The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will take place from 28 July to 8 August 2022 and will be the biggest sporting event ever held in the city featuring thousands of world-class athletes and over a million spectators. With an estimated global television audience of 1.5 billion people, the games will showcase Birmingham, the west midlands and the entire country as an amazing place to live, work, study, visit and do business.
We know that putting in place effective transport provision is a crucial part of any major sporting event and requires detailed planning and coordination. A well understood and supported transport plan is therefore essential.
On 23 October 2020, in line with section 25(1) of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games Act 2020, I directed the West Midlands Combined Authority to prepare a transport plan for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Today I am pleased to inform the House that the West Midlands Combined Authority board has approved the final Games Transport Plan.
The transport plan has been produced in close collaboration with Birmingham City Council and the Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee. It sets out a strategic approach to planning and co-ordination of transport to support the games; covering the transportation of spectators, athletes and the games family, while at the same time ensuring that any disruption to transport users and residents is kept to a minimum.
The transport plan is also the result of consultation with key stakeholders, including local authorities, police forces, transport operators, and the Department for Transport, as well as wider public engagement.
The transport plan presents five principles that have guided decision making throughout the stages of strategic planning, and which underpin the objectives for transport during the games. These principles are:
Clean and green; a public transport games
Safe, secure, reliable and efficient transport
Minimising disruption
Long-term benefits
Access for all.
I am placing a copy of the Games Transport Plan in the Libraries of both Houses.
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