Contracts Manager

Andrew Booth

Client

Volkerfitzpatrick

Stakeholders

Birmingham City Council (BCC), Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), National Express

Location

Kings Heath High Street

Project / Scheme and Type of Work

Regeneration of the Camp Hill lines and the reopening of Kings Heath train station

Duration

6 weeks (from 23rd March 2025)

TM Value

£45,000

Delivery

Perry Barr Depot

Equipment

Standard TM equipment, barriers, TGS’s Metro temporary traffic signals and pedestrian system

The Job

The works were in place to redevelop existing footways and bus stops to allow for the regeneration of Kings Heath train station. Our client, Volkerfitzpatrick, along with HTM, BCC and National Express buses, had meticulously planned to mitigate any disruption to the travelling public and public transport whilst completing the works. What went particularly well was the incorporation of the existing traffic light junction into our works, to ensure a smooth traffic flow and that our works were not causing major congestion further down the high street, especially when it is part of such a major bus route within the city.

The problem?

The location itself provided the biggest challenge on this project, as we needed to reduce the disruption to the travelling public, whilst still managing to complete the works required. The location was extremely busy at all times of the day and night, being a major route for the Birmingham bus network and having high pedestrian footfall and traffic flow.

Innovation

Birmingham City Council have traditionally used another traffic light provider, however, we suggested an alternative supplier, Traffic Group Signals (TGS), which offered two benefits that would be key in the success of this particular site and provide advantages for the site:

1. Manoeuvrability – the proposed alternative is much easier to transport and install, which means less time is taken to set up the job. This also meant any phase changes would be easier to implement onsite.
   
   

2. Real-time changes in response to the tidal flow of traffic and any spikes in traffic count. This is monitored remotely and supported through the use of CCTV used on-site, meaning the site can be far more responsive to the peaks and troughs of traffic each day.

The solution

TGS put a plan in place to replicate the existing traffic and pedestrian traffic signals, which also incorporated our working areas, to incorporate the lights in one traffic light system. This included taking control of other pedestrian crossings further down the high street so that all temporary signals were working in conjunction to provide the best experience for both road users and pedestrians.

We collaborated with Traffic Group Signals early on to create the plan, which was well-received by both the client and BCC. This was the first time utilising TGS equipment with BCC direct involvement and was a thoroughly successful job.

Client Feedback

We had some really good feedback from BCC about how the traffic signals have been managed and how TGS have been able to change timings in real-time to help with congestion, one of the key reasons that we suggested this temporary traffic signal for this site.

BCC had been apprehensive about using a different supplier as they were accustomed to one particular product. Our experience with this equipment helped them see the benefits that TGS could bring for the needs of this site and they have been so pleased with this solution, they plan to take this forward onto a similar site that we have to activate the new Mosely station and railway lines.