Campaigners who saved Walsall trees from being chopped down say they still have a fight on their hands

A number of residents from in and around Birmingham Road braved the rain to hold a celebration on The Green on Saturday to mark the success of a long running campaign to protect mature trees.

Last month, Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) announced design plans for a new bus lane had been revised which ensured the trees would not be lost.

But despite their joy at saving the trees, residents said they are still against the Sprint Bus lane, arguing it is unnecessary.

The Sprint scheme will see zero-emission vehicles linking Walsall and Solihull town centres, via Birmingham city centre on the A34 and A45 with bus lanes and priority measures at junctions aimed at improving journey times and reliability.

The second phase will see further bus priority infrastructure installed along the Sprint route in Walsall, Sandwell, Birmingham and Solihull and is being funded through a £56 million investment from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement awarded by Government.

Measures in Walsall will include three new improved bus shelters, a 400-metre bus lane on the A34 into Walsall town centre, and further improvements to bus routes in the town centre.

TfWM said since phase one was completed last summer average bus journey times between Walsall and Birmingham have been cut by six minutes as priority measures allow for them to bypass traffic jams on the busy route.

Birmingham Road resident Val Dodds said: “We’re absolutely thrilled because everything we hoped for came to pass. The thing I’m most impressed with is the community spirit.

“People who made bunting, designed posters – it was such a refreshingly committed community group effort. These days people are mostly apathetic, assuming it is a done deal.

“This shows what can  happen when people come together and are absolutely determined.

“People said it would be a pity to lose the trees after all this time. They have been saved, they are going to be pruned and we’ll see what that means.

“But it’s not over. We have saved the trees, which was priority number one.

“But the next thing is to ask is this bus lane essential? Is it going to be efficient and is it value for money? The answer to those three is no as far as we are concerned.”

She added they want to see more done with The Green and increase biodiversity with measures such as introducing wild flowers and different trees to the spot.

Among the residents who made banners and placards which have remained on The Green since the protests started more than 18 months ago are Donna Wyton and Mark Browning.

Donna said: “We were really adamant that the trees shouldn’t go. We’ve seen the devastating effects that it has on water in other areas – if you remove the trees suddenly you get loads of flooding and get noisier roads.

“It’s fabulous they have been saved and the voices of the residents have been heard.

“You often feel like it’s futile doing these things but you’ve got to try and you’ve got to fight so it’s really nice it’s got a good ending.

“The best ending would be if none of it happened to be a bus lane, not because I’m against bus lanes but I can’t see how its going to make a positive impact at all and it’ll just cause more of an issue.”

Mark added: “If the existing bus route was managed better, you wouldn’t need the lanes.

“There are so many buses on the timetable but they just don’t turn up because there is a shortage of drivers.

“We need these trees to clean up the air, for drainage. A lot of trees have been around longer than us, so this is a great result.”