> Birmingham is a motor city. You don't get a bus,
I work in Birmingham at the moment, and have previously, and commute 40 odd miles in each day. There is a mainline train from near my house to the centre of Birmingham which takes around 1 hour. I took it when I worked in the centre. Now I work right on the edge of Birmingham, just off the motorway that surrounds it. I can drive there in about 1hr 20min (depending on the appalling traffic and constant roadworks, it should be a 45min trip). From the motorway I have to drive round 5 miles of lethal back roads to get to my office which is less than a half-mile as-the-crow flies from the motorway junction. Even thought it is on an industrial estate the roads suck! I would love to get the train, but I would be left with a hour or so of extra journey time on those disgusting busses, so doubling my commute time. Birmingham had a motorway infrastructure that was amazing for 1955. Now it is a car park at peak times.
> People do like their cars in Birmingham, for religious reasons a lot of young men don't drink. This leads to a lot of them taking a lot of pride in their motors to therefore never take the bus.
I note in some areas there are signs saying that cruising around is banned by order of the high court!
> things like the exhibition centres and other things alluding to Birmingham's status as second city were very much built with the car in mind.
The exhibition centre has a railway line and an airport too. The connection to Birmingham center (New Street, now 'Grand Central') is excellent. But then it is like a spoke and hub distribution model...but with only 2 spokes. If you are not on a rail route you are stuffed, because of those busses!
When our staff are doing stuff at the NEC (National Exhibition Centre)
they stop in the hotel there, despite our offices being only 12 miles away as-the-crow-flies!
> there was one other cyclist at that workplace of sixty
I agree, cycling in Brum is horrible. The lanes are too narrow.
I feel that the report writers are on to something, I sit in the M6 motorway traffic each day and see the miles of people wasting their time with me. This must be a fabulous productivity hit to the region.
I work in Birmingham at the moment, and have previously, and commute 40 odd miles in each day. There is a mainline train from near my house to the centre of Birmingham which takes around 1 hour. I took it when I worked in the centre. Now I work right on the edge of Birmingham, just off the motorway that surrounds it. I can drive there in about 1hr 20min (depending on the appalling traffic and constant roadworks, it should be a 45min trip). From the motorway I have to drive round 5 miles of lethal back roads to get to my office which is less than a half-mile as-the-crow flies from the motorway junction. Even thought it is on an industrial estate the roads suck! I would love to get the train, but I would be left with a hour or so of extra journey time on those disgusting busses, so doubling my commute time. Birmingham had a motorway infrastructure that was amazing for 1955. Now it is a car park at peak times.
> People do like their cars in Birmingham, for religious reasons a lot of young men don't drink. This leads to a lot of them taking a lot of pride in their motors to therefore never take the bus.
I note in some areas there are signs saying that cruising around is banned by order of the high court!
> things like the exhibition centres and other things alluding to Birmingham's status as second city were very much built with the car in mind.
The exhibition centre has a railway line and an airport too. The connection to Birmingham center (New Street, now 'Grand Central') is excellent. But then it is like a spoke and hub distribution model...but with only 2 spokes. If you are not on a rail route you are stuffed, because of those busses!
When our staff are doing stuff at the NEC (National Exhibition Centre) they stop in the hotel there, despite our offices being only 12 miles away as-the-crow-flies!
> there was one other cyclist at that workplace of sixty
I agree, cycling in Brum is horrible. The lanes are too narrow.
I feel that the report writers are on to something, I sit in the M6 motorway traffic each day and see the miles of people wasting their time with me. This must be a fabulous productivity hit to the region.