The West Midlands is encouraging individuals and businesses to have their say on the recent congestion management study which looked at the region’s traffic problems and investigated a range of possible solutions. The report – ‘Gridlock or Growth’ - was commissioned by the seven West Midlands Authorities and Centro-WMPTA, backed by government funding, and is the most detailed study of its kind into congestion in the West Midlands.

‘Gridlock or Growth’ is a green paper designed to stimulate debate, and is only the start of the process. Public debate and discussion is crucial to this and you are encouraged to submit your views at www.westmidlandsltp.gov.uk before December 30^th 2006. No decisions have yet been taken and none will be taken without further work.  Much more work needs to be done to better understand how different solutions will impact on the region and meet our objectives for cutting congestion and stimulating regeneration. 

The report concluded that if we carry on as we are: 

• Congestion across the area will grow by nearly a quarter (22 per cent) on current levels by 2021
• That means more than 300,000 hours of additional travel delay every day, and an extra 469,000 car journeys on West Midlands roads every day, compared to 2001
• This additional congestion is likely to cost the West Midlands (business and commuters) an additional £205m every year 

We want to know:

• How does congestion affect you and/or your organisation?
• How attractive are schemes such as car sharing, working from home initiatives and school buses?
• If a wider range of practical travel options were open to you and certain road trips you wished to make were charged (with the generated revenue being used to enhance the transport infrastructure which would be supported by additional government funding), would you investigate alternative modes of travel? 

(A full list of questions can be found in the Executive Summary of the report at www.westmidlandsltp.gov.uk)

Feedback
The full report and feedback pages can be found at www.westmidlandsltp.gov.uk

The closing date for comments is 30 December 2006.

Alternatively you can write to the Transport Innovation Fund Team, Faber Maunsell, Beaufort House, 94-96 Newhall Street, Birmingham, B3 1PB or call the automated information line on 0121 262 6769.

The Government has announced that the West Midlands will be granted additional funding to continue exploring solutions to its growing congestion problem. An additional £600,000 has been confirmed this week from the Government’s Transport Innovation Fund, following an award of £2.6million to the seven West Midlands Metropolitan Authorities and the Passenger Transport Authority in November last year.

Part of this funding has so far paid for the new, independent research published in September as part of the Green Paper for discussion, ‘Gridlock or Growth’. 

Stella Manzie, Chair of the Transport Innovation Fund Steering Group, said:

"There are a lot of questions still to be answered before any decisions can be taken about how we tackle congestion in the West Midlands. This additional funding will help us answer some of these questions, and carry out further economic analysis. The new funding from the Department for Transport signals the credibility of what we are doing, and we will continue to work together to explore how local and national solutions to congestion might fit together.

The early work we have commissioned so far, published in the ‘Gridlock or Growth’ Green Paper, demonstrates congestion is already bad but will get markedly worse if we don’t start thinking now about long term solutions. Doing nothing is not an option if we are to avoid gridlock strangling the West Midlands’ future growth and damaging our quality of life."

This additional funding will now be used for further investigation and modelling work on the way that national and local solutions to congestion could fit together, and on timescales, investment and technologies.  

A postcard campaign calling on the Government to invest in the redevelopment of New Street Station has been launched. Postcards were distributed at key locations throughout Birmingham last week. Councillor Whitby, Leader of Birmingham City Council and Chairman of the New Street Steering Group said:  

“The time between now and Christmas is critical. We need to show the Government that there is strong support for these proposals, not just in Birmingham but throughout the West Midlands region. This will be crucial in driving the Gateway project through to the next stage of budget discussions.

This region deserves a world-class gateway which will drive regeneration and create new jobs – this is our best opportunity to gain Government support and we must grab it now! It may be years before the opportunity arises again.” 

New Street Station was originally opened in 1967 and is currently catering for 1350 trains and over 120,000 passengers per day. The public can also pledge their support at www.renewstreet.co.uk The Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry have also thrown their weight behind the campaign and called on their 3,500 members as well as businesses from across the region to write to the Secretary of State for Transport pressing him to provide the people of the West Midlands with a “a gateway of which they can be proud.”

A cross party partnership of Birmingham MPs has also been working to maximise support for the Gateway project. It is proposed that a delegation will deliver the postcards received to the Department for Transport in mid November.

A plan to give Coventry the most sophisticated traffic system in the UK has been announced.

The £6.6m urban traffic management scheme aims to reduce congestion on the roads and provide up-to-date real-time information on the roadside for drivers and public transport users. Bus stops on some major routes throughout the city will have real-time displays indicating the time before the next bus arrives and buses will be given priority.

Traffic engineers will be able to clear traffic jams by altering traffic light sequences from a central control room. Car parking availability will be displayed on signs on the ring road to let motorists know where they can leave their car.

The £6.6m cost of installing the scheme will be provided by West Midlands bus scheme Primelines and various government grants, and the city council will meet the annual running costs.