4.8.1
Original Document
Birmingham has the potential to have the UK’s most walkable big city centre. Many cross-centre trips are achievable on foot within 15-20 minutes, making walking the quickest door-to-door option. However, the quality, directness and ease of understanding of the routes involved often leave a lot to be desired. New and improved crossings, better information, greater levels of pedestrian priority in key locations and the removal of key barriers all need to form part of the picture.
Plain English Translation
Birmingham could be the UK’s best city for walking. It’s often the quickest way to get around, especially when you can walk from one side of the city centre to the other in under 20 minutes. However the routes can be poorly signed and difficult or unpleasant to use, something we need to change.
20 minutes? Within the old Queensway 'concrete collar' maybe, but getting around the rest of the city centre on foot can often take twice that.
Walking in the City Centre is handicapped by barriers of various sorts and indications that wheeled transport always has right of way. Travel on foot is fast, it is part of many peoples' journeys, but needs a fresh approach – kerb lines across an access into private premises are not needed – drop the kerb so that the driver is slowing to cross a footway (and is ready to give way).