We at Better Streets believe that we can improve the safety, sustainability and efficiency of our streets through better infrastructure and road planning.
As locals, we want to see journeys made safer for ourselves, our families, and the community at large. Whether that’s getting to work, going to the shops or dropping the kids off at school.
We want to see our local businesses flourish because they’re the shops we use. We want to see our children be able to play outside on the street, ride bikes with their friends, and breathe clean air, because we know that’s going to give them the best outcomes in life.
As a community group we wanted to check if the rest of the community felt the same, so we knocked on over 450 doors in Harborne East. From Oakham Road to Station Road, Wentworth Road to Margaret Grove, and the overwhelming majority (80%) of those we spoke to agreed with us. The current traffic in Harborne East makes the roads unsafe and unpleasant for people outside of cars through the noise, the pollution, the speed, and the sheer volume of it.
People everywhere tell us that the traffic keeps getting worse. They tell us they want to see change.
There is a unique funding opportunity over the next two years. The Clean Air Zone monies and the Ward Minor Measures fund have been combined into the Environment and Transport Neighbourhood Fund. This provides a small amount of money (£80k) to each ward that can only be spent on measures that reduce traffic, improve clean air and encourage walking and cycling. If a scheme isn’t submitted by March 2025, the money is lost to Harborne.
We are proposing the most cost effective way of using that money to make a tangible impact in the lives of many residents of the ward: an experimental scheme to prevent traffic cutting through Harborne East via residential roads.
The nature of the experimental traffic order means it is in place for only 12-18 months. A consultation is run for the entire period and if the residents don’t like it, it is removed. This scheme does not aim to prevent anybody living in this area from using a car to get around.
If we do nothing the situation will only continue to get worse. If we are willing to try something, we as a community can find what works better for us.
You can see more details in this presentation.
Better Streets for Harborne & Quinton 