4.1.1
Plain English Version
The inner and outer ring roads (the Queensway and the Middleway) made Birmingham easy to get around by car, but not so much by bus, train, walking or cycling. Some of the Queensway has been removed or changed, but to encourage walking, cycling and public transport more needs to be done. This might include better pedestrian crossings, more and better signs or removal of things that get in the way.
Original Document
Birmingham transformed itself in the 1950s and 1960s from a traditional city of streets into the “motor city”. A new inner road, later named “Queensway”, was built, forming a tight concrete collar around the city’s core. Major investment took place to create new or widened radials such as the Aston Expressway and Digbeth High Street. The ring road, “Middleway” was constructed further out as a route around the wider centre. The urban design consequences of these major transport investments have already been described. Whilst the concrete collar has partly been dismantled, enough of it remains – as part of the A38 corridor – to act as a significant barrier to movement within the city centre. At the same time the expectation of easy access into the centre by motor vehicle remains as a legacy of this era.