> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.betterstreetsforbirmingham.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Dear Mayor: Retain the cycling and walking commissioner role - URL: https://www.betterstreetsforbirmingham.org/post/dear-mayor-retain-the-cycling-and-walking-commissioner-role/ - Published: 2024-05-07T09:42:00.000Z - Updated: 2024-05-07T09:42:00.000Z - Description: 30 organisations and figures urge Mayor of the West Midlands Richard Parker to keep the Cycling and Walking Commissioner role. - Author: Martin Price - Tags: General, Active Travel, commissioner, Cycling, Cycling and walking commissioner, Mayor of the West Midlands, Richard parker, Transport for West Midlands, Walking, West Midlands Combined Authority, West Midlands Mayor, #Migrated-1785839530335, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-04 10:32 **Richard Parker** Mayor of the West Midlands Sent by email 7 May 2024 **Urgent: Retention of the Cycling and Walking Commissioner role** Dear Richard Parker, Congratulations on winning the mayoral election. Thank you for coming to the recent Safe Streets Now national day of action on Yardley Wood Road. We hope this gave you an appreciation of the scale of concern about road safety in the region and the urgency of required change. As you and your team will be aware, we have [robustly lobbied for the retention of the Cycling and Walking Commissioner role](https://www.betterstreetsforbirmingham.org/where-do-the-mayoral-hopefuls-stand-on-transport-and-road-safety/). WMCA is one of five regional authorities (Greater London, Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire, Liverpool City Region) that has this role. This role plays a critical part in ensuring there is collaboration across authorities, that we are making the most of additional funding opportunities, that projects meet design standards, and that the region maintains a good relationship with Active Travel England. To achieve a region where “everyone who wants to can walk and cycle” by 2028 will require many rolling programmes of delivery, funded by CRSTS 1 and 2, and many other pipelines. The best way of ensuring this is happening in all corners of the region is by having someone accountable to both yourself and the public through the Commissioner role. The role also provides an advocate for communities, including those bereaved or injured through road harm, to raise concerns and give feedback about active travel and road safety in a way that committees and officers do not. We must be clear that we cannot afford for the Combined Authority’s active travel function to fall into the same inertia as Birmingham City Council, where the authority holds bold ambitions yet change remains slow at best. We now urge you to commit to retaining the role of Cycling and Walking Commissioner. As you decide on the future of the role, we strongly encourage you to seek advice from [Active Travel England](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/active-travel-england?ref=betterstreetsforbirmingham.org) and other Combined Authority Mayors who have established such roles. We request that we are consulted on any proposed structure, and that transitional arrangements are put in place. Campaigning for the retention of a specific role is unusual. We hope that the number of co-signatories underlines how important this is for active travel in the West Midlands. Kind regards **Mat MacDonald**, Chair, [Better Streets for Birmingham](https://www.betterstreetsforbirmingham.org/how-to-deal-with-a-problem-like-russell-road/) **Martin Price**, Policy Lead, Better Streets for Birmingham David Cox, Chair, **Pushbikes - The Birmingham Cycling Campaign** Denis Murphy, Secretary, **Birmingham Living Streets group** Naomi Fisher, Founder, **ROAM Kids** Tim Wall, **Cycling UK Local Representative for Sutton Coldfield** **Slow Food Birmingham** **A38 Cycleway Users (X/@A38Cycleway)** **Binley Cycleway Users (X/@BinleyCycleway)** **Extinction Rebellion Birmingham** Jon Freer, **WMCycleData.com** Shivaji Shiva, **Cycling Works Birmingham** Lucy Harrison, **RoadPeace West Midlands Coordinator** **Stirchley Community Market** **Friends of The Old Post Office**, Stirchley Farina Chaudhri, Chair, **Friends of Reddings Lane Park** Huw Davies, Co-ordinator, **Better Streets for Moseley (North East)** Leo Murray, Co-Director of climate charity **Possible** Shane Fitzpatrick, **Friends of Bradford Street** Andy Robson, Secretary, **British Cycling - West Midlands Region** **Councillor Kerry Jenkins**, Moseley ward, Birmingham City Council **Councillor David Barker**, Brandwood and Kings Heath ward, Birmingham City Council **Councillor Izzy Knowles**, Moseley ward, Birmingham City Council Fabio Henriques, **Biclas B12** Darren John, Founder, **Save Station Street Campaign** Birgit Kehrer, **ChangeKitchen CIC** Michael Thawe, **Welsh House Farm Community Cycling For All** **Councillor Martin Brooks OBE**, Harborne ward, Birmingham City Council John Cooper, **Birmingham Climate Justice Coalition** Chris Crean, **West Midlands Friends of the Earth Network** Zak Viney, Public Affairs and Campaigns Coordinator, **Living Streets** ## Additional signatories since sending Steve Cole, Director of Policy, Campaigns and Public Affairs at **RoSPA - The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents** Paul Fielding, Deputy Chair, **Colmore BID** Chris Davy, **The BRAT Club (Birmingham Running Athletics and Triathlon)** ---