Junction bus gate plan part of pollution fight

COUNCIL SAYS DEPENDENCE ON PRIVATE CARS IS BAD FOR OUR HEALTH

- ALEXANDER BROCK Local Democracy Reporter

The Dartmouth Middleway junction in Birmingham is set to change with the introduction of a bus gate to help ease congestion, traffic chiefs say

BIRMINGHAM City Council is planning to install a new bus gate near the city centre as part of a project to tackle “harmful pollution.

The Labour-run council is proposing changes to the junction of Dartmouth Middleway, Lister Street and Great Lister Street in a bid to address poor air quality and reduce congestion.

The planned “improvements” for the site, found in the heart of the Knowledge Quarter, include a new bus gate on Dartmouth Middleway to prohibit eastbound and westbound general traffic and shared-use cycle tracks.

A bus gate gives buses priority at a junction by holding other vehicles at a red light and allowing the bus to get ahead of queued traffic.