It is clear to anyone moving around Birmingham, that the icy winter has caused a lot of damage to our road network. Now that the snow has gone, we are left with a legacy of potholes. Moreover, even if we avoid more snow, there still seem to be plenty of damaging frosts left to come before summer takes hold. As I write this, my thermometer is showing the temperature dipping below zero again.

The damage will be very expensive to put right. This time last year, the Council set a budget of £4m for winter repairs. This has been upped to £6.1m, a vital increase, but another pressure on the Council’s budget. The extra spend will help. Longer term the Highways Maintenance PFI, which starts this year, will increase the level on investment in our roads and, over a 5 year period, will get them all up to a standard where they will be better able to resist a harsh winter.

In the meantime there are two things you can do to help. One is to call 303 6644 to report any particularly badly damaged roads that are not getting any attention - though of course it will take some time to get round them all. The other is simply to take more care, when driving or cycling. Driving a little more slowly is not only safer but gives you more time to avoid that unexpected pothole. 

Would you like a day out over the Christmas holiday? Here are some offers you may not have heard about:

• You can get a £5 day return ticket to London from Snow Hill or Moor Street. You have to book in advance using London Midlands’ “rapid advance purchase” system.
• You can also get a £10 day rover ticket which allows you to travel anywhere on the London Midland service.

These are special ticket offers the company has agreed following its failure to run Sunday services earlier this year. This emerged at the meeting of the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority on Monday. There are 400,000 of the London tickets and just 50,000 day Rover tickets so expect to have to hunt around to find the offers. This is the London Midland site.

In further good news, the Lib Dem lead on the Transport Authority, Councillor Jon Hunt, has put through a ground-breaking deal to ensure the future of the Ring and Ride service. Centro has agreed to fund Ring and Ride for at least three years, enabling Ring and Ride to invest in new services and equipment, with a view to carrying more passengers more efficiently. If you have special transport needs and are eligible to use Ring and Ride, look out for special day-time trips such as shopping expeditions.

There has been agreement for some time that the bus lane on the Warwick Road, heading into Acocks Green Village from the north, should be removed. It causes congestion, provides very little benefit to buses and is part of an old scheme which no-one believes has any place in the future development of Acocks Green.

It now looks likely that the work to remove the bus lane will be completed this financial year, possibly around the end of February or start of March.

This work to be carried out will be:

• removal of the bus lane (while retaining the existing zebra crossing in the same location)
• removal of the central island at the zebra crossing
• build out of the footway at the zebra crossing for additional pedestrian safety
• new road markings
• relocation of the bus stop (by approx 8m)

Once the work is carried out there will be two lanes approaching the roundabout (albeit with a fairly heavily used bus stop in the inside lane). This should help ease the congestion in the area, which will be of benefit to car users and bus users alike.

Centro are proposing to move the bus shelter and stop, currently outside Greggs (1142 Warwick Road) down the Warwick Road a short distance onto the splitter island by 1146 Warwic Road.

Centro, the City Council Highways Department and National Express West Midlands all agree that the current location is not ideal because:

• The footway is narrow at this location and heavily used
• Congestion is caused when buses are unable to pull into the stop, due to use of the disabled parking bay prior to the bus stop

Moving to the new location will tackle both these problems

If it is approved, Birmingham City Council and Centro will arrange the necessary installation of new kerbs, footway construction and a new shelter at the new location.

This move seems sensible to me, but if you do have any concerns, I would be very keen to hear from you  - I need to know by Wednesday 16th December, if I am to take them up with Centro.

Victoria Road (from Warwick Road to Olton Boulevard East) is scheduled to be resurfaced over two days next week: - Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th October.