“Downgraded volunteer” cycling and walking commissioner role offering £10k a year doesn’t reflect the “scale and urgency” of “road safety emergency” in West Midlands, say campaigners

With the “road safety emergency” in West Midlands approaching its 100th day, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is finally looking to appoint a new Active Travel Commissioner, almost six months after Adam Tranter stepped down.

However, campaigners have expressed “regret” over how the position, now a voluntary role, has been “downgraded” — from three days per week to just one, and £85,000 pro-rata to now offering £10,000 a year — amidst concerns that the low-paid and voluntary nature is going to exclude eligible and qualified candidates and “be devastating” for road safety and active travel in the region.

Road safety campaign group Better Streets for Birmingham said that the news about the new role, first speculated by road.cc just days ago after spotting a job ad which at the time offered just £5,000 in pay, was a “significant and disappointing downgrade to the previous cycling and walking commissioner position”, and the new “reduced responsibilities” commissioner will be appointed at a time when active travel projects are running five years late.

Besides, the appointee will also “need to fiercely protect future funding, which could be at risk without strong leadership”, the campaign noted.

West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker, who assumed office in May after defeating Conservative incumbent Andy Street, announced the advert for the Active Travel Commissioner role last evening, writing: “There is a road safety emergency in our region. As Mayor, I’m committed to tackling this issue.

“Tomorrow, I am launching the recruitment of two roles to join my Transport Taskforce to improve safety for road users, foster a culture of active travel, and reduce car dependency.”

> Is cycling and walking being shafted in the West Midlands? Mayor distances himself from "downgraded" voluntary road safety job ad that has since disappeared

The second role is the West Midlands Road Safety Commissioner, with responsibilities inclined more towards ensuring and promoting overall safer roads than focusing on active travel, but on the same voluntary one-day-a-week basis with a £10k annual compensation.

Commenting on this new role, Better Streets for Birmingham said that “the scale and complexity of this challenge is vast for a part-time volunteer”.

Martin Price, Policy lead at Better Streets for Birmingham, said: “We regret the outcome of the Mayor’s six-month reshaping of these roles.

“Our region is at a critical point — the number of pedestrians being killed on our roads has increased in the last year and delivery of life saving infrastructure is snail paced at best.

“In this context, many residents will be rightly disappointed that while London can pay £110,000 a year for their active travel commissioner, the West Midlands could only find £20,000 for two roles instrumental to their family’s safety.

“It’s difficult to see how these national anomalies can fulfil their responsibilities and continue to drive the regional change required.  These roles do not reflect the scale or urgency of the challenge.”

"This will cost lives": Safety fears as key active travel role axed on same day cycling and walking commissioner resigns

road.cc reported about the new role on Saturday after a job posting appeared for the region’s road safety commissioner offering less than £5,000 annual salary under a “voluntary” contract.

Richard Parker, the West Midlands mayor, distanced himself from the advert, posted on the Combined Authority’s website on Friday morning, saying it was launched without his sign-off. The advert was soon altered and marked as a test, not open for applications.

A38 cycle lane, Birmingham (Birmingham Cycle Revolution)

However, with the latest job posting, this time approved by Parker and the rest of WMCA, it all but confirms the fears of active travel “getting shafted” in the region conveyed in our initial report.

> 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

The job responsibilities for this role include “championing walking/wheeling and cycling, particularly for our racialised communities, those experiencing deprivation and considering gender inequalities” as well as “understanding of the needs of disabled people, promoting the need for safety, reducing barriers to access cycling as a mobility aid, and enabling those facing mobility challenges to engage more with active travel.”

The new commissioner will also be tasked with advocating active travel modes and ensuring the connection of towns and cities in West Midlands via safer ways of walking and cycling, integrated with public transport.

The job posting states: “It is expected that you can provide the equivalent of one day a week, in-person either at our office on Summer Lane in Birmingham or at other locations as required. This is a voluntary role which attracts an honorarium payment of £10,000 per annum.”

> Adam Tranter steps down from the position of Cycling and Walking Commissioner for West Midlands, citing post-election administration’s own “active travel plans”

That’s in sharp contrast to the former Active Travel Commissioner role, in which Adam Tranter was paid £85,000 pro-rata. Councillor and active travel advocate Liz Clements, who held the now dissolved transport and highways brief in the Birmingham City Council cabinet, said: “As WM Walking and Cycling Commissioner Adam unblocked barriers to active travel schemes by engaging with officers, exec/scrutiny members and campaigners.

“Adam brought a wealth of experience and amazing contacts to Commissioner role. He was able to make connections and signpost to best practice countrywide/internationally. He was generous with his time and collegial. A hard act to follow!

“Adam worked as the Walking and Cycling Commissioner three days a week, and I'm pretty sure he ended up doing much more than that (which is usually what happens with part-time roles). Reducing the time commitment by two-thirds will make it difficult to have an impact in my view.”

Adam Tranter expressed concerns about excluding eligible and qualified candidates due to low-paid voluntary role

Tranter, who stepped down from the role after three years in May saying the role had been a “privilege” but he would “step aside for the new administration to be able to develop their own active travel plans”, last month warned a low-paid or voluntary position would exclude candidates who cannot subsidise their own time.

He said: “If you want to find a way to really make sure that your candidate represents the true diversity of the West Midlands and get more women in transport, which I think would be brilliant, it's very unlikely you’ll be able to do that if you're not paying any money. It’s probably not moral to do it either, unfortunately.”

He went on to underline the importance of the post being long-term and with sufficient hours, saying: “A lot of the best success I think we had was with politicians that I had spent time building a relationship with; they would hear me out.”

“It sort of relied on me being there all the time and shaking my head when people said ‘could we cut it’, and fighting for that budget because of course there are lots of pressures in overrunning transport schemes.”