Birmingham hosts transport campaigners as part of Better Transport Week
Campaign for Better Transport will join Councillor Liz Clements from Birmingham City Council today for a ride on Birmingham’s Sprint route to mark Better Transport Week.
Paul Tuohy and Sarah Jarman from Campaign from Better Transport will join Councillor Clements and Kate Reynolds from National Express to view the city’s bus network and take a ride along one of the city’s Sprint priority bus corridors.
The visit to Birmingham marks Better Transport Week’s ‘Local Transport Day’ on Wednesday 14 June which aims to celebrate the transport we use every day.
Better Transport Week, which runs from 12 to 18 June, has been organised by leading transport charity Campaign for Better Transport to celebrate its 50th year of campaigning for sustainable transport. The week aims to promote the wide range of benefits of public transport, shared mobility, walking and cycling to the public and encourage more people to travel sustainably.
Paul Tuohy, CEO of Campaign for Better Transport, said: “Local transport is vital, so we’re really pleased to be here in Birmingham today as part of Better Transport Week to recognise the great work the council are doing to tackle congestion and air pollution and promote sustainable transport. The city has set itself an ambitious target to reduce overall car use and make the centre virtually car-free with more road space for sustainable modes instead. These plans will help make Birmingham a cleaner, healthier, more liveable city for its 1.1 million inhabitants, and that’s something definitely worth celebrating!”
Cllr Liz Clements, cabinet member for transport at Birmingham City Council, said: “We need to drastically reduce the amount of carbon emissions we produce and a fundamental part of achieving this is changing the way we move people and goods around the city.
“Public transport plays a vital role and we must re-allocate road space so that pedestrians, buses and bikes are prioritised and drastically reduce the number of journeys people make by car – we have been far too reliable on private cars for far too long.
“We need people to use sustainable modes of transport when travelling – public transport, walking and cycling. In short, we need far fewer cars on the road and schemes such as Sprint will help encourage people to leave their car at home.”
Kate Reynolds, UK Director of Corporate Affairs and Communications, at National Express, a Better Transport Week official partner, said: “Buses are the most used form of transport here in the West Midlands. Not only do our bus services play a key role in keeping residents and visitors connected to education, work and leisure opportunities, they are also critical to keeping our air clean by driving down harmful emissions.
“Working in partnership with Birmingham City Council, we are supporting people to consider using more sustainable forms of transport such as buses. Bus priority schemes such as the Sprint corridor help tackle congestion and improve bus journey times and reliability for our passengers.
“It’s worth remembering that one double decker bus can take up to 75 cars off the road. Getting more people to ditch their cars and switch to the bus is vital to tackling climate change and we’re proud to be leading the way with more and more sustainable transport choices for our new and existing customers.”
ENDS
Media are invited to interview and take photos at 14:00 on Wednesday 14 June 2023 outside Birmingham Council Offices, Council House, Victoria Square, Birmingham B1 1BB.
For further information please contact the press office on 07984 773 468 (calls only no texts) or communications@bettertransport.org.uk
Notes to Editors
- Better Transport Week runs from Monday 12 to Sunday 18 June and aims to promote public transport, shared mobility and active travel to mark the transport charity’s 50th year of campaigning. Wednesday 14 June is Local Transport Day, celebrating the transport we use day in day out. For more information visit the Better Transport Week webpage.
- Read the full list of Better Transport Week partners here.
- Campaign for Better Transport was founded as Transport 2000 on 6 February 1973. 2023 marks its 50th year of campaigning for all communities to have access to high quality, sustainable transport that meets their needs, improves quality of life and protects the environment. Campaign for Better Transport Charitable Trust is a registered charity (1101929) which operates in England and Wales.
