After pedestrian deaths and assaults on traffic wardens, a city designed for motorists is fighting for change
    • JoBo@feddit.uk
      2·
      9 months ago

      Hate the firms that base themselves in the most expensive places possible because they (and the bosses) can rake in the capital gains from property. And the governments which fail to provide usable public transport. Not the poor sods who are not paid enough to live where they work and have to waste hours a day driving a car they would rather not need.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldBEnglish
    10·
    9 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    Over the summer six cyclists and pedestrians were killed in Birmingham by drivers in separate incidents, including a police officer walking to work and a 12-year-old boy riding his bike near home.

    Earlier this month, two traffic wardens were physically attacked as they worked, while West Midlands police now have a dedicated team to clamp down on street racing on the city’s roads at night.

    It was as a result of Better Streets’ campaigning earlier in the year that West Midlands police launched Operation Triton, a dedicated team of officers to deal with dangerous driving offences, including reviewing the huge amount of footage submitted by members of the public.

    She said her family often got stuck at home when people parked their cars at the bottom of their driveway, forcing them to hunt around businesses nearby to locate the driver and get them to move.

    Liz Clements, Birmingham city council’s cabinet member for transport, said it was common for traffic wardens and highways workers to face abuse at work, with some being shot with pellet guns in one incident over the summer.

    But after Birmingham city council was forced to issue a section 114 notice last month, effectively declaring itself bankrupt, there are concerns road safety schemes could be in jeopardy, or take longer to implement.

    The original article contains 1,147 words, the summary contains 216 words. Saved 81%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

  • brewery@feddit.uk
    5·
    9 months ago

    I used to live in Birmingham and 100% agree with this sentiment. I’d regularly see cars speeding, parking ridiculously and several road rage incidents. However, I felt I had to have a car because public transport for getting around and not just to / from the city centre was terrible. I lived in a suburb with friends in neighbouring suburbs. To drive would be 20 minutes but to get public transport would be over an hour.

    I’d love to have cycled but outside the city centre it was horrible and dangerous. There are miles of canals that would be perfect but around where I lived they were poorly maintained and used by people to take drugs. Its not nice having to cycle over broken needles…

    I really hope the council would change this but it’s pretty unlikely now they’re bankrupt!