Fighting For Air, an air pollution documentary presented by Dr Xand van Tulleken, will be shown on BBC2 on Wednesday 10 January 2018 at 9pm.
Recorded with the help of local enthusiasts and volunteers in December 2017 for Kings Heath Clean Air Day, the programme investigates:
Join Dr Xand van Tulleken and residents this Friday, 1 December 2017 for Kings Heath’s Clean Air Day – a BBC experiment to see if we can reduce air pollution on the High Street.
Amazing Productions, a production company from London, are making a documentary for BBC2 about air pollution in the UK. Part of their enquiry focuses on Kings Heath, and considers what can be done to reduce traffic and emissions causing air pollution on the High Street.
A public meeting to gather views from residents and business owners on how to tackle air quality and traffic on Kings Heath High Street takes place on:
Tuesday, 24 October 2017
6pm to 8.30pm
All Saints Centre, 2 Vicarage Road, Kings Heath, B14 7RA
The meeting will be filmed.
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:
Birmingham City Council (BCC) wants to know whether air quality is important to you. In order to find out what residents think, BCC have launched an online survey:
https://www.birminghambeheard.org.uk/economy/birmingham-air-quality/
The survey is already open but will close on 3 April 2017.
The questionnaire is reasonably short – it should take less than 10 minutes to complete but it’s important that as many residents as possible complete it.
Kings Heath High Street has been designated a Green Travel District. This means that the area is part of plans by Birmingham City Council (BCC) to reduce congestion and pollution caused by high volumes of traffic. Councillor Claire Spencer will explain what this is likely to mean for Kings Heath at the Forum’s Annual General Meeting.
Residents will have the chance to ask questions about the plan.
The meeting will also hear about feedback received from visitors to the KHRF consultation stall at the Farmers’ Market on 4 March.
The meeting will begin with the Annual General Meeting of the KHRF. Committee members will report on the group’s activities during the year. These include working with BCC on the Council’s strategy for road safety in Kings Heath, helping residents to get dumped rubbish removed and working with local councillors and council officers to improve the cleanliness of the High Street.
The meeting is open to all residents of Kings Heath.
Date: Wednesday 15 March 2017
Time: 7 pm to 9 pm
Location: Kings Heath Community Centre, Heathfield Road, Kings Heath B14 7DB
