A number of Birmingham bus lanes could be scaled back and some scrapped after a review of traffic congestion measures.

Although decisions are yet to be taken there are likely to be radical changes next year, city council cabinet transportation member Len Gregory has confirmed.

Members of the public who contributed ideas to the council's congestion task force were overwhelmingly of the view that Birmingham had too many bus lanes, Coun Gregory (Con Billesley) said.

The suspension of the A38 Tyburn Road bus lane was working well and had freed traffic flows rather than increasing congestion, Coun Gregory told a scrutiny committee.

Coun Gregory added: "Everyone I speak to is absolutely delighted about the effect and the fact that there is a free traffic flow.

"The congestion task force has drawn up over 270 different initiatives and a lot of the general public are asking 'do we really need all of these bus lanes?'"

He insisted the reluctance of many people to use buses had nothing to do with congestion.

In an attack on Travel West Midlands, the region's biggest bus firm, Coun Gregory said: "If we are going to promote public transport there has to be a reason for people to use it. It has to be safe, clean and reliable.

"On all thee counts the number 50 service, which I use fairly frequently, falls down. People don't use it."

Transportation scrutiny committee member Coun Zoe Hopkins (Lab Kingstanding) said: "The attitude that seems to be coming from TWM is that you have no choice but to use our buses and you will take what you get.

"I get the number 11 most days, but you really wouldn't want to. You have some very poor services in terms of reliability."

Travel West Midlands spokesman Phil Bateman said the bus firm rejected claims that it ran unsafe services.

He added: "TWM is a responsible bus operator that is concerned to deliver quality services to its customers. Since 1995 the company has invested more than #120 million in new buses.

"In the West Midlands we are at a disadvantage with just five per cent of the main road network incorporating bus priority measures. Local government just cannot try and create a message that blames others for their own inability to get the most from their road networks."

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