracting record levels of investment into the city (pictured: A design showing how the city might look once the green plans are implemented) 

The plans drawn up by Birmingham City Council would see new trees planted into every available space in the heavily congested town centre

An artist’s impression depicts Birmingham as a leafy city, where skyscrapers rise above treetops and foliage

He said the ring road is staying but ‘because in the future we’ll be less reliant on the car, that creates the opportunity to turn some of that ring road into green space.’ 

‘So there’ll still be access for the cars, there’ll still be public transport and cycle routes, but they will require less space so we can green much of that ring road and turn it into a park that circles the city,’ he continued. 

‘[The ring road] will be a very different concept in the future.’

The council leader said the plans were about ensuring the ring road becomes a ‘greenway’ which is more livable and accessible to deprived communities outside the city centre. 

He said they expect the population of the city to grow by 150,000 over the next decade, and believes if the council does not get people out of cars and onto public transport they will cause gridlock. 

Mr Ward said the plans aimed to make travel easier for cyclists, pedestrians and public transport.  

He added: ‘This is a 20 year plan – so we’ll be working with investors and developers and as we grow the city we’ll be looking to attract in that investment that will allow us to not only increase identity and create more homes and more jobs but also to increase the amount of green space.

‘The plan has been very well received when we’ve consulted on it and we expect it to be very well received when we launch it tomorrow.’

MailOnline has contacted Birmingham City Council for comment.  

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