PUPILS from a Birmingham inner-city primary school have planted the first of 1,000 trees set to be placed along the route of the Sprint bus route.
The children from Anglesey Primary School in Lozells picked up their spades and helped plant 10 trees – including cherry and walnut trees – in nearby George’s Park.
Sprint bus services are due to start running between Walsall, Birmingham and Solihull along the A34 and A45 next spring.
Work is well underway on measures including junction upgrades to ensure services are rapid and reliable.
Work on new shelters and bus lanes meant that 22 trees lining the route were removed earlier this year.
Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) bosses made a commitment that Sprint will leave a positive impact on the environment and, as well as running zero-emission buses and providing an efficient alternative to private cars, a total of 1,000 new trees will be planted in parks and open spaces along the route.
The trees will also be registered on the West Midlands virtual forest website to improve the environment and air quality and part of the wider #WM2041 plan for a net-zero region by 2041.
These first ten trees will be followed by a further set of fruit trees in the same area to form a small orchard.
Joining the school children was Councillor Waseem Zaffar, who represents Lozells ward and is Birmingham City Council’s cabinet member for transport and environment.
He said: “It was fantastic to join the children for the tree-planting – this is their local park and they will be able to enjoy the orchard and the wildlife it attracts for many years to come.
“With zero-emission vehicles and more reliable services bypassing the traffic jams, we hope to persuade more people to give up their cars for their commute in and out of Birmingham.”
TfWM, which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), is developing Sprint in partnership with Walsall, Solihull, Sandwell and Birmingham City Councils with funding from the Department for Transport.
Services are due to start running from May 2022.
