There is a big jump between London and the rest of the United Kingdom – and indicates the West Midlands has some way to go
There is a big jump between London and the rest of the United Kingdom – and indicates the West Midlands has some way to go.(Image: Graham Young / BirminghamLive)
The best areas for cycling in the West Midlands have been revealed – with one area beating Birmingham to top spot.
The latest City Ratings, a data analysis tool ranking global cities and towns for how amenable they are to cycling, has been released – with thousands of locations across the globe analysed.
It ranks aras for the quality and connectivity if the local bike network, including the efficacy of protected bike lanes, low-speed limits, and safe crossings. All ratings are out of 100.
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The data reveals there is a big jump between London and the rest of the United Kingdom – and indicates the West Midlands has some way to go.
Warwick has come out on top of the rankings in the West Midlands, with a rating of 61.
This is followed by Birmingham (54) and Sandwell (54), the latter which is an improvement up from 50 last year.
The West Midlands as a whole trails London and sits in joint last place of the regions rated, alongside Greater Manchester.
The West Midlands’ the three worst performing locations are Solihull (41), Dudley (44) and Walsall (46). Both Dudley and Walsall have seen marginal improvements, both of which scored 42 last year.
The region as a whole saw investment under the previous Mayor, Sir Andy Street – and has recently secured £21 million in new government funding secured through the Active Travel Fund.
Richard Parker, the current mayor, has appointed both a Road Safety Commissioner and an Active Travel Commissioner – tasked with reducing road deaths and making cycling, walking and wheeling more attractive options.
Cllr Majid Mahmood, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, Birmingham City Council, said: “This is good news but there is more to do. The Birmingham Transport Plan’s ambition is to make cycling a regular mode of travel, which is why we are creating more cycle lanes, making our roads safer with lower speed limits and equipping young people with cycling skills through Bikeability training.”
Martin Price, Co-Chair of campaign group Better Streets for Birmingham, said: “It is encouraging to see that investment in Sandwell and Walsall is starting to bear fruit, however the overall picture shows that the region’s capacity to deliver does not yet match its ambitious plans, leaving so much more to do.”
“While we can be optimistic about the amount of funding now allocated for wheeling and cycling, this takes too long to materialise in a network of safe, direct and well-lit routes that will begin to truly address our declared road safety emergency.”