Blue cycle routes on the A34 and A38 officially opened

Two new segregated cycle routes into Birmingham city centre have been officially opened, giving people on bikes a safe, dedicated path along two of the city's busiest roads.

The A34 and A38 routes were opened on Sunday 9 June as part of the Let's Ride Birmingham cycling festival, with social rides along both routes.

Blue routes

The newly completed A38 route runs for four kilometres from Selly Oak into the city centre as a two-way cycle track separated from traffic. The route has a blue surface to make it stand out to other road users.

The A34 route, which is largely segregated, runs into the city centre from Heathfield Road in Birchfield. Both routes use road space that has been taken from motor vehicles.

The A38 route was funded by the Department for Transport's Cycle City Ambition Grant and the Local Growth Fund through the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership.

Famous faces

At a ribbon-cutting on one of the new routes, Councillor Waseem Zaffar, cabinet member for transport and environment, was joined by Tom Watson MP, former BMX world champion Shanaze Reade and Olympic champion track cyclist Jason Kenny.

"The completion of the A38 cycle route is a key milestone in the development of cycle infrastructure in Birmingham," Cllr Zaffar said. "It provides the second of two segregated cycle routes into the city centre using road space that has been reallocated from motor vehicles, and is suitable for use by commuters, leisure cyclists and families alike."

"Cycling is a great way to get to work or school, go to the shops, visit friends or for leisure trips - we'd encourage everyone to consider getting out of the car and giving one of the many new or improved cycle routes across the city a go."

Shanaze Reade said the programme had achieved a great deal over five years. "Now, with the new and upgraded infrastructure in place, people looking to travel by bike into the city centre for work and leisure have a safe and connected way to do so," she said.

Five years of the Cycle Revolution

The routes are part of the Birmingham Cycle Revolution, a programme of new and improved cycling infrastructure delivered across the city over the last five years.

It has also included improving more than 50km of canal towpaths with an all-weather surface, creating or upgrading more than 25km of green routes through parks, better cycle parking in the city centre and local centres, and grants for businesses and schools to improve cycling facilities. Around 7,000 free orange Big Birmingham Bikes have been given to residents in the most deprived parts of the city, and 20mph limits have been introduced to make roads safer.

Tim Pile, chair of the Local Enterprise Partnership, who recently rode the 100-mile Vélo Birmingham with 17,000 other cyclists, said good cycle routes gave people a greener and more affordable way to travel, as well as reducing congestion and improving public health.

The openings coincide with Bike Week, which runs until 16 June, and the council is running a summer of events to encourage more people to try the routes.