Smart Network, Smarter Choices Update

Transcription

1 Smart Network, Smarter Choices Update Issue 6, November 2014 Overview Smart Network, Smarter Choices is a multi-million pound programme designed to help tackle congestion, reduce carbon emissions and kick start the regional economy. The project started in 2012 and involves implementing a wide range of sustainable travel (cycling, walking and public transport) schemes along ten key corridors in the West Midlands not only to benefit congestion, carbon emissions and the economy, but also change travel behaviour along some of the region s busiest routes. Each corridor will see a variety of measures and/or improvements to encourage people who live, work and visit the area to travel sustainably. New funding secured for Smart Network, Smarter Choices A 6 million package of transport schemes to boost economic growth and cut carbon in Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country has been given the green light. The money secured from the government s Local Sustainable Transport Fund will be used to continue the Smart Network, Smarter Choices project during 2015/16. A total of 2,959,000 was awarded to the Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Area, while 3,057,000 was handed to the Black Country LEP area. Funding will pay for a range of cycling, walking and other public transport initiatives designed to connect people to work, education, training and leisure. The money will be used by transport authority Centro and Birmingham, Solihull and the four Black Country councils to provide; Free travel passes and cycling support for jobseekers. New cycle storage facilities at railway stations. Personalised travel support for students, parents and staff at schools. Bespoke travel support for households and businesses. Free adult cycle training. Bus and HGV driver training focussed on vulnerable road users including cyclists. The initiatives will be delivered during and build on Centro s 50 million, three-year Smart Network, Smarter Choices project which runs until March The project involves the creation of new cycle routes, upgrades to traffic junctions and free travel advice for residents. In the Black Country the renewed schemes aim to produce more than 6,000 new cyclists, add an extra 5.5 million public transport trips each year and cut the number of kilometres driven by car by 22.9 million a year. While projects in Birmingham and Solihull target producing more than 6,000 new cyclists and cut the number of kilometres driven by car by nearly 20 million a year. 1.

2 Black Country State-of-the-art cycle storage facility opens in Stourbridge The latest in a new generation of state-of-the-art cycle storage facilities has been unveiled at a Black Country railway station. The Cycle Hub at Stourbridge Junction station is the result of a one-of-a-kind bespoke custom design by Centro and is the second in a series of Cycle Hubs to be installed at stations across the West Midlands. Conrad Jones, Centro s head of sustainability, Cllr Roger Horton, Centro s lead member for rail and Brenda Lawrence London Midland head of route for Snow Hill lines. The sleek, glass and steel structure provides weather-proof storage for up to 30 bicycles, is accessible 24 hours a day and features a swipe card activated door along with internal and external CCTV cameras to help keep bikes secure. The project has been part funded by 30,000 secured by local rail operator London Midland from the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) Cycle-Rail fund. Selly Oak Cycle Hub, opened in March by Baroness Kramer, was the first to be installed in the region, and work is already underway to install similar facilities at the Black Country s Rowley Regis and Birmingham s Longbridge stations. Centro is also working with Birmingham City Council to identify other possible venues in the city as part of the council s Cycle Revolution project. The design was created to to be low maintenance to allow it to be installed at various stations across the region where cycling is a popular mode of travel. The one-of-a-kind bespoke design was built in the Midlands by Stoke-on-Trent based construction firm Broxap Ltd and stands at three and a half metres tall with an iconic wave style roof. The Hub at Selly Oak station has already picked up two industry awards just months after opening to the public. Cyclists wishing to access the new Cycle Hub can register to become a Member for free at networkwestmidlands.com and each will be issued with a unique swipe card providing 24 hour access. Programme Update In Dudley construction of the pedestrian and cycle route through the Castle Hill development is ongoing and due for completion this autumn. In Sandwell work is continuing to improve cycle/footpaths with detailed design being carried out on Moor Street via Bromford Lane cycle route and. Work on this route is due to be completed in November. In Walsall five junction upgrades will be carried out the number 4 bus corridor to help improve journey times. In Wolverhampton work on the blue off road cycle route is complete while detailed design work for enhancements to the green and black routes has been finalised. More than 7200 people have taken part in cycling activities and more than 1000 people have taken part in walking activities. 2.

3 Birmingham and Solihull Folding bike rental scheme arrives at Moor Street Station The first of three state-of-the-art facilities which allow rail passengers and visitors to Birmingham city centre to hire folding bicycles has been unveiled to the public. Centro has teamed up with Birmingham City Council and local train operator London Midland to provide Brompton Dock facilities near each of the city centre s three railway stations. The docks will each house 20 of Brompton s iconic folding bikes, and the facility at Moor Street station became the first in the 140,000 project to officially open. The dock which is now open near Birmingham s Moor Street station. The scheme has been funded by 90,000 secured by London Midland through the Department for Transport s Cycle-Rail Fund with Birmingham City Council contributing the rest of the money. A dock will be installed along Colmore Row near Snow Hill station in the coming months with a further facility also set to arrive close to New Street station. Users register online and after selecting which the date, location and time they wish to hire a bike will be sent a unique PIN code direct to their mobile phone which allows them to access one of the British-built cycles. Bikes can be kept for as long as needed, with a daily charge applied to the account holder s credit or debit card. The scheme allows the bicycles to be returned to any of the docks around the country including cities like London, Bristol and Manchester. Rentals will cost 2.50 per day for people registered as frequent users and 5.00 for those signing up as occasional users. Programme Update Work along the A38 Bristol Road Corridor Section 1 are complete. Work has begun on the Northfield Local Centre and Acocks Green Local Centres. Off highway works on the Area Cycle Network are continuing. Improvements to access at Solihull railway station are ongoing with phase 1 and phase 2 complete and phase 3 scheduled for completion in October

4 Coventry Thousands join Coventry Sky Ride More than 8,000 cyclists took to the streets to tackle Coventry s Ring Road as part of the annual Sky Ride. The event gave riders the chance to ride 3.5 miles traffic free along some of the city s streets including the Ring Road and roads around the Council House. The annual Sky Ride starts in Coventry city centre. A host of other activities were staged during the ride including Ego Theatre s Synchronised cycling ballet, Circus Skills workshops, spin class sessions and face painting. Representatives from Centro and Coventry City Council were also on hand to offer residents the free cycle training and maintenance courses on offer as part of the joint Cycle Coventry project. The event was run in partnership with British Cycling, Sky and Cycle Coventry. Cllr Rachel Lancaster, Cabinet Member for Public Services said: What a fantastic day to get out and enjoy a cycle ride around our iconic ring road. To see thousands of other people doing the same was lovely and a splendid way to mark the road s anniversary. Programme Update The consultation period on Route 3 through the Sowe Valley has closed with no objections and will be created as a shared use cycle/footpath. Work is underway at the Antsey Road end of Route 3 near the hospital and a new toucan crossing and cycle path links into the hospital are under construction. Design proposals have been agreed for Henley Road and Henley Mill Lane footpath. 4.

5 Smarter Choices Heat turned up for school children in Dragon s Den style competition School children felt the heat when they took part in a Dragon s Den style challenge to devise a campaign to promote green travel to classmates. The 23 presenters from schools competing in the challenge held at Centro House. Pupils from schools across the region have been working with transport authority Centro and consultants Mott MacDonald. In the competition, known as the Student Travel Plan Company, saw the secondary school contestants lock horns in a bid to win the glass trophy recognising the most innovative campaign. Their creations were unveiled in front of a panel of expert judges including Pauline Reeves, the Department for Transport s deputy director for sustainable, accessible transport, Centro head of sustainability Conrad Jones and Mott MacDonald divisional director Liz King. Also on the panel were Kimberley-Jane, director of Kimberley-Jane Designs Ltd and Christine Herd, site strategy and transformation manager at Aero-Engine Controls. Students from the High Arcal School in Dudley, Barr s Hill in Coventry, Perry Beeches in Birmingham and Shireland Collegiate Academy in Smethwick were given 15 minutes to showcase their ideas at Centro s Birmingham headquarters. A total of 23 students attended the event with innovative ideas ranging from creating new websites and social media accounts and holding events held for the public to putting on a cycling themed fashion show. After tackling the Dragons, the team from Shireland Collegiate Academy were crowned winners after presenting a rap about the benefits of public transport, walking and cycling. While forming their presentations the students were visited by expert advisors from Centro to discuss the best ways to get their unique ideas across during their presentations. Businesses, schools and colleges named among the region s most cycling and walking friendly Businesses, schools and colleges across the West Midlands have been formally recognised as being among the region s most bicycle and walking friendly locations. Representatives from 30 venues attended the event to receive their awards. Top Cycling and Walking Location status has been awarded to employers and education establishments in recognition of their dedication to making it easier for staff or students to travel by foot or on two wheels. The award scheme, a partnership between Centro, bike experts BikeRight!, the Health Exchange and Birmingham City Council, has seen 30 venues handed the awards. Among the latest winners unveiled this week were high profile local employers like Severn Trent Water, Jaguar Land Rover, Warwick University, Sandwell Council and Birmingham University. 5.

6 The awards were presented at an event held Birmingham s Old Library in Digbeth after each organisation took part in Centro s Smart Network, Smarter Choices project or Birmingham City Council s Cycle Revolution scheme. Each business or education site was handed gold, silver or bronze status based on how easy it is to cycle or walk to and from the venue. All took part in detailed travel planning to help advise them on the transport options available for them including walking and cycling with most taking measures to further improve their facilities. Actions taken include the creation of new footpaths and the installation of new cycle storage facilities, showers and lockers. Series of workshops held for businesses Dozens of businesses have been taking part in a series of workshops highlighting ways to make it easier for their employees to travel to work. Centro has been holding the free events at its Birmingham headquarters as part of a package of measures to help make it easier for residents to access employment. Businesses from across the region have been taking part in workshops to help support their staff in travelling to work. Each event covers a different topic and features expert guest speakers and chances to share experiences and quiz transport bosses on modes of travel available to their sites. Sessions have focussed on working methods and travel options such as video conferencing, car sharing and public transport. Businesses from across the region have been attending the workshops including household names like Npower. Since launching Smart Network, Smarter Choices thousands of the region s employees have benefitted from the scheme. More than 10,000 West Midlands jobseekers given free travel support More than 10,000 of the region s job seekers have been given free travel to help them get back into work. Lateef Huthman from WorkWise, Mary Wilson Jobcentre Plus advisor, Julie Barr Jobcentre manager, Zanny Lomas senior partner at the Department for Work and Pensions. Centro s award-winning WorkWise project, which provides free tickets for unemployed people travelling to interviews or starting new jobs, passed the landmark this autumn. The project which first launched in 2004 was expanded in 2012 following a funding boost from the Smart Network, Smarter Choices scheme. Centro has been working with JobCentrePlus to deliver the project to job seekers in Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton. Since then 10,425 people visiting the region s job centres have been helped by the scheme. 6.

7 WorkWise is available for job seekers living within the West Midlands metropolitan area. The scheme provides free journey planning as well as day tickets for unemployed people travelling to interviews and up to eight weeks travel for those starting new jobs. Since launching, WorkWise has gained national recognition after picking up the transport award in the 2007 Guardian Public service Awards. The following year, the scheme helped Centro scoop the prize for Accessibility in the National Transport Awards which are regarded as the transport industry s Oscars. More Information If you require any further information regarding this update or relating to any other aspect of the Smart Network, Smarter Choices programme, please contact: Richard Lawrence, Programme Executive richardlawrence@centro.org.uk

8 SEP