Plans to cut number of cars in Birmingham city centre
Birmingham City Council has unveiled their future transport plans, which aims to keep people moving around the city centre.
A draft of the Birmingham Transport Plan was set out today (13th January 2020) and will be subject to approval by the council's Cabinet later on in the month, on the 21st January.
With Birmingham's road and rail networks already nearing capacity during peak hours of the week, the plan focuses on getting people to use multiple modes of transport to reduce car dependency.
The council says that one of the ways to do this is by introducing Birmingham's Clean Air Zone, as a way of reinforcing Birmingham's commitment to becoming a zero-emissions city by 2030.
The council also say that they want to invest in projects to improve alternative methods of transport. These include the development of the city's first segregated cycle ways and extensions to the Metro network.
Council teams also plan to close and re-route roads in areas of highway works and disruption, which will mean that some cars will not be able to access certain areas within the bustling city centre.
The council also wish to introduce 20mph speed limits on residential streets to encourage 'active travel'. They say that this will encourage more people to walk and cycle when they can, and put people first.
Birmingham City Council hope that the plan will create a network of transport that encourages people to move away from the inefficiency of private cars, and to become a greener and more active city.
Watch our story in full above from our reporter Hannah Bechelet.