Skip to main content

Birmingham mobility action plan unveiled

Birmingham City Council has unveiled its Birmingham Mobility Action Plan (BMAP), a twenty-five year vision for improving transport in the congested UK city, which planners estimate will have an extra 80,000 cars on its road by 2031, bringing the network to a grinding halt.
November 7, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Birmingham City Council has unveiled its Birmingham Mobility Action Plan (BMAP), a twenty-five year vision for improving transport in the congested UK city, which planners estimate will have an extra 80,000 cars on its road by 2031, bringing the network to a grinding halt.

Presenting a draft version of the BMAP consultation document, Birmingham City Council leader Sir Albert Bore outlined the plan which includes a 200-mile network of eleven Sprint rapid-transit lines, a hybrid between a bus and tram service, as the centrepiece. BMAP also includes a new London tube-style map to help visitors and commuters around the network of buses, trams and trains to give Birmingham a genuine integrated transport network. A more integrated Oyster Card style fare system will also simplify payment for public transport in future.

He said: “This is a transport plan, not for tomorrow but for over the next 25 years. We need an integrated transport system in Birmingham which we all need to agree on. This is why we are putting out this consultation document. Once this plan is agreed across the businesses and residents of Birmingham then we need to put in place funding programmes that will allow us to implement the plan over the coming years.

“This is precisely what countries such as France and Germany have done over the last 20 years, and which is why their transport infrastructure is so much better than ours. We need to do better in Birmingham and this plan will allow us to deliver a transport system comparable to other cities in Europe.”

Related Content

  • Improved productivity and advanced technology benefits ITS
    December 13, 2012
    John Horsley will hang up his hat as executive director of AASHTO in February 2013. After 14 years at the helm, he will bow out convinced of the current and future benefits of ITS for US transportation. Alot of exciting career opportunities still await young engineers in US transportation, says John Horsley, outgoing executive director of AASHTO – the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials. Horsley will be dedicating more of his time to matters of ITS after he stands down in Februa
  • EU strategic implementation plan to invest in smart cities
    October 25, 2013
    The European Commission (EU) is expected to invest around US$276 million to create smart cities in the next two years. The High Level Group of the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) for Smart Cities and Communities has agreed the Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP) which will serve as the basis for speeding up the deployment of Smart City solutions in Europe. The SIP is drafted by and based on a thorough consultation of representatives from industry, cities, civil society and research including UITP.
  • MaaS will be adopted quicker in Europe than in the US: here’s why
    December 5, 2018
    A new report suggests that MaaS will be implemented more quickly in Europe than in the US – but why should this be? Ben Spencer examines the arguments
  • Greek chorus welcomes contactless payment on Athens metro
    January 22, 2025
    Buses, trolleybuses, metro and trams join airport express in Tap2ride programme