Can Birmingham turn around its dwindling cycling numbers?

By why must anyone cycle or why should Birmingham bother at all?

Cycling is enjoying a mini revival but, like windfarms, the novelty will wear off.

How do I know that? Cycling is a very limited and uncomfortable mode of transport that requires hard work. 99% of people clearly know that so that's why they don't bother. If cycling was a good viable transport mode, because it's so cheap, we would all be doing it most of the time.

Fact is that only a very few cycling fans will still be doing it in old age or, come to that, much earlier after having a family and home to run and hours of overtime to pay for that. For nearly all of us it is very temporary and it's simply enjoying a fad craze right now. It won't last. Why on earth should people go backwards to the 50s?

It's really like joggers. Only a tiny minority want to put themselves through discomfort like that but expecting everyone to see it as a must do, is unrealistic.

Maybe we will see cycling falling off in other towns and cities in due course too.

I used to live in Birmingham, and actually it was pretty ok - apart from the city centre. I used to commute from Handsworth Wood to Castle Bromwich, and smile at the cars stationary on the M6.

It's not just about the supply-side (the infrastructure). It's also about demand - who wants to, or might want to, cycle. Birmingham has a high and growing share of ethnically South Asian residents. Is cycling something many of them aspire to doing more of?

My years cycling among the diversity of inner London suggest cycling is a overwhelmingly white activity, with a little Afro-Caribbean and East Asian. But not South.

I lived in Birmingham before moving to the Isle of Man. The canal was OK if it wasn't wet as it would soon fill your drive chain with a nice grinding paste. You needed your wits about you on the Bristol Road and Pershore Road and I was t-boned by cars twice and had no end of confrontations with bus drivers.
There was cycling allowance on a broad footpath on the Bristol Road but it was an unswept puncture paradise and you were fair game for drivers reversing out of their drives.

My 10 miles to work now is a dream in comparison.

It may be the same everywhere else, but around B'ham aggressive & abusive driving is commonplace, with the 'punishment pass' being a bit of fun to have with the 'illegal immigrants of the road'. Certainly my best mate shares this view when he visits from Notts. I do my best to get the hell away from the city (actually relatively quiet suburb) out to N Warks or Staffs

I grew up in Sutton Coldfield, about 9 miles to the north east of Brum, and I've always thought the city centre was amazingly accessible by bike.

I'd always cycle by a completely different route than I would drive my car though. Depending on where my destination was I've never had a problem picking out a route through quiet residential streets that by-passed the main roads almost entirely.

The canal system is good for cycling too although only really suitable for an MTB. I might have to go a couple of miles out of my way to get onto the Birmingham & Fazely Canal but then I'm straight into the very centre of Birmingham. Once there there's a canal route outwards in virtually every direction.

I'd agree that cycling on the main routes in the centre of Birmingham would be an absolute nightmare though. The road network was clearly designed with a philosophy of "four wheels good, two wheels bad" back in the 60's. From a motoring perspective however, for a city the size of Birmingham, those roundabouts, tunnels and dual-carriageways, do keep the traffic moving surprisingly well. There are usually better alternatives for cyclists.

Maybe but Brum as you may know suffered the worse from the 60's desire to copy the Americans. Someone mentioned the Paradise circus Island and that was typical and now is being remodelled but I have no faith proper cycling provision will be added.

"Of course the problem was that Brum was configured for cars in the 60's and that image and attitude still prevails even now."

You can replace Brum with "the UK" in that sentence, sadly.

Never had a real problem riding in and around the City Centre. The A34 for example from there to Walsall is generally a nice ride and fairly free flowing (even some bus lanes).

Of course the problem was that Brum was configured for cars in the 60's and that image and attitude still prevails even now.

I really struggle to think of a Less cycling friendly place than
Birmingham City centre and its mix of poor aggressive driving, tunnels and lots of concrete.
I live south of Birmingham and have never once contemplated riding there, if I did the canal would be the only route I would entertain.

I ride in to and out of Birmingham for my daily commute. Its not a cycling city.

Their are loads of big roundabouts to navigate in side the city centre to navigate on a bike is scary. Think about the one to get onto broad street near the library and the one to get off broad street at Cinema. Only confident experienced cyclist will attempt.

The smaller roads are just as bad as they are two narrow to put two cars plus a bike to allow free flowing traffic.

Its not going to happen.

No amount of cycling infrastructure will alone make the difference. Studies show people fear cycling as a result of driving behaviour. You can spend all the money you like but until we eradicate the last aggressive drivers from our public roads we'll never achieve this dream of a cycling utopia.