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Birmingham City Council has released details on significant changes to routes around the City Centre, and in particular the Jewellery Quarter, in their bid to reduce city centre pollution and promote the use of public transport, cycling and walking. Read the open letter to businesses and residents below. 

There have been significant changes in travel patterns during the COVID-19 lockdown period, and as we move towards recovery there are rising pressures on safe space for walking, cycling and maintaining social distance. The Council’s response to these issues is set out in the Emergency Birmingham Transport Plan, which was approved in June 2020.

Transforming the city centre was one of four Big Moves outlined in the plan and will be supported by the introduction of six city centre segments. Ultimately, each area will only be accessible from the A4540 Middleway (ring road) and to move from one to another in a private vehicle you would have to go back out onto the A4540 Middleway.

Movement between the segments would be unrestricted, and indeed enhanced, for public transport, pedestrians and cyclists. Beginning to implement these city centre segments will create more space for people by reducing the volume of through traffic and the dominance of vehicles on minor roads in the city centre.

This scheme is being funded via the Department for Transport, as part of their Emergency Active Travel Fund (tranche one) – one of the conditions of this funding is that measures must be in place by the end of August.

The proposed measures for City Centre Segments phase one can be reviewed on drawing no’s 104130-PF-100-C1-DR-TR-001 to 104130-PF-100-C1-DR-TR-006b which you can review at the following website: https://covidmeasuresbirmingham.commonplace.is/overview.

A brief summary of the proposals are as follows:

• Restrictions to westbound movements through A4400 St Chads Queensway
• Restrictions to north-south movements along Camden Street, Sand Pits and Parade
• Prohibiting access to Cecil Street, Lower Tower Street and Brearley Street from New Town Row (access to New Town Road will be maintained)
• Restrictions to east-west movements along Bristol Street

Work to install the above measures is due to start on Monday 19 August 2020 with anticipated completion by the end of August 2020. In the first instance, this scheme is being delivered on a temporary trial basis for a few months, with potential for some measures to be made more permanent as part of the Emergency Birmingham Transport Plan.

The emergency nature of this situation does mean there has been limited consultation prior to delivery, but we do want to keep people informed about what is happening here and why. We also want to hear from people about how these measures are working once they are in place, and whether people think any of them should continue. Details of this scheme have been added to https://covidmeasuresbirmingham.commonplace.is/overview where you can make comments and provide feedback on how these changes are working.

You can also contact us at connected@birmingham.gov.uk with any questions.

Routes affecting the Jewellery Quarter – Restrictions to north–south movements along Camden Street, Sand Pits and Parade:

• No entry to vehicles (except cyclists) onto Moreton Street from Pope Street, reallocation of the western side of the carriageway to provide a pop-up cycle lane.
• One-way north-east bound on Albion Street between Camden Street and Pope Street and no left/right turn onto Albion Street from Pope Street (except for cyclists).
• No right turn from Summer Hill Street onto Summer Hill Road.
• No through route for vehicles (except cyclists) onto Sand Pits roundabout from Newhall Hill and George Street.
• Newhall Hill to be converted to one-way north-west bound from George Street to Legge Lane. Reallocation of carriageway space to provide a contraflow pop-up cycle lane.
• No left/right turns onto Newhall Hill from Sand Pits roundabout (except for cyclists).
• No left turn onto Charlotte Street from Parade (except for cyclists).
• No left turn onto Fleet Street from Parade (except for cyclists).

Restrictions to westbound movements through A4400 St Chads Queensway:

• No ahead or left turn from A4040 Queensway onto Snow Hill Queensway and Great Charles Street Queensway (except for buses, taxis and cyclists).
• No right turn from Weaman Street onto Colmore Circus Queensway (except for buses, taxis and cyclists).
• No right turn onto Lower Loveday Street (except for cyclists) from Princip Street.
• No left turn onto Lower Loveday Street (except for cyclists) from Cliveland Street.

Prohibiting access to Cecil Street, Lower Tower Street and Brearley Street from New Town Row (access to New Town Row will be maintained):

• No left/right turns onto Cecil Street from New Town Row (except for cyclists).
• No left right turns onto Lower Tower Street from New Town Row (except for cyclists).
• No left turn onto Brearley Street from New Town Row (except for cyclists).
• No right turn onto New Town Row from Cecil Street.

Restrictions to east–west movements along Bristol Street:

• No left turn from A38 Bristol Street onto Bromsgrove Street (except for cyclists).
• No left turn from A38 Bristol Street onto Wrentham Street (except for cyclists).

Download the full map here.

Plans for the above measures are available to view at: https://covidmeasuresbirmingham.commonplace.is/overview. This also contains further information on the City Centre Segments initiative. You can also contact us at connected@birmingham.gov.uk with any questions.

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