{"id":50189,"date":"2014-11-13T13:22:00","date_gmt":"2014-11-13T13:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=bcf25c8e5e412daad62de68818972705"},"modified":"2014-11-13T13:22:00","modified_gmt":"2014-11-13T13:22:00","slug":"speech-transport-the-driver-of-birminghams-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=50189","title":{"rendered":"Speech: Transport: the driver of Birmingham’s success"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Good morning everyone.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m delighted to be here this morning (13 November 2014) for the launch of Birmingham Connected.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019d like to thank Sir Albert [Sir Albert Bore] and his team for inviting me today.<\/p>\n

Last year the Economist magazine ran an article headlined \u2018Birmingham \u2013 How to Kill a City\u2019.<\/p>\n

It explained how post-war politicians and planners moved huge numbers of residents from the city centre to surburban estates.<\/p>\n

While building elevated roads to get people in and out of employment zones.<\/p>\n

The result, it said, was a doughnut city.<\/p>\n

A small commercial core, cut off from the rest of the metropolis by ringroads and a vast belt of derelict old properties.<\/p>\n

Beautiful Victorian and Edwardian buildings replaced with concrete.<\/p>\n

And communities torn apart.<\/p>\n

According to the Economist, one of Britain\u2019s most successful cities was transformed into one of its least successful.<\/p>\n

Transforming Birmingham<\/h2>\n

But the article finished on a high note.<\/p>\n

It said that the damage inflicted by post-war legislators has now been largely undone.<\/p>\n

And that in recent years, Birmingham\u2019s city centre has been transformed.<\/p>\n

That transformation has been remarkable.<\/p>\n

Last year there were more business start ups in Birmingham than in any other city outside London.<\/p>\n

More than 16,000 of them.<\/p>\n

And inward investment was up by more than half.<\/p>\n

Exports from the West Midlands have grown by 30% in 2 years.<\/p>\n

The region now has a trade surplus with China.<\/p>\n

Much of it through high value, advanced industries.<\/p>\n

Like car manufacturing, sciences and digital.<\/p>\n

All this is very encouraging.<\/p>\n

But growth isn\u2019t something we can afford to take for granted.<\/p>\n

Yes – the UK economy is the fastest growing in the developed world.<\/p>\n

And yes, Birmingham is benefiting from the upturn.<\/p>\n

But just like successful businesses.<\/p>\n

Successful cities need constant nurturing and development if they are to sustain growth.<\/p>\n

And in particular, they need a vision for transport.<\/p>\n

To connect people with the jobs of the future.<\/p>\n

To link new housing with services.<\/p>\n

And to attract new investors to the region.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s what Birmingham Connected is all about.<\/p>\n

Binding this great city together.<\/p>\n

A \u00a31.2 billion public transport network that provides faster travel than that by car.<\/p>\n

Green travel districts, giving people more choice about how they travel.<\/p>\n

And reducing congestion, pollution and road accidents.<\/p>\n

Better rail and road links.<\/p>\n

And making sure the whole region is connected to HS2<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The objective is to create a \u2018go anywhere\u2019 transport system so people can travel easily and quickly.<\/p>\n

Into the city, within the city and out of the city.<\/p>\n

Reversing the post-war process that disconnected communities.<\/p>\n

And providing the transport links and capacity that Birmingham needs to continue its renaissance.<\/p>\n

Government transport investment<\/h2>\n

Now \u2013 I\u2019ll come back to Birmingham Connected in a minute.<\/p>\n

But first, I want to talk about what we\u2019re doing in government to support you.<\/p>\n

First of all we are building a strong economy.<\/p>\n

A foundation for balanced and sustainable growth in the years ahead.<\/p>\n

And we\u2019ve put transport at the heart of our strategy for the economy.<\/p>\n

Because we believe it\u2019s an engine for growth and jobs.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve come a long way in 4 and a half years.<\/p>\n

The biggest rail modernisation plan for more than a century.<\/p>\n

And a step change in roads and highways investment.<\/p>\n

Including the \u00a315 billion roads programme<\/a> announced by the Prime Minister on Monday.<\/p>\n

This record investment is supporting projects like Birmingham New Street Station.<\/p>\n

The Midland Mainline upgrade.<\/p>\n

A wide range of road pinchpoint schemes across the Midlands.<\/p>\n

And the smart motorways programme on the M6, M40 and M42.<\/p>\n

In just 3 years\u2019 time, subject to Royal Assent, we will begin building HS2.<\/p>\n

Placing Birmingham at the core of the network.<\/p>\n

Transforming connections with the north.<\/p>\n

The focus is now moving to cities with HS2 stations.<\/p>\n

So they can become major hubs for growth and regeneration.<\/p>\n

Here in Birmingham, the local enterprise partnership has started developing a growth strategy for Curzon Street and Solihull stations.<\/p>\n

With \u00a32.5 million of government money to speed up the work.<\/p>\n

Birmingham has also launched the Curzon Urban Regeneration Company.<\/p>\n

To lead a programme that will ultimately create 14,000 jobs, 2,000 new homes, and contribute up to \u00a31.3 billion a year to the local economy.<\/p>\n

And we\u2019ve just announced that the new High Speed College<\/a> will be based here in Birmingham.<\/p>\n

To train the rail engineers of the future.<\/p>\n

Local schemes<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s also fantastic to see that authorities here are taking forward our shared vision to improve local urban transport.<\/p>\n

The days when officials in Whitehall made detailed transport decisions affecting other cities are over.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve moved away from prescriptive, top-down government.<\/p>\n

Instead, we want cities to translate funding into their own innovative local transport schemes.<\/p>\n

And we\u2019re doing that through programmes like the Local Sustainable Transport Fund<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Which with local contributions has generated \u00a31 billion of investment.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve massively increased cycling investment.<\/p>\n

Which I\u2019m pleased to say is helping to turn Birmingham into one of Britain\u2019s leading cycling cities.<\/p>\n

Local partnerships are key to this process.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve mentioned the Curzon Urban Regeneration Company.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s also the partnership that has developed the \u2018Swift\u2019 smart ticketing network.<\/p>\n

Bringing together 30 public transport operators and authorities across the region.<\/p>\n

And there\u2019s Midlands Connect.<\/p>\n

A partnership between Midlands local enterprise partnerships and local authorities working with Network Rail, the Highways Agency<\/a> and businesses.<\/p>\n

Midlands Connect will help establish what the region needs from transport to fulfil its economic potential.<\/p>\n

To provide a framework for investment in the years and decades ahead.<\/p>\n

Birmingham Connected and conclusion<\/h2>\n

And it\u2019s this same partnership approach and local vision that is driving forward the Birmingham Mobility Action Plan.<\/p>\n

Which almost a year after the consultation started.<\/p>\n

Has culminated today in the launch of \u2018Birmingham Connected\u2019.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t attempt to sidestep the challenges that Birmingham still faces.<\/p>\n

Congested roads.<\/p>\n

Rising population.<\/p>\n

Increasing employment and the affect that has on demand for travel.<\/p>\n

And the impact of transport on the environment.<\/p>\n

Quite rightly, it concludes that we have to change the way we think about urban journeys.<\/p>\n

To have less reliance on cars.<\/p>\n

More emphasis on cycling, walking and public transport.<\/p>\n

To make transport more accessible to every community and individual.<\/p>\n

To implement smart ticketing across the network.<\/p>\n

To reduce harmful emissions.<\/p>\n

But also to improve people\u2019s health.<\/p>\n

And make journeys more reliable.<\/p>\n

Yes it\u2019s ambitious.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s only by being ambitious that Birmingham will get the transport system it needs to thrive in the 21st century.<\/p>\n

Just as transport was part of the problem in the past.<\/p>\n

So it can be part of the solution in the future.<\/p>\n

Connecting the many parts that constitute a big city.<\/p>\n

And doing it in a way that\u2019s truly sustainable.<\/p>\n

So I congratulate Sir Albert and his team on today\u2019s launch.<\/p>\n

And I look forward to working with you to make your vision a reality.<\/p>\n

Thank you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Highlights the government’s transport investment at the launch of Birmingham’s 20-year vision for improving transport across the city.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50189"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=50189"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50189\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=50189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=50189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=50189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}