It’s almost has become like clockwork, and I mean it in the most unfortunate and tragic way — cyclists have been dying for far too long on Birmingham’s roads and streets. Over the last few years, we’ve reported multiple such instances and in response, cyclists, activists, and campaign groups coming together to fight for safety and call on the council for some action to keep themselves and their peers alive.
Last year in June, hundreds of people came together to protest the increasingly dangerous state of roads in Birmingham, with things coming to a head after seven hit-and-runs, with four cyclists, including a 12-year-old boy, “killed by motorists” in just over three weeks.
The protest was marked by emotionally charged people chanting “Shame on you” at drivers overtaking dangerously, speeding, changing lanes — all behaviour that lead to deaths on streets, Paul Manzotti from Better Streets for Birmingham told road.cc.
Now, after three cyclists were killed in collisions last month, taking the tally of people killed this year to 10 and those seriously injured in collisions to 23, Better Streets for Birmingham have written an open letter urging city and regional leaders to declare a state of emergency for road safety in Birmingham, with the group holding its eleventh demonstration to turn the tide on reckless driving tomorrow.
The group pointed out that despite the Council Leader committing to reduce speed limits on 40mph roads and above to 30mph and to triple the number of speed cameras, neither of these have been implemented yet.
Mat MacDonald, Chair of Better Streets for Birmingham said: “Momentum has tailed off quickly. Progress on rolling out average speed enforcement cameras has run aground, many roads are still above 30mph, and Neighbourhood Policing Team participation in Operation Triton has been inadequate.”
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The active travel and road safety campaigners had sent their first open letter in June last year, and they said that since the first letter, at least 23 people have been killed and 34 seriously injured on the city’s roads.
In their most recent letter, they have laid out 10 actions for the city and region’s leaders to tackle road safety, which besides declaring a state of emergency, include demands to immediately recruit the next Cycling and Walking Commissioner following Adam Tranter’s resignation in May, as well as suspending the licences of those arrested for dangerous driving offences to ensure that they do not endanger other road users whilst awaiting trial.
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The letter, shared with road.cc, reads: “When a child dies in such a way on our streets, we have failed as a society. And while we can never bring Mayar back, or fill the void that now sits at the heart of her traumatised family, we have a duty to learn from this failure and to ensure we do everything possible to prevent such a senseless loss.
“Road safety is a statutory duty and basic human need, not a nice-to-have. Safe travel and welcoming streets form the bedrock of any thriving area, and our region’s success depends on having them.
“The situation as it stands continues to be untenable. If we don’t take urgent and sustained action, more people will be killed and seriously injured.”
Last week, Better Streets for Birmingham held two demonstrations, including a cycling solidarity ride to remember people recently killed in Highgate and Edgbaston.
Four-year-old Mayar Yahia was killed on Sunday 14 April, in a collision walking back to her home in Highgate with her mother, who was seriously injured. A 50-year-old man was killed on Tuesday 9 July while cycling at the junction of Chad Road and August Road in Edgbaston, with the driver being later arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
> Campaigners call for an “end to road violence” after three cyclists, including a 12-year-old boy “killed by motorists” in three weeks in Birmingham
Babiker Yahia, father of Mayar who was tragically killed in Highgate this April, said: “We need immediate action to stop dangerous drivers and make safer roads. Last Saturday we gathered on upper Highgate Street where my daughter was hit by a dangerous driver and passed away, and we absolutely sent our voice to leaders and people in office, but we need more demonstrations, and leaders with love in justice and humanity.”
Ayesha Mahmood, Highgate resident, said: “We have lost one of our angels. She was a little angel and she didn’t deserve to die this way. The morning I found out, I remember us mothers crying all the way to school, and our children looking up at us and asking us what had happened. We were so upset we couldn’t get our words out. The school has supported us more than anyone else. But unfortunately where is everyone else? Where are our public services?”
Naomi Fisher, mum of 3, said: “As a parent myself, the joy of walking or cycling in this city is fading away, replaced by an everyday fear that when we say goodbye in the morning, one of us may not return safely.”
David Cox OBE, veteran active travel activist, said: “The city and region have had good strategies and plans on active travel for over 10 years. There has been some progress but implementation has been much too slow leaving us still without a safe network. Meanwhile road danger has been increasing with more traffic and too much careless, dangerous and reckless driving.”
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33 comments
I know there are people driving with over 12 points on their licence, but maybe it's time for points and a speed awareness course to be attended.
That much over the speed limit she should not be eligible for SAC. You can only avoid points by taking a course if you were within 10% +2mph of the enforcable limit. This will vary as different teams and cameras have different margins of error before starting prosecutions, but say she was caught with the maximum margin of error for prosecution at 10%+1mph as per current guidelines. You will receive an NIP for going over 34mph but you should only be eligible for a speed awareness course if caught going less than(34+3.4+2=) 39.4mph. SACs are a joke. The whole process needs to be standardised and margins of error reduced, then enforced properly.
A cycnic might agree and say the whole of Birmingham should be a state of emergency, not just the roads
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