Moseley Liberal Democrats

NB: THE PROPOSAL TO MAKE VALENTINE ROAD ONE WAY (IN THE DIAGRAM)  IS NO LONGER GOING AHEAD 

I previously posted in this blog on the School Road closure scheme  ( see Sept 11th, July 20th & Jan 29th).

Following an update from Cllr Jenkins to Moseley Forum on Tuesday 29th Oct I  wrote to the Council for  some clarification.  I have copied below a reply I have received from Joe Green of the Transportation & Connectivity Team.

I’ve also had previous confirmation that the letters will be sent to residents along the entire length of School Road, any road that leads directly off School Road (and roads leading off these), Valentine Road and Cambridge Road. Also (after I made some representation) it will now include Oxford Road between St. Mary’s Row and Billesley Lane, and  Billesley Lane between Wake Green Road and the junction with Cambridge Road/ Southlands Road.

From: Joe Green
Sent: ‎31/‎10/‎2018 16:48
To: Izzy Knowles; Gill Brook
Cc: Councillor Kerry Jenkins
Subject: RE: School Road Traffic Issues

Hi Izzy,

I sent some further information across to Cllr Jenkins this morning, on the back of a request from discussions at last night’s Moseley Forum meeting.The meeting you mention was requested by School Road Traffic Issues Group to provide them with an update, and was attended by Phil Edwards and myself.

Further answers to your questions are included below:

Please can you confirm whether an engineer has been allocated to the scheme yet and if so who it is?

Yes, this project has now been approved and funding allocated. It will be overseen by Natalia Haberko in our Infrastructure Delivery team. Gill and I are currently in the process of handing everything across to Natalia for taking things forward, but we will continue to be involved to support the communication and engagement elements of this scheme.

Will there be any formal consultation either before or during the experimental period?

A letter drop of the local area is being organised to inform residents of what is happening. It is envisaged that this will be sent out week commencing 12^th November.

It is not necessary to hold formal (statutory) consultation for an experimental traffic order, other than with the emergency services who are in the process of being contacted.

There will be ongoing consultation while the experimental traffic order is in place, and any views or comments submitted during this period will be recorded to help inform future decisions.

How long do you envisage the experimental period to be?

The maximum length of time that an experimental traffic order can remain in place for is 18 months, after which point it is either progressed to a permanent intervention (pending formal consultation) or removed. It is generally seen as good practice to keep an experimental traffic order in place for a minimum of 6 months, but there is scope to remove it sooner than this if deemed necessary.

There is scope for the scheme to become permanent if it is deemed that the experimental road closure has been successful. However this would be subject to a formal consultation process – and this would need to have been completed within the maximum period of 18 months for an experimental traffic order for there to be no break in the provision of this intervention.

What traffic surveys are planned to  take place before and during the experimental scheme?

Natalia will be developing monitoring arrangements for this scheme, which will include traffic counts before and during the experimental closure.

There is some existing data from traffic counts carried out at locations in the area last year that can potentially be used, and we will work with the local engineer to identify locations for any further counts; they have already suggested that the junctions of Oxford Road/St Mary’s Row and Billesley Lane/Wake Green Road should be included.

I hope these answers are useful, we are keen to keep local residents informed of what is happening and shall continue to seek to do so.

Please do get in touch if there is anything else you would like to know at this stage. Regards, Joe

Joe Green, BA (Hons)

Transportation Behaviour Change Manager

Transportation & Connectivity – Economy Directorate

Birmingham City Council

 

From: Izzy Knowles [mailto:moseleylibdems@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2018 2:26 PM
To: Gill Brook
Cc: Joe Green
Subject: Re: School Road Traffic Issues

Hi Gill & Joe

I learned from Cllr Jenkins last night at a Moseley Forum meeting that a meeting has taken place with the School Road Traffic Issues group and the funding has been approved for the experimental scheme. There was also a suggestion that as it is an experimental scheme no further consultation will take place following the letter,  which is still to go out to residents.

Please can you confirm whether an engineer has been allocated to the scheme yet and if so who it is?

This scheme is going to cost a lot of money to implement so it is important we get it right, otherwise it will be money wasted. I am concerned that the decision to carry out this experimental closure has been made with very little consultation and there are still people who will be directly affected who do not know it is taking place.

Will there be any formal consultation either before or during the experimental period?

How long do you envisage the experimental period to be?

I’m also concerned that proper measures need to be taken to correctly survey the amount and speed of traffic on these roads and potentially affected roads, both before and at periods after the experiment, so that the scheme can be properly evaluated.

What traffic surveys are planned to  take place before and during the experimental scheme?

Are you able to please update me on these points?

Best wishes

Izzy
Izzy Knowles
Moseley Liberal Democrats

 

 

 

 

Birmingham City Council are consulting on their plans to improve the safety and efficiency of the junction of Pershore Road, Priory Road and Edgbaston Road, and to provide a cycle route between the new  A38 Bristol Road cycle route  and the  National Cycle Network Route 5 at Cannon Hill Park.

Moseley Liberal Democrats support these proposals, especially with the pending developments at Edgbaston Cricket Ground, the hotel opposite and Pebble Mill that will all add to traffic in the area.

You can see and comment on the proposals  here    Consultation closes on 9th November.

Local grass roots pro EU group EU in BRUM  have organised coaches for local people to travel to London on Saturday 20th October to take part in the Peoples Vote march.

Buses will be leaving from Brunel Street, City Centre or opposite Goose pub, Kings Heath.

They still have a few seats left including free places for students and people who otherwise would not be able to go. You can book them here:  Bus tickets to London

E Mail  euinbrumbus@g.mail.com for details of free tickets.

Liberal Democrats and the Greens are the only parties that have consistently championed Britain’s membership of the European Union. We believe that Britain’s best chance to succeed is within the EU.

While we respect the outcome of the referendum held in June 2016, we believe that Britain is a more prosperous country when we are part of the world’s largest economy, working in partnership with our closest neighbours and allies to tackle the biggest challenges.

We believe that free trade is a good thing. It creates jobs, increases prosperity and helps pay for things like the NHS, schools and public services.

Our livelihoods are improved because of free trade – including through our membership of the Single Market. That is why we are fighting for Britain at the very minimum to remain a member of the Single Market.

It is becoming more and more clear that the final deal will not deliver any of the promises made by the Leave campaign prior to the referendum,  which is why we are also calling for the government to give the British people a vote on the final deal that they negotiate with Europe.

The terms of Brexit will have a huge impact on jobs, security and the opportunity to travel and live abroad, and the Tory Brexit government should therefore be made to put their deal to the British people before it is finalised.

Birmingham City Council Waste Collection Services have re modelled their methods of collecting waste. This is to implement their agreement with the Trade Unions to move the crews from a 4 day x 10 hour shift to a 5 day x 7.5 hrs shift pattern. As a result the rounds and crews have been changed. This may cause some disruption as the new crews will have to get to know the quirks of the new rounds.

If you experience a missed collection report it on line  here 

If it still isn’t collected after several days,  or you experience repeat missed collections contact  Izzy at moseleylibdems@gmail.com  or local Councillors and we will chase them for you.

On Sunday Lib Dems across the West Midlands will be taking part in the ‘ Bin Brexit in Brum’ march and rally in the city centre.

This event has been entirely organised and funded by local people in their own time – the grass roots remain movement ‘EU in Brum’  – to remind the Conservative Party conference participants that the Midlands do not want to leave the EU, as any kind of Brexit will hurt the region a lot.

All evidence points to the fact that the West Midlands Economy will be damaged in any scenario, but especially devastating will be a no deal Brexit. Birmingham Mail. Devastating effect of no deal Brexit

Even West Midlands Mayor Andy Street in an answer to Izzy at the recent Ask Andy event at The Prince of Wales acknowledged that leaving the EU without a deal would be catastrophic for business in the West Midlands Andy Street ‘s answer to Izzy at Ask Andy event as reported in the B’ham Mail

Local Moseley business owner George Howell of Indigo Wholefoods also describes the damage to his business by the uncertainty of Brexit.   Indigo Wholefoods and the impact of Brexit

It is becoming clearer by the day that no Government is going to be able to deliver any of the promises made by the leave campaign before the referendum. No one voted to make our region poorer and the  consequences that would result from loss of manufacturing and closure of small businesses.  There is no such thing as a ‘Jobs first Brexit’.

Come to Victoria Square from 11, the march will leave there at 12pm and return around 1pm for the rally, where we will have exciting speakers and music including Moseley band The Lost Notes.    The Lost Notes 

The touring musician industry would be especially hit by loss of freedom of movement rights and customs checks on equipment.

The event will finish between 3 and 4.

You can register your interest and find out more here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bin-brexit-in-brum-march-and-rally-tickets-48906010193
https://www.facebook.com/events/422114528254258/

While we want you to bring as many flags as possible,  part of the march will go along the tram lines at Corporation Street, so any flag poles should be under 2.5 meters long, and carried very carefully through this part.

If you can volunteer as a steward for the march and/or rally, or for litter picking afterwards, please get in touch with hello@euinbrum.org . Or message Izzy. Any help is very much appreciated.

See you on Sunday!          #ExitfromBrexit

 

On Wednesday at The Moseley Meeting I supported residents in bringing up the issue of constant parking and driving of vehicles on the open grass verges where Stoney Lane meets Yardley Wood Road  between Esme Road and Phipson Road. 90 residents have signed a  petition  calling for trip rail or other preventative measures to prevent the parking.

The Anderton Park Residents Association have been asking for these measures for some time, they campaigned years ago to stop the  green space being built on, but since then they have seen the road become more densely used by traffic, witnessed the grass being damaged by an increasing number of cars and vans being driven and parked on it and experienced children being deterred from playing there. They have in the past planted bulbs with the school children from Anderton Park School, and they regularly litter pick to keep it tidy. At one stage the area was even costed up for trip rail, but it was never installed.

I have had email conversations with the head of the Parks Department and the District Highways Engineer  over the last six months to ask for trip rail to be installed.  Springfield Police have . been contacted to deal with the parking on the grass, which is illegal. Letters were sent by Highways to the residents and several fixed penalty tickets were issued by PCSO Peach. However this has not deterred drivers from continuing to park on the grass area. As one individual or family stops doing it another takes over. The council departments have been supportive but a more long term solution is needed and we need funding to make it happen.

I have witnessed myself numerous instances of cars and vans parking and driving across the verges.  The area does not have any other safe green space for children to play close to their homes and  children play on the greens whilst cars are parked there. If the green verges were railed off to prevent vehicles accessing them we would create a nice safe space for families and children to enjoy and the residents  could utilise the space for  other family friendly projects such as bulb planting, games and community events.

The council would not have to repair ruts, potholes and damage to the pavements caused by heavy vehicles and police time could be better taken up with other issues. The green space is also important to help reduce the traffic pollution in the area

The green verges are wholly in Sparkhill Ward, however the petition shows there is a demand for this action from residents of both Sparkhill and Moseley Wards.   There is a budget for each ward to use for verge protection and minor transport measures. This is a small budget and there will be other needs to be considered in both wards however I believe this project should be seen as a priority need. It is possible if necessary we could fund some of the cost through an application to the Active Citizens fund or other similar scheme.

I  have sent the petition, together with photos to the Councillors for both Moseley and Sparkhill wards, the Police Sergeants for each ward ,Mike Hinton of the Parks department and Garry Dalton, the Highways Engineer and I have offered to work with them to get approval and find funding for this scheme.

 

I hope to have some feedback by the next Moseley meeting in November

Further to my previous posts on this (January 29th & July 20th 2018) I  received the below email from Gill Brook in answer to queries I raised. I have written back to ask that both Billesley Lane and Oxford Road residents are included in the letter to be sent out.  

From: Gill Brook <Gill.Brook@birmingham.gov.uk>
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2018 at 10:16
Subject: RE: School Road Traffic Issues
To: Izzy Knowles <moseleylibdems@gmail.com>
Cc: Joe Green

Hi Izzy, thank you for your email. The information on the School Road Issues Facebook page was taken from a direct response to an email they sent in to our assistant director. The response was as follows:

Dear School Road Issues group

Thank you for your email of 13^th August in response to the message sent out by Gill Brook on 19^th July. I would like to respond to the points you have raised as follows:

1. I can confirm that the experimental closure is still proposed for between Cotton Lane and Greenhill Road. There appears to have been a discrepancy between the information that was shown at the meeting in January 2018 and what was passed on from this. Apologies for any confusion, this has now been clarified.
2. Before any scheme can be implemented, we need to take the proposal through the city council’s project management process, to obtain approval and release the required funding. The paperwork for this has been written, and is due to be taken through the first stage of this process on 10^th September. With regards to the letter drop, this is not to formally consult on the experimental order but to make local residents, businesses and schools aware of what is being proposed as a matter of courtesy. There are many local people who would be affected by an experimental closure of School Road, and we need to make sure people in all local streets are informed of the proposal.
3. Once the project management process is complete, and letters have been distributed across the local area informing people of the proposed experimental closure, the management of this scheme will be handed across to the local engineer. They will make the necessary arrangements for the implementation of the scheme. It is hoped that the timescale for this will be in the next couple of months. I am happy to look to arrange a meeting with yourselves along with relevant officers and local Councillors if you feel that this would be useful for further clarification and discussion. 

With regards to the questions you have asked:

• The 64% figure refers to the total responses we received, including those from the meeting, and those we received after the meeting, including those that you kindly forwarded to us.

The total number of responses we received was 109.

This was made up of :

3 in favour of Option 1

1 in favour of Option 2

7 in favour of Option 3

28 in favour of Option 4

70 in favour of Option 5A/5B

• We will be sending the community wide letter to the entire length of School Road, any road that leads directly off School Road (and roads leading off these), Valentine Road and Cambridge Road. The area will be bounded to the north-east by Oxford Road and to the east by Billesley Lane (but will not include these roads).

• The public meeting was a resident led initiative, and therefore this is something that you would need to speak to the organisers about.

I hope that the information above answers your queries.

Kind regards, Gill

Gill Brook  BA (Comb Hons)

Senior Transportation Officer – Transportation Behaviour Change

 

The Boundary Commission for England has released it’s final report on the revision of Parliamentary Constituencies in England.

You can read the whole report here: Boundaries Review

It still has to be voted through Parliament but if approved it will be implemented at the next General Election.

Birmingham will lose one MP overall with some wards joining up with neighbouring areas. To add to confusion the changes have been based on the old council wards rather than the one’s that were introduced in the council elections of 2018.

Moseley & Kings Heath will come into a new constituency called Birmingham Kings Heath, joining up with Billesley, Brandwood & Bournville.  However anyone living in the parts of the new Moseley Council ward who were originally in Springfield or Sparkbrook, will remain in a constituency called Hall Green.

That does not mean local Councillors or ourselves will no longer represent everyone in the new Moseley ward. It  means we will have two MP’s covering different parts of Moseley rather than one.

Birmingham Lib Dem’s are paving the way for Birmingham to phase out single use plastics by 2019. Local Moseley campaigners  have played a big part in making this happen. We are very hopeful of cross party support at full council.

This is the text of the motion Councillors Jon Hunt & Baber Baz will be bringing to the city council on Tuesday 11th September to cut the use of single use plastics.  We’ve looked at ideas from other councils introduced by parties of all hues. 

“Council is alarmed at the growing evidence of the impact of disposable plastic items on the world’s oceans, fish supplies and the litter on the streets and in the hedgerows of Birmingham.
Council notes and welcomes the success of plastic bag charging policies introduced by national governments. It calls for action at a city level so Birmingham makes a significant contribution to reducing disposal of plastics and cleaning up the environment.
Council calls on the executive to:
1. develop a robust strategy to make Birmingham City Council a ‘single-use-plastic-free’ authority by the end of 2019 and encourage the city’s institutions, businesses and citizens to adopt similar measures;
2. end the sale and provision of disposable plastic products such as bottles, cups, cutlery and drinking straws in council buildings;
3. . encourage market traders to sell re-usable containers and invite customers to bring their own, with the aim of phasing out single-use plastic containers and cutlery on market stalls by the end of 2019;
4. investigate the possibility of requiring pop-up food and drink vendors at large council events to avoid disposable plastic items as a condition of their contract; 
5. promote refill schemes, in which retail businesses agree to free water refills, pointing them to the apps that are available to signpost customers to refill points;
6. investigate the use of free water fountains in reception areas and elsewhere;
7. further investigate having locally branded water containers for sale;
8. work with tenants in commercial properties owned by Birmingham City Council to encourage the phasing out of disposable plastic cups, bottles, cutlery and straws.
9. Ensure the 2022 Commonwealth Games is free of single use plastic items
Council further proposes a report be brought to the relevant scrutiny committee setting out the financial costs of adopting a strategy of this kind”.
Proposer: Cllr Jon Hunt
Seconder: Cllr Baber Baz

 

Moseley Litterbusters made this chart from the rubbish collected from the streets of  Moseley Village in one hour to show how much recyclables ends up in our discarded waste. This doesn’t include the waste actually put into bins. Currently all of Birmingham’s street waste goes to the Tyseley incinerator.  We would like to see the city policy change to include re-cycling bins in our parks, streets and shopping areas.

 

Moseley Community Development Trust  have put together a new type of ward meeting combining the previous local Police and Greener Cleaner Safer Environment Groups with the Ward Councillors meetings. The aim is to work together to address community concerns in Moseley and try to find solutions to problems affecting people either locally in one particular neighbourhood or across the ward.

This is our chance in Moseley to shape how we approach problems collaboratively  and differently, and to understand and tackle barriers to getting change.

Thank you to our Councillors for their support to get this going.  For it to work people need to come along and get involved.

The annual Big John’s Birmingham Mela comes to Cannon Hill Park this Sunday 12th August.  Following the horrendous parking issues that occurred last year Izzy sent a report and photographs to the Mela committee, Moseley Forum and local Councillors. 

As a result the organising committee have informed us that:

A new locally based traffic management company – UK Traffic Solutions will deal with the road closures. Road closures will be from 10am to 9pm although the Mela is scheduled from midday to 8pm.

The licence is for 20,000 attendees at any given time.

Local residents should have received a letter through the door which will have their pass for their car for the day. This will also have the phone number for any complaints or compliments on the day. 

There will be three supervisors, each equipped with radios, two staff on each of the large road closures and they too will have radios.

Four Civil Enforcement Officers have been appointed to work during the peak period and cover the Edgbaston Road/Cannon Hill Road area  . They will start earlier than last year so that they can get a strong message of enforcement out earlier in the day.We are going to

Barriers will be placed along  Edgbaston Road to stop people parking on the pavement

A new company has been engaged to deal with litter after the event. More bins, skips and more people have been hired for this. 

Noise levels will be monitored during the event.

More details of road closures etc can be found here:  Birmingham City Council events

More details of the event can be found here: Big John’s Mela website

 

We completed a Freedom of Information request to Birmingham City Council asking for the total revenue received from the car park charges introduced in October 2017, the amount spent on infrastructure at the park & number of fixed penalty fines issued for illegal parking.

This was the reply. 

Concord Youth Centre in Sparkbrook are putting on a summer programme for young people. They just need to turn up on the day…

 

 

West Midlands Police are asking for your views on their use and increase of ANPR technology (Automatic Number Plate Recognition).

Take part in the survey here

They have also produced a short film about how ANPR can be used to prevent and detect crime Watch it here

There is not an option to add a comment to the survey so I suggest if you do have individual comments you email g.chana_57666@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk.
We welcome this survey as we think public consultation over use of surveillance is incredibly important. In 2010 the police and council got it terribly wrong when trying to implement ‘ Project Champion’ in Sparkbrook and Moseley.

We last posted about the traffic management of School  Road, Moseley  on January 29th. Scroll down through the posts to read it. 

We have now received a letter, copied below, from Gill Brook  –  Senior Transportation Officer – Birmingham City Council.

 

“Dear resident,

I am feeding back as a result of the two resident-led meetings that Birmingham City Council Transportation officers were invited to attend to look at and discuss potential options for a scheme to address the issues of safety on School Road in Moseley and Kings Heath & Brandwood wards.

Following responses collected from the meeting on 24^th January 2018 where a number of different scheme options were put forward to residents, and further responses from local residents by email, 64% of those received were in favour of the option that would involve an experimental closure of School Road for motor vehicles at a point between Greenend Road and Birches Close.

From comments taken at the meeting on 24^th January, and further comments from emails received, issues relating to parking on a number of roads in the area were highlighted – including parking at junctions reducing visibility, and vehicles parking on pavements.

Part of all of the 6 options put forward included a short length of one-way on Valentine Road from the High Street. This proved unpopular in the feedback we received, and will therefore not be taken forward.

I have been advised that before formal consultation on a proposed scheme happens, we should undertake some further area-wide engagement to ensure all properties in the local area likely to be affected by the closure of School Road as a through route have the opportunity to give their opinion.

The potential costs and logistics of an experimental road closure and any parking restrictions will need to be submitted through the usual city council channels in order to get funding agreed and allocated.

It is anticipated that this proposal can be submitted within the next month, and if successful, the consultation would take place after this. As we would like to consult as widely as possible with all local residents and businesses affected by the proposed scheme, we would anticipate this consultation taking place after the main summer holiday period.

We will try and arrange this as soon as possible after the beginning of September.

In the meantime, can I encourage you to have a look at our 20mph toolkits which can be downloaded at www.birmingham.gov.uk/20mph. These toolkits contain activity ideas and we also have a range of resources such as additional temporary signage, wheelie bin and car bumper stickers to help to bring great visibility to the reduced speed limits in the area. We would be happy to support any activities”.

Gill Brook  BA (Comb Hons)

Senior Transportation Officer – Transportation Behaviour Change

Growth and Transportation (Economy Directorate)

Birmingham City Council

1, Lancaster Circus Queensway

Birmingham

B4 7DQ

 

Izzy attended the Moseley & Kings Heath Police Community meeting tonight in Whitesmiths Croft, Kings Heath. (16th July 2018)

PC Byrne & PC Hobday updated us the following:

Crime update:

112 crimes have been recorded in Moseley & Kings Heath since the beginning of July. This is an increase of 3.7% compared with July 2017.

Of these – 8 were burglaries (an increase of 3 from last year) & 8 were robberies (an increase of 4). Vehicle crime is the most prolific offence and some of the robberies and burglaries resulted in cars being stolen.

Three people have recently been charged with a series of burglaries across Moseley. CCTV was an important part of the evidence assisting in identifying the offenders.

Modern cars are currently more likely to be stolen than older models due to the rise in keyless car theft where thieves can remotely steal your car even when it is locked up outside your home. See this article from Motoring Research   

Police advice is to keep keyless fobs in a metal box or specially designed signal blocker pouch which are inexpensive to buy.  The article above also suggests a microwave oven could be used (but please remember you did that!).

Using a traditional disc lock or steering wheel lock is also a good deterrent to thieves.

PSPO:

Today the police have issued a ‘Community protection warning’ to an individual who has continually breached the PSPO in Moseley village. This can be followed up with the issuing of a ‘Community protection notice’  if the behaviour continues. The notice will require the behaviour to stop and if necessary reasonable steps to be taken to ensure it is not repeated in the future. More info on Community Protection Notices.

The neighbourhood team have welcomed the recent appointment of an outreach worker by Moseley Community Development Trust and will be signposting more vulnerable individuals to her for support.

Parking offences:

The police team have continued to issue fixed penalty tickets where they see obstructive parking. Today they carried out an operation on Moor Green Lane outside the primary school and reported 16 drivers for offences of speeding and obstructive parking, including to one driver who had parked on a resident’s drive.

Community Speedwatch:

A resident asked how the community could assist the police in tackling speeding. The officers explained that the police are currently trying to put together a community speed watch programme which will run on similar lines to community street watch. There are two Community Street Watch schemes in Moseley.

Officers regularly complete speed operations in various parts of the ward, including Billesley Lane and Russell Road.  A resident requested they also target Yardley Wood Road.

Members of the public can now self report motoring offences and submit evidence for consideration of prosecution. They need to report to 101 and will be issued an evidential pack to complete.

Travellers on Sarehole Recreation Ground:

Since the tragic death of a toddler last week at the recreation ground, the  travellers are expected to leave Birmingham by Saturday. Should there be any requirement for the immediate family to remain the council will find suitable accommodation for them.

Shop theft in Moseley village:

Izzy raised the issue of repeat thefts at the three supermarkets and Boots the chemist in Moseley village. These shops are all being targeted, often by the same offenders. Security Officers have expressed frustration that  police are not keeping them updated or matching repeat crimes to offenders. A meeting will be arranged for representatives of all the shops involved to meet with each other and the police to discuss how they can work better together.

Future meetings:

Due to operational demand these will now be held bi monthly and will be hosted by the PCSO’s. The next meetings are scheduled for 10th September, 19th November & 14th January 2019. All to be held at Whitesmiths Croft, Silver Street, Kings Heath.

 

Air pollution increases the risk of heart disease, cancer and asthma attacks and is linked to coughs and bronchitis.

Birmingham City Council has launched its consultation on its proposals for Clean Air Zones in the city.

They are proposing a Clean Air Zone (CAZ), where the most polluting vehicles will have to pay to enter the city centre: all the roads within the A4540 Middleway ring road (but not the Middleway itself).

The consultation is open until 17 August.   You can take part here

 

 

Major Changes are to take place to Bus Routes in South Birmingham including an additional no 1A through Moseley to the QE hospital.

Following last year’s consultation, National Express West Midlands have finalised the changes they will be making to their bus services in South Birmingham. The new routes will come into force on Sunday 22nd July.

The current no 1 will be replaced by:

Patrizia, a leading property investor, and Warwickshire County Cricket Club are currently preparing plans for The Residences at Edgbaston.  The site is located on the corner of Pershore Road and Edgbaston Road on what is currently the main car parking area for the Cricket Ground.

You can see all the plans and proposals  here

Comments to the developers must be made by 1st June 2018. 

The proposed development will include 375 apartments in a complex which includes a 15 story building, as well as shops, cafe’s restaurant and a gym.  There will be 331 resident car parking spaces and 22 commercial car parking spaces.

Concerns have been raised many times at Moseley Forum and other meetings about the impact on local residential streets of parking at large events both at the Cricket Ground and Cannon Hill Park

The developers say they have provided more car parking spaces than advised to by the city council. They do seem keen on promoting public transport and this is an opportunity to engage in a debate about the public transport options and cycling provision  at that location .

We would be very interested to hear your views

 

 

 

On Thursday 3rd May we will be voting for TWO new Councillors to represent the new Moseley ward.

David Farrow & Izzy Knowles have made three pledges to every constituent:

1. To keep you informed. We will stay in touch and keep you updated. We will be honest with you.
2. To listen and respond. We will be visible and approachable. We will stand up for you. We will champion Moseley at every opportunity we get. We will be your voice on the council . We will both hold to account and be accountable
3. To empower the community. Moseley has a vibrant, involved, passionate community. We will work with you to achieve the very best for Moseley. We believe local people make the best local decisions.

USE BOTH YOUR VOTES ON 3rd MAY 

FOR IZZY KNOWLES & DAVID FARROW 

WE GET THINGS DONE IN MOSELEY 

 

In February that big red bus came to Northfield to spell out the real cost of Brexit.

£2000 million a week according to the government’s own figures.
It was freezing, but Izzy was there with Beverley Nielsen , and the team from EU IN BRUM &  No 10 Vigil to talk to people about the real cost of Brexit and to fight for a meaningful say on the final deal… with an option to #exitfrombrexit

Check the facts out for yourself at : Is it worth it?

Update 4/2/18: The letter we recently sent to residents included ‘inconsiderate parking’ as one of the factors causing traffic issues on School Road. The impact survey reports an increased level of parking on that stretch of School Road at school pick up/drop off times. However the parking noted was not illegal and the narrowness of the road and lack of view from either end are also contributing factors. It is also important to note issues  occur at all times of the day and not just during school times.

Residents are calling for action to deal with the poor driving they are experiencing daily on the section of School Road from the roundabout outside Kings Heath  Primary School to the junction with Prospect and Ashfield Roads.

We are concerned that not enough consultation has been done with people who do not use Facebook and who were not aware of or did not attend, the public meetings.  

What are the issues?

The issues faced by all users and residents of this route are:

*Drivers regularly mounting and driving along the the pavement to pass oncoming traffic.

*Aggressive behaviour from vehicle drivers including driving aggressively, verbal aggression, and physically intimidating behaviour.

* Noise caused from horns and traffic grinding to a halt at numerous times of the day and week

*Vehicles being driven at speed.

The current situation is dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists. It is affecting the quality of life for residents and users of this road . School Road is an important access route to  two local schools and is heavily used by children and families on foot at all times. Their safety, and that of other road users, is a risk.

You can see a video produced by School Road Action Group here: 

 

What are the solutions?

At a public meeting on 24th January 2018 six possible solutions were proposed by Councillor Trickett. They are listed below.

If you are unable to view the jpeg images we have included the six options as pdf files below . We have also included notes relating to the options produced by the council.  

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Option 4

Option 5A

Option 5b

Notes of Considered Options for issues relating to School Road

Feedback so far: 

These are some of the  concerns/ points we noted that were raised at the meeting and in subsequent conversations: 

*No modelling /traffic impact assessment was presented and a completed traffic survey had not been circulated. (We now have a copy of the Traffic Impact Study dated 9/10/17 – please see below)

*One way systems may need traffic calming to prevent increased speeding. Traffic calming humps are not good for motor cycles or cyclists and can increase pollution.

*It could be dangerous for cyclists to travel two ways in a one way system, but preventing them from doing that would inconvenience cyclists when we are trying to encourage more cycling and could cause cyclists to ride on pavements .

*A short two way system between two one way systems at the junction of Greenhill Road could be hazardous. This is already a difficult junction to manoeuvre out of.

*Preventing traffic turning from High St into Valentine Road would lead to more congestion and tail backs and more traffic going up Poplar Road (and possibly Woodbridge Road/St Mary’s Row / Oxford Road)

*Parking restrictions (option 4)with passing bays could be easily trialled but may not be enforced. There would be a displacement of parking to near by roads.

*The Moseley triangle, Billesley Lane & Oxford Road could all be negatively impacted by larger volumes of traffic. (Before traffic calming was put into Billesley Lane in the late 90’s there was a fatal and several very serious accidents at the junction of Dyott Road).

*Emergency vehicles may struggle to get through with options 5a & 5b. (It was suggested bollards could be removable)

*Options 5a & 5b are different to the first 4 as they discourage vehicles from the whole region as opposed to one or two roads.

*Options 5a & 5B could lead to the blocked off roads being used for car parking especially during school drop off and pick up times.

TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY

We have now obtained a copy of the Traffic Impact Study which you can see below together with all the appendices.

NB: This study was undertaken in July & August 2017 to look into the impact on surrounding roads of the original proposed one way system (School Road between Blenheim Road & Valentine Rd/Springfield Rd/Poplar Road roundabout) which went out for consultation in June/July 2017 but was not progressed.

 As the recent revised options also include one way systems along the same stretch we believe the report is still relevant although we would recommend it be updated if any of these schemes are taken further and made available as part of that consultation.

Traffic Impact Study 9/10/17

Appendix A – C1406 RTA Stats

Tables B1+B2

Diagram C1

Diagram C2

Diagram C3

Table C13

Table C14

Table C16

Table C17

Table C18

Tables C1-C3

Tables C4-C6

Tables C10-C12

Tables C7-C9

Diagram D1

Tables D1-D4

Tables D5-D8

Tables D9-D12

Tables D13-D16

Tables D17-D20

Diagram E1

Diagram E2

Diagram E3

Diagram E4

Diagram E5

Diagram E6

Diagram E7

Diagram E8

Diagram E9

Diagram E10

Diagram E11

Diagram E12

Tables E1-E5

Tables E7-E11

Existing Junction – AM Peak ARCADY Results

Existing Junction – PM Peak ARCADY Results

One Way Scheme – AM Peak ARCADY Results

One Way Scheme – PM Peak ARCADY Results

Imse_gd_436 School Road (Option 2 – One-Way restriction)

What happens now:

Councillor Trickett is seeking feedback on all the 6 options with the aim of one or two  being put forward to a wider reaching public consultation and possibly trialled. 

You can send feedback to:

 Gill Brook  

David Clayfield

What are your local Lib Dems doing:

We will be talking to residents over the coming weeks to gauge public opinion and would like to hear your thoughts on all of the options. 

You can send us a message via our contact page, email moseleylibdems@gmail.com

 or call Izzy on 07784 155208

We are looking for the best solution to address the issues with the least impact on surrounding roads.  We do not want a situation  that causes further issues elsewhere.  However we also believe  the status quo is not an option.

 

Birmingham Liberal Democrats have tabled a motion ahead of today’s city council meeting calling for the Government to increase funding. We will also call on the Police and Crime Commissioner to look at the state of community policing.

The move comes after a survey we carried out across the city revealed growing levels of dissatisfaction with the service.

You can read about the results in this article in the Birmingham Evening Mail

Izzy has spoken to a number of Moseley residents who have been victims of crime and what we hear about the lack of contact from police is disturbing.
We have fantastic neighbourhood teams both in Moseley & Kings Heath and in Springfield but the good work built up over many years by dedicated Sergeants and their teams is being eroded and community policing skills are being lost.
Two officers from our neighbourhood team are moving on, one about now and one in the new year. I am seeking assurances they will be replaced.
They are already stretched so much they are struggling to deal with what is seen as low risk crime and anti social behaviour- but if not tackled leads to more harm in the community.
The monthly police neighbourhood tasking meeting has ceased to be a two way community/police partnership process and has become a an ‘update and contact’ meeting leaving many residents frustrated at the lack of progress on community concerns.
Birmingham’s Liberal Democrat council group will be pressing for action to stop the collapse of community policing, warning that effective local policing is vital for effective crime prevention.