Posts Tagged ‘cars’

4.2.1

Plain English Version

At the moment, traffic jams are mostly around the main junctions on the Ring Road and along the A38 (Bristol Road). The main areas for traffic problems in the centre are at Holloway Circus, Paradise Circus, St Chads, around the Bull Ring/Moat Lane and at Masshouse. While access by car is and will remain vital for the sucess and vitality of the city centre, we must cut the amount of traffic to meet carbon emissions targets, and less traffic will also be good for the city. It is essential that we improve the quality of alternatives to the car (see later sections). We must also deal with how the actual traffic and road network affects the development of the city centre and how nice it looks.

Original Document

Traffic congestion is currently related primarily to key junctions on the Ring Road, while the A38 corridor also continues to experience high levels of traffic demand. The main areas of congestion in the centre are at the junctions of Holloway Circus, Paradise Circus, St Chads, around the gyratory systems at Bull Ring/Moat Lane and at Masshouse. While access by car is and will remain vital for the success and vitality of the city centre, reducing traffic levels will be necessary if carbon emissions targets are to be met, while reduced congestion will also benefit the city. Improving the quality of alternatives to the car will clearly be essential (see later sections). The negative impacts of the physical traffic and highway infrastructure on the development and overall attractiveness of the city centre must also be addressed.

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4.2.2

Plain English Version

We could change the area along the A38 (Bristol Road) in the city centre quite a lot to make the city centre surroundings better and improve pedestrian and cycle crossing links between the core and the rest of the city centre. If we restructure it, the areas to the west of it could fit in better with the rest of the city centre. We could make Great Charles Street lower, take apart the Suffolk Street viaduct or change its slip road and we could fill in the Holloway Circus underpass. The road would still be important to carry traffic. However, the changes could mean that it can’t cope with as much traffic and this could mean more traffic jams, so we would need to do some testing to find out how this affects accessibility and design.

Original Document

The A38 corridor within the city centre could be radically reconfigured to greatly enhance the city centre environment and improve pedestrian/cycle crossing links between the core and the rest of the city centre. Comprehensive restructuring would enable areas to the west of the corridor to fulfil their full potential as integral parts of the city centre. Lowering Great Charles Street, dismantling the Suffolk Street viaduct or changing its slip road arrangements and filling in the Holloway Circus underpass are all major engineering projects that could be pursued. The road would still retain an important traffic carrying function. However, depending on the extent of the changes to the road infrastructure, capacity could be reduced and this could have an effect on congestion, so any proposals would require modelling to establish the impact on accessibility and design.

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4.11.2

Plain English Version

Another idea would be to create the “Birmingham Boulevard”, that is we could make the area along the A38 (Bristol Road) into a nice route, not only for vehicles, but for people to walk along, with shops and entrances to buildings, and lined with trees to make a much nicer place to be.

Original Document

Another possible approach would be to create the “Birmingham Boulevard” – the transformation of the A38 corridor into an attractive route not only for vehicles but for people to walk along, fronted by shops and building entrances and lined with trees to create a much more habitable environment.

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Question CON1

Plain English Version

How should we manage moving more people around the city, bearing in mind our aims of promoting modes of transport other than car and cutting carbon emissions? How can we manage access to the city centre for delivery and service vehicles? How can we use technology and new design to help deliveries to all types of buildings?

Original Document

How should we manage the anticipated growth in people movement, both “natural” growth and growth from new development, bearing in mind the objective of promoting non-car modes and reducing carbon emissions? How can future demands for delivery and service vehicle access to the city centre best be managed? What technological and design innovations could help facilitate deliveries to all types of premises?

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Question CON4

Plain English Version

How much car parking should the new developments in the city centre have? Should we make all new developments ‘car free’ (no parking provided) unless there are to be used not just by commuters?

Original Document

How much private car parking should be provided for new developments in the city centre? Should we require any or all new development to be ‘car free’ (i.e. no parking provided) unless otherwise justified for non-commuter purposes?

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Question CON5

Plain English Version

How and where should we have off-street parking (car parks) for the public? How much long-stay (such as for workers) and short-stay (such as for shoppers) parking should we have? Should we make the controlled (metered, on-street) parking zone bigger?

Original Document

How, where and in what numbers should publicly available off street parking be provided? What should be the balance between long stay (commuter) and short stay (shopper) spaces? Should the controlled parking zone be extended?

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