Between 22 January 2024 and 1 March 2024, feedback was sought on how individuals, businesses and organisations wanted to see routes improved to help increase walking, wheeling and cycling across the area. The consultation received 251 responses to the online survey and a number of in-person sessions were held across the area. Further information was circulated informing residents and businesses/organisations about the consultation, such as:

• Printed leaflets
• Paper copies of the questionnaire
• Existing stakeholder/community contacts and networks 

Feedback was received for all of the proposed corridors (see Scheme Map below). Corridor A was scored as the highest priority although feedback was received for all options in relation to existing levels of traffic, parking, road safety and crossing points. Some positive feedback was received but further details were requested on specific details around the design of proposals.  Other factors affecting respondents’ attitudes towards active travel revolved around the condition of the local area including pollution, crime, parked vehicles and a lack of green space. Existing congestion, parking and road safety issues were also raised alongside issues with crossing roads, accessibility and a lack of confidence/education for walkers/cyclists. In general, there was clear support for: 

• Improving the surroundings and quality of the streetscape
• Improving road safety within the study area
• Improving footways, crossing points and footpaths

Concern was raised about the impacts of the proposals on car drivers and parking with concerns raised over the lack of available parking, poor alternative public transport and the prevalence of the car as the preferred mode of travel. Several respondents questioned the usefulness of the proposals with regard to existing provision such as that on Bolton Road.  

Over the coming months, we will take the findings of the consultation into consideration, directly influencing the vision of the scheme and design of the shortlisted packages.  We will also work closely with the Councillors for the Bordesley Green ward and the Cabinet Member for Transport, to facilitate further discussions with residents and other stakeholders when deciding which scheme designs to take forward to the next stage of development.  There is a need for further engagement with residents, businesses, and other groups to refine these proposals.  

Your views on the Creating an Active Birmingham Strategy 2024-2034

1. The Strategy should be clearer with accessible and simple English.
2. Inclusivity and accessibility were important to you. You said that strategy should consider the diverse needs of residents of Birmingham, ensuring accessibility for all ages and abilities with a key focus on disadvantaged groups who are the least active in Birmingham. Some of those groups are those living in disadvantaged areas, older adults, individuals with disabilities (learning, sensory and physical) and South Asians, especially women.
3. You expressed concerns about practical access to physical activity, including timing and location. Working-age individuals feel disadvantaged due to conflicting activity hours, and poor public transport limits accessibility.
4. Being physical active should be affordable. You suggested making physical activities more financially accessible.
5. It is important to have adequate infrastructure, including safer roads, cycle paths, green spaces, and overall city safety. You emphasised the need for safe and well-maintained leisure centres and indoor spaces.
6. It is key to have a holistic, whole-system approach to ensure Birmingham becomes an active city. Collaboration with partners is crucial, but you emphasised involving and empowering grassroot and community-led organisations, leveraging existing relationships to bridge the inactivity gap.
7. You have concerns about the Council's ability to deliver the ambitious strategy due to financial challenges. You worry whether the Council will have the necessary resources to support and implement the Creating an Active Birmingham Strategy.
8. You mentioned you want to be involved in designing services for you.

1. We have reviewed the strategy and ensured the language used is accessible. We have gone beyond and reviewed our use of language across our physical activity work. We have recently changed the name of our physical activity forum from ‘Creating an Active City Forum’ to just ‘Active City Forum.’ This way it is streamlined and clear. We intend to use clear and accessible English in all aspects of our work. We have clarified our targets to make it easier to measure the impact of the strategy.
2. This is an important point which also came through when we spoke to organisations who work with the most deprived communities. We, therefore, from the beginning of the strategy, changed the way we talked about opportunities and reinforced that we intend on ensuring opportunities are equitable and accessible and takes cultural needs into consideration. We changed our language to explicitly mention that we will use data and evidence to identify areas of needs where we will focus.
3. As part of our Wellbeing Service in making physical activity accessible and affordable, we will continue to improve our BeActive offer based on evidence available.
4. Recognising affordability as a barrier to being physically active, we ensured our Vision and Priorities considered this. Our focus is to make being physically active an easy choice. Hence why, we will continue to review and evaluate our programme and services to ensure they are relevant, equitable, accessible and affordable.
5. This has come out really clear in the consultation. Therefore, for ‘Active  Environments’ priority, we have highlighted our existing action of working to ensure there are local, safe, affordable and attractive spaces to be physically active in.
6. We have revised how we will deliver our ‘Active Systems’ priority by making it clear that the partners we intend to engage are not just traditional partners we have worked with. We will work with grassroot and community-led organisations. We have already started this through the Seldom Heard Voices project, and we are ensuring that the Active City Forum has those representations.
7. The Creating an Active Birmingham strategy is a co-produced strategy and is owned by the city rather than just the Council. We will harness existing relationships to ensure the strategy is delivered.
8. We created a Citizens Panel with 127 members from the community who we will consult regularly to obtain views and suggestions when designing programmes of work.