Often when people go into meetings for the first time, there are a lot of new things to learn, so here are some names and terms to help in transport meetings:
Network Rail – According to their website “Network Rail owns and operates Britain’s rail infrastructure.” They took over from Railtrack, who did it after privatisation for a few years.
Centro – According to their website “Centro, the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority, promotes and develops public transport across the region.”
National Express – The company that runs most of the bus services in Birmingham.
TWM (Travel West Midlands) – National Express West Midlands (NXWM) bus services used to be called this.
Len Gregory – very unpopular minister for transport in Birmingham City Council for the last 5 years. Has been nicknamed “Gridlock” for the effect he’s had on the roads and the lack of progress he’s made in doing anything about sustainable transport.
Graham Lennard – Cycling officer at Birmingham City Council who is known by various members of the group.
Pushbikes – cycling pressure group based in the warehouse.
Sustrans – According to their website “Sustrans is the UK’s leading sustainable transport charity. Our vision is a world in which people choose to travel in ways that benefit their health and the environment.”
Living Streets – Another national campaigning organisation with local branches, including one in Birmingham which has members also involved in our campaigning group. They “work to create streets that really put people first. When we have streets we want to walk in, lives are transformed – we are healthier, happier and more sociable.”
Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) – We have previously worked together with CBT on the 20’s plenty and better buses campaigns. They “champion transport solutions that improve people’s lives and reduce environmental damage.”
20’s Plenty – A national campaign that we have been running in Birmingham. The idea is that 20mph should be the speed limit on all residential roads throughout the city, but other roads would retain their current speed limits – A roads and B roads.
Arterial routes – often used in talking about 20’s plenty and transport planning – they are the main large roads going in and out of the city.
Shared Space – An idea for traffic calming and making roads safer by “removing the traditional segregation of motor vehicles, pedestrians and other road users. Conventional road priority management systems and devices such as kerbs, lines, signs and signals are replaced with an integrated, people-oriented understanding of public space, such that walking, cycling, shopping and driving cars become integrated activities.”
Camp Hill Line – The rail line which BFoE has been campaigning to re-open. Currently it goes from East of New St Station to Kings Norton, but will go from Birmingham Moor St towards Moseley etc. if brought back into passenger use by aa extra bit of track being built.
Local Transport Plan (LTP) – A consultation carried out to determine the transport priorities for the region in several stages from the “vision” to more detail.
HS2 – High Speed 2 is the project to put high speed lines from London up through Birmingham and then further in a Y-shape.
BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) – A system that makes buses like trams, with dedicated road space, longer distances between stops and longer vehicles which have multiple doors for ease of access.
Red Route – A route on which there is no stopping at any time, designed to make traffic flow more smoothly and alleviate problems cause by parked cars blocking the roads.
Smart cards – A card which you can use to pay for public transport (charge it up in advance and then swipe on entry) similar to Oyster cards in London.
Sandwell – West Midlands Borough tight up against Birmingham that includes Bearwood, Smethwick, West Bromwich
RSS – Regional Spatial Strategy, the updated name for the Regional Planning Guidance and the place where land use and justification for transport expansion is often stated.
RES – Regional Economic Strategy, was supposed to ‘feed’ into the RSS but is planned to take an upper hand. The current one has a lot of unquantified greenwash and good intention.
Snow Hill Network – A secondary West Midlands rail network achieved by building connecting lines in Birmingham to better use existing railways. Probably first mentioned in WMAMMS.
Parry People Mover – Lightweight rail vehicle with a small engine that constantly runs so as to power a flywheel that builds up energy for spikes of energy (such as setting off)
Frankley Branch – Long standing intention in South Birmingham to take a railway from Longbridge station to frankly along disused rail route
