Action Briefing Oct 2003 - Nov 2003
	The Newsletter of Birmingham Friends of the Earth

In Redditch without my car...
but will Birmingham sign up for next year?

Nearly 1000 cities and towns throughout Europe participated in In Town Without My Car (ITWMC) Day on 22nd September; in the UK over 30 towns and cities participated. ITWMC has now become an international event with countries outside Europe now taking part in the event. Disappointingly, we in Birmingham were left out of the celebrations once again.

This year the City Council said that disruption to city centre traffic caused by the numerous road works and the modified road layout prevented them from considering taking part. However, after a meeting with the City Council to discuss issues about ITWMC day, we now feel reasonably optimistic that something will happen next year, although we failed to get them to make a firm commitment.

The City Council deserve credit for staging a series of events throughout Travelwise Week, but it’s a pity they didn’t go the whole hog and do something for ITWMC day which would have made the week complete. It's a high profile event and gives people an opportunity to discover the alternatives to their car and rediscover parts of their towns and cities normally cloaked in traffic noise and fumes.

To witness ITWMC at first hand, I ventured down to Redditch to sample the delights of their ITWMC event. Worcestershire County Council was responsible for most of the organisation with help from Redditch Friends of the Earth and numerous small businesses and individuals. An 85 metre stretch of the busy Evesham Road was closed and given over to stalls, children’s rides, a beer tent and live music Sustainable transport officers from Worcestershire County Council also were also on hand with their Travelwise display to promote more environmentally friendly transport.

After chatting with them, it emerged that the event was generally well received. The road was carefully chosen so that it would be a highly visible event, and a good alternative route was available for traffic, so disruption was minimal.

Talking to the organisers it was clear that a lot of effort had been expended to make the day to make it a success. It’s essential to start planning well in advance and consult widely with all affected residents and other interested groups. And if local residents can get involved in running the event themselves, even better!

Martin Stride

Take Action
Make it happen in 2004! We will continue to talk to the City Council about Birmingham signing up for ITWMC 2004. If you think that ITWMC day in Birmingham would be a good idea, then you can write to the following cabinet members at Birmingham City Council: John Tyrrell (Transport), Stewart Stacey, (Deputy Leader and Sustainability), and Sir Albert Bore (Council Leader) at: Birmingham City Council, 1 Victoria Square, B1 1BB. To find out more about Travelwise and ITWMC, visit www.itwmc.gov.org and www.travelwiseweek.org.uk