The following candidates are standing in Ladywood:

A Birmingham wide response has been received from the Conservative Party, the Green Party and the Labour Party.

Albert Bore (Labour Party) has given us this response:

1. Birmingham Connected was endorsed by Cabinet on 17th November 2014 and sets out the Council’s long term vision for improving the city’s transport network over the twenty years and beyond. This is an essential element of supporting the city’s growth and development aspirations as set out in the Birmingham Development Plan. An enhanced public transport network and a shift towards more active travel is central to this. Many car journeys in the city are very short, just one or two miles and to accommodate the growth in people and economic activity the city must manage overall levels of travel, particularly by private car trips. An improved transport network is important to create an equitable, sustainable and healthy city where people have good access to employment, education and key facilities and also a city where transport does not impact on people’s health and instead higher levels of walking and cycling support a healthier population.
2. Over the last few years Birmingham has been successful in securing unprecedented levels of funding to start delivering a step change in investment in cycling infrastructure and supporting measures. This has been from a mixture of national and local funding and totals an investment in the region of £60 million through to 2019. Beyond 2019 the availability of funding is not clear as there has not been a commitment from Government as to future levels of funding for cycling. The Council has committed in Birmingham Connected to continue to explore how to sustain a level of £10 per person per annum in cycling.
3. There is not a blanket policy for pedestrian and cyclist crossing phase call times. In some locations it may be appropriate to have a 10 second or less call time. However, this will usually be determined on a location by location basis and will take account a number of factors including but not necessarily limited to traffic flow, traffic speeds and pedestrian flows.
4. Following a City Council motion in November 2012 calling for the implementation of 20 mph zones and limits, Cabinet approved a policy for 20mph limits in residential areas and other appropriate locations on 17th March 2014. The implementation of 20 mph limits are a key element of the Council’s approach to improving road safety and encouraging higher levels of walking and cycling. The Department for Transport states that there is clear evidence that reducing traffic speeds reduces collisions and casualties.  Collisions are less frequent at lower speeds; and where collisions do occur the risk of fatal injury is also reduced. Following a citywide consultation on the principles of introducing 20 mph limits across the city, three pilot areas were identified and developed. These comprise the entire city centre within the A4540, plus areas to the east and south of the city centre. These are due to be implemented during 2015 with a view to reporting on the impact of the pilot areas in 2016-17. The results of the pilot areas will be used to develop further proposals.
5. Rat running can take place for a range of reasons; avoiding traffic queues, red lights, cutting journey times and so on. Where rat running is identified as a contributory factor to certain problems  e.g. road safety evidenced through recorded injury accidents, the Council can look to employ a range of measures including traffic calming, lower speed limits such as 20 mph limits and in some cases the closure of some streets as through routes for general traffic. Clearly access for emergency services and maintaining good permeability for walking and cycling is a key consideration in the development of any interventions. Measures introduced need to demonstrate value for money.
6. The Council continues to look for opportunities to deliver smaller local schemes to complement the investment through larger programmes such as the Birmingham Cycle Revolution. This includes the Walking Cities bids and DIY Streets work undertaken in Kings Heath. Wards do have discretionary budgets for use on local transport priorities and these can be used to support improved walking and cycling access.