Transport bosses are asking people to plan ahead and leave the car at home this weekend as a 100-mile cycling event comes to the West Midlands.

Phased road closures will be in place across the region and throughout the day which will mean changes to most bus services, including stop closures, in Birmingham and Coventry. 

Up to 17,000 cyclists are expected on the streets of Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull and North Warwickshire for the popular Velo Birmingham event.

Fans travelling to the Birmingham Arena to watch Take That are also being advised to leave more time for their journeys as the start time of the concert coincides with the race finishing in Birmingham city centre.

Key travel advice

• Plan ahead: Check your journey now and check it again on Sunday before you travel as roads will close and re-open at different times during the day.
• Allow more time for your journey: thousands of people will be taking part in the race and many more will line the streets to spectate, so roads and public transport will be busier than normal.
• Leave the car at home: road closures will be in place throughout the day. If you do need to drive, think about where you will park or use park and ride to avoid road closures. 
• Be patient and expect to queue: train stations along the route are likely to be very busy as people make their way around the West Midlands.

Phased road closures will be in place across the West Midlands for most of the day which means many bus services will be re-routed and some bus stops will not be in use.  Stops will re-open and bus routes will return to the normal route once the event has passed.  

Anne Shaw, Director of Network Resilience, Transport for West Midlands said: “There will be major changes to bus services this Sunday while Velo 2019 takes place so we are asking people to plan ahead and check their journeys via www.networkwestmidlands.com before they travel.

“You will still be able to get to where you need to go, but you’ll need to leave more time for your journey. There are over 8,000 free car parking spaces at rail and Metro stations in the West Midlands or consider leaving the car at home.”

For more information, to check how your bus will be affected or to check where your nearest Park and Ride site is, please visit: www.networkwestmidlands.com/velo