A new Draft 2026 Delivery Plan for Transport across the west midlands has been put out for consultation. The plan has been prepared by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) and is described as setting out ‘the schemes which will deliver a large amount of the Combined Authority’s long term transport strategy Movement for Growth’.
From Kings Heath residents’ point of view, one of the surprising aspects of the report is that Kings Heath is mentioned very few times. The proposed new railway station at Kings Heath is included (page 6) while the number 50 bus route is identified as a corridor which should be studied to ‘identify potential improvements’ (page 13).
However, the fact that Kings Heath is rarely mentioned in the document offers a possible benefit. One of the key factors appears to be that a number of transport ‘corridors’ are being proposed, none of which include the A435 (Alcester Road South and High Street, Kings Heath).
The Kings Heath Residents’ Forum (KHRF) has seized on this as evidence that the A435 should be downgraded and categorised as unsuitable for heavy through traffic. This would provide an opportunity to ban HGVs from Kings Heath unless they are making deliveries. Among the benefits of such a policy would be an improvement in traffic safety and a reduction in air pollution.
The KHRF will monitor the response of TfWM to submissions and, if necessary, make further representations.
For more information:
Kings Heath Neighbourhoods Forum 
Has there been any update on the possible down grading of the A435
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From my point of view there’s disappointingly little about cycling in this document, and when it is mentioned, it’s in reference to cycling to work.
If we wanted to improve cycling and cycle use, thinking about journeys to school would be a great place to start – some of the most congested and unpleasant journeys are around schools at 9am and 3.30pm. It would be great to use even one KH school as a cycling hub, to see what could be done with a focussed change of approach.
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The KHRF reply picked up on the issues of provision for cyclists and that of traffic congestion around schools. The response was very detailed but, in the interests of brevity, I concentrated this report on the potential benefits of downgrading the A435.
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There is reference to ‘Multi Modal, OC500, Kings Heath
– A435 Enhancement Pilot ‘ – is that the same as the potential bus route imrovements?
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I am not the person who drafted the KHRF response to the proposal so, unfortunately, I cannot answer your question.
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