Perry Barr flyover demolition 'will cause chaos'
Plans to demolish the A34 flyover have been confirmed by the city council.
The project will see the complete removal of the flyover, in favour of putting all traffic onto a dual carriageway at ground level, adding a cycle path and "improved public transport services".
Residents have been objecting to the plans for months, with 15,000 signatures gathered across several petitions.
A public consultation into the proposals, conducted by the council, also saw a huge 81 per cent of respondents voice their opposition, while letters of concern have also been received from both Sandwell and Walsall councils.
The Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street called the decision "bizzarre".
Despite the objecitons, Birmingham City Council's cabinet have given the go-ahead for the scheme, despite calls from opposition councillors to conduct further studies into its potential impact on both the local area and wider city.
Speaking at the meeting, leader of Birmingham council Ian Ward did accept that the council had not done enough to reassure residents that the proposals were what was best for the area.
But he pointed to improvements in the public transport offering in the region, as well as a reduction in congestion and pollution, as the main reasons why the plans should go ahead.
“First of all, what I would like to say is that there’s been a lot of opposition to the proposals. And what I would readily accept is that we have not communicated the need for, or benefits of, this scheme, and I very much regret that we’ve not been better at achieving that in cabinet.
“So what are the benefits of this? Well I’d just refer you to the comments of Laura Shoaf (head of Transport for West Midlands) that, ‘with the investment that’s going on around the A34, I would argue that Perry Barr could be the best connected suburb in Birmingham’.
“We have to move toward sustainable public transport in the future, and the reliance on private cars is simply not sustainable.