New road changes as redevelopment continues.
A new set of road and pedestrian changes is due to come into operation in Birmingham city centre to support the continuing £500 million Paradise redevelopment.
Birmingham City Council is advising motorists to expect some delays and to plan their journeys carefully.
A schedule of road changes in and around Paradise Circus has been in operation since early January to support the first phase of the Paradise programme which involves the demolition of existing buildings.
Phase Two of the infrastructure works is due to start on May 10th and last until November. Throughout this period, there will be access changes affecting the Paradise Circus gyratory, Sand Pits/Parade, Broad Street and Summer Row. New diversionary routes for road traffic will be signed and in place.
These changes mean that there will no longer be a circular road system around Paradise.
Bus services 82, 83, 87, 89, 10H and 126 will be subject to diversionary routes. Pedestrians and cyclists will still be able to travel through Paradise although the route through Paradise Forum will change this summer.
Businesses and venues on Summer Row will remain open and the A38 tunnels will operate as normal.
Birmingham City Council’s advice to the travelling public is to use public transport, walk or cycle whenever possible. The city centre is well served by rail, bus and metro services. More information is available at www.networkwestmidlands.com
If you have to travel by car, consider alternative routes and times for your journey or whether car sharing is a viable option. If you have to drive into the Paradise Circus area, allow more time for your journey,
Kevin Hicks, Birmingham City Council traffic manager, said: “All the available options to deliver the Paradise redevelopment have been examined and the impact it will have on the life of the city. The works programme has been developed to keep disruption to a minimum. However the scale of these activities means that impact on traffic flows, particularly at peak times, is inevitable. We would urge everyone to plan their journeys carefully and where possible use public transport as an alternative to travelling in to the city centre by car.”
The development at Paradise supports the council’s Birmingham Connected transport vision for the city which proposes to invest more than £1bn to create an integrated public transport system to support the growth of the city’s economy and population. The development will facilitate the delivery of further tram extensions to Centenary Square, improved bus access and better pedestrian and cycling routes within and around Paradise. More information is available at www.birmingham.gov.uk/connected
Nothing could be further from ‘integrated’ about the public transport system being brought about by the removal of numerous bus services from the core of the city centre to facilitate one Metro line. We will soon have a rebuilt rail station/shopping centre with no bus stops anywhere near most of its entrances/exits! The £100m plus being spent on the least used form of public transport to the considerable detriment of the most used is possibly the greatest squandering of public monies in this city’s history and all of those responsible for it should be utterly ashamed of themselves.