Results tagged “Centro” from Birmingham Mail - Lighter Footprints
The most pressing action this week, to help south Birmingham residents to achieve "lighter footprints", is to send a letter to Centro about providing railway stations at Balsall Heath, Moseley, Kings Heath and Stirchley along the existing 'Camp Hill line', which need to be connected to Moor Street station using a new curve. I wrote about this in early August and, just in case you thought "Yes, I should write a letter", and have not written one yet, this is a timely reminder.
The Centro draft 'Rail Development Plan' is open to public consultation until 11th September 2009 - so please act by next Friday.
More details of how to ask for the project to be brought forward as soon as possible are on the Friends of the Earth's website.
Please check this out today and pass this message on to as many people as you can.
Friends of the Earth issued a press release today and I hope that you will read the story in newspapers soon. Just in case the full text is not published, it was as follows:
Huge Backing for Local Stations
Campaigners asking for the re-opening of local stations In South Birmingham say that the number of letters going to public transport planning body Centro will provide incontrovertible proof of the demand for local rail services.
Birmingham Friends of the Earth, Moseley Forum and Kings Heath Business leaders have all teamed up to ensure local people's voices are heard in the consultation currently under way. People have until 11th September to let Centro know what should be prioritised in its planning for funding rail projects.
So far, 850 individual letters have been collected by Birmingham Friends of the Earth, to pass on to Centro, and many more are expected before the deadline next week.
According to Joe Peacock of Birmingham Friends of the Earth "This level of support is not surprising as there are about 30 000 people living within 10 minutes walk of the planned stations in Balsall Heath, Moseley, Kings Heath and Stirchley. These suburbs were designed with train stations as the main gateways in and out for travellers. I would encourage any of those people whose transport needs are not being met at present to let Centro know. We can't afford to wait another 10 years for stations to be in place as we need to be tackling transport inefficiency now".
The West Midlands draft "Rail Development Plan" includes a passenger service along the existing 'Camp Hill line' calling at these stations and using a new curve, to be built to connect the line into Moor Street station. However, this could be moved down the priority list if people do not express how important it is. A model of how to do this is available at www.birminghamfoe.org.uk.
Esther Boyd from Moseley Forum added "Moseley residents are keen to make more use of convenient public transport and providing a new station in Moseley will remove a very significant number of cars from the road. I'm already a frequent rail user and this link will speed up journey time, as well as being a more pleasant start and end to inter-city and cross-country rail journeys."
Jon Jaffa from Kings Heath Centre Partnership said "Kings Heath businesses and residents alike see the logic of re-opening the rail link as irrefutable in terms of a cohesive transport strategy. It would at once relieve the congestion on the busiest bus route in Europe and reduce the carbon footprint of Birmingham as a whole. We are firmly behind it".
With all the pressure being put on rail providers and politicians, local people are hoping they will soon be celebrating a new chapter for rail in Birmingham.
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Esther Boyd - Esther Boyd is a qualified architect who is dedicated to making Moseley environmentally friendly. She is secretary of local green group SusMo.
