No badgers need to be detrimentally affected by any development where planning and feasibility have been properly implemented.
The challenge for the future is to develop sustainable ways of moving and living whilst protecting and enhancing our precious wildlife.
The Malvern to Three Counties feasibility study for a net zero ultra-light tram and cycle line has been floated as an idea to encourage a modal shift, cutting CO2 and other harmful emissions and helping tourists and visitors to enjoy a more sustainable destination.
Any study would involve detailed assessments of badger activity along the line so badgers could be safely accommodated, including where needed, installing tunnels to ensure they can move around safely. As a protected species this must happen during certain periods of the year and is overseen by Natural England. The Badger Trust, for example, have provided best practice guidelines for ecologists and planners.
Reopening the Camp Hill line in Birmingham has involved the relocation of badgers ahead of its launch. A dedicated team has been working hard to provide badger tenants with a safe new habitat. Working with ecologists they identified a safe and suitable location for a new badger sett a little further up the track, creating tunnels for the badgers to find their new home without any human intervention.
For residents living along the Camp Hill line, reopening the line enables a substantial modal shift, getting people out of cars and buses (where tyre particulate emissions have been shown by Emissions Analytics to be 1,850 times more harmful than tailpipe emissions). Journey times for commuters will be cut in half. For residents of Moseley, it will reduce bus commute times from one hour to 30 minutes.