Yesterday was a big day in Birmingham.

Hundreds of protestors lined up at Kings Heath to protest the increasingly dangerous state of roads, with seven hit-and-runs in less than a month, killing three cyclists, including a 12-year-old boy.

The busy junction in Birmingham was the spot where a young girl and a child were struck by a driver last week. It was also the spot where 13-year-old Hope Fenell was riding her bike when she was struck by an HGV driver in 2011. While the driver got a
prison sentence of six months, Hope lost her life.

"It was extremely poignant, we went there because of the hit-and-run on Thursday, but opposite the railings where we were, there's a memorial to Hope," Paul Manzotti from Better Streets for Birmingham, the campaign group behind the protest told road.cc

"It's been 12 years, and very little has changed. People are angry and frightened about the state of our roads. There’s a real determination and a lot of people have reached the point of 'enough is enough'. We have been at the words stage, now we want
action," he said.

The protest was marked by emotionally charged people chanting "Shame on you" at drivers overtaking dangerously, speeding, changing lanes — all behaviour that lead to deaths on streets, said Manzotti.

Just the last weekend, Better Streets for Birmingham had organised a similar protest, and Paul said that they weren't hoping to have another one so soon, but things haven't improved, they have only got worse.

And another week before that, Adam Tranter, the West Midlands' walking and cycling commissioner called for urgent action to "turn the tide on aggressive driving in Birmingham" in an open letter.

“We cannot accept this as normal. Everyone should feel safe using our roads but through a combination of design, policy and enforcement priorities, this is not the case,” wrote Tranter.

Mazotti told road.cc: "We are calling for the mayor’s office and the council to have a press conference and call it what it is: an emergency. We want them to mobilise, we want a visible police reaction on antisocial driving, much greater traffic
enforcement and a zero tolerance policy to antisocial driving."

Better Streets for Birmingham's Mat Macdonald spoke at the protest: "We demand a national legislation that will ensure that those who kill or maim with their thoughtless actions behind the wheel have their keys and vehicle immediately removed from them
and never returned.

"Driving is not a right, driving is a privilege. And those who have no intention of respecting the responsibilities that accompany that privilege should never be let loose on our roads."

But in the wake of a spate of serious crashes, killing children and adults alike, could this spark a nationwide movement, similar to the Dutch protests of "Stop de kindermoord", translating as "Stop the Child Murder", which led to the cycling revolution
in the 1970s?

Manzotti said: "It's unfortunate that it's happening almost 50 years later here in a similarly tragic way, but we would love to see safer streets for everyone. We are only focused on Birmingham, but if other groups want to join and take up the mantra,
then of course we’d say go for it. The Dutch just got together nationally and said we have to change, so yes, I would love to see that happen here and if a national movement comes out of this, that would be brilliant."

It seems that other cities are joining in: Manchester is organising a Remembrance Ride on 20 June demanding safety for all on Greater Manchester's roads, in memory of those who lost their lives, like the 19-year-old Nawaf Alghamdi, who was killed while
cycling.

Do you think there's a potential for this to break out and lead to national mobilisation? Is there a chance that Britain is set for its own cycling revolution in the wake of increasing road casualties of not just adults, but children as well?

In the meantime, enjoy this brilliant crowdfunded movie "Stop Killing Our Children" (link is external) focusing on Hope Fenell's death in Birmingham, produced by the ETA and narrated by BBC journalist John Simpson. The film also features contributions
from Hope's mum, Chris Boardman, Dr Rachel Aldred, Dr Ian Walker, George Monbiot and the founders of the Stop de Kindermoord movement, among others.

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