Ease getting to NIA Birmingham

[carjourneypanicattack]

We have tickets to an event at the NIA coming up next week which I was looking forward too until another mum at pre-school started talking about the awful traffic getting into Birmingham (she was backed up by another mum who spent almost 2 hours getting through the traffic on the way to the NIA) For some stupid reason I thought the NIA was on the NEC site so am completely unprepared for a journey into the centre of Birmingham.
I suffer from serious panic attacks in cars especially when faced with a traffic jam or even the threat of a traffic jam - it's a massive problem for me which is very distressing

Can anyone tell me just how likely traffic hold ups are on a weekday afternoon (we could be arriving in Brum by 4ish, coming into Birmingham from Banbury/Oxford direction)

Otherwise, how easy is it to get from Birmingham New Street station to the NIA? How safe would we feel (dh, 7yr old ds and I, we are country bumpkins) walking across Birmingham at 10pm to catch a train home?

You will be in quite heavy traffic at any time heading to that part of Brum. I would suggest you take the train, as it will be particularly heavy at 4 ish and especially if there is an event on in the NIA. Your walk from New Street will take a good 10 mins, but you can walk via a main square, through a shopping centre and down New Street itself which will all be well-lit and busy at 10pm. There is a train station nearer at Five Ways, but I wouldn't be so keen on walking from there and it's not much closer.

What are you going to?

HTH

Thanks.
Dh is reluctant to take the train esp the homeward journey with ds late at night
New Street Station is the recommended station from Banbury which is why I chose that one - it sounds as though it's the station we'd be more comfortable waiting in late in the evening anyway. Our train home would be just after 10pm which is pretty late for us to be out in a big city

I am wondering about me getting the train there while dh drives, then we all drive home (hopefully traffic will be lighter by 9.30ish?)
it's getting me down now and I am starting to wonder about not going at all.

We are going to a big school choir concert

Arriving at 4ish you will be hitting the start of rush hour, the rest of the day isn't that bad (I've lived in the Broad St area for nearly 5 years) if you come from this side of Birmingham and not through town - even town isn't that bad but it's going to be a lot quicker if you can avoid it.

Don't go down Broad St or try to get to the NIA car park, there is a really cheap car park behind Broad St (Tennant St) for 30p an hour that's open 24 hours.

New St isn't that far, you wouldn't even have to walk through town as such if you use the back roads - which are safe. It's also German Market time so it's still busy at that time.

I used to work for the Resident's Association and was chatting to our beat officer, he said the Broad St area is the safest place in Birmingham because there are so many police officers around, all you'd have to do is shout and there would be someone there.

New St isn't even as far as niggle's description, no need to walk through town, past the town hall and straight down to the New St entrance. Five Ways is a lot further.

Your description of the concert made me laugh because that's the area Brum is filmed.

ds used to love Brum

So, I think all-in-all it sounds as though the train would be best. It's the 10pm walk/wait for the train home which is bothering dh (and me a little too tbh). How big a station is New Street? (we live in a village with a little holt, rather than a station!!) Will it be open - indoor areas to wait in etc?

I am extremely worried about it all

new street station is quite big i used to use it weekly when i was pg and never felt unsafe. All the platforms are easy to find. You can wait outside the station or inside it either in a coffee shop or on the platform

New Street Station is quite large, very busy and well policed.

Not that i'm precious, but I checked a map and Five Ways is slightly nearer, but I wouldn't suggest it.

The directions I suggested from New Street take you through the busiest/nicest parts of town. If you look on the NIA web-site they give you the same directions, but there are quicker ways!

Hope you go and enjoy it. Birmingham is a wonderful place!

I just asked my Civil Engineer OH for an answer to your question, (how big is New St to someone coming from Banbury) he said "massive". It's one of the biggest stations in the country. If you go in from the New St entrance (not the main entrance) it looks quite small, but if you go down to a platform from there and up the other side you come to the main station which is a bit more comfortable for waiting in. There are shops and food places, not sure what time things are open till though.

If you're worried about the walk you could get a taxi for £3 for a private hire and a black cab wouldn't be much more.

carjourney mum- please wave at my dd for me.. it's too far for me to go after work!
hope you ort the transport out... we are having a white t shirt panic here!

Depends on which entrance you go to I should imagine to which would be closer. Getting to the New St entrance wouldn't take long or out of the sight of the main areas as the road in between is very short and goes from one main road to another.

Dh is still worried about the train home.

I am not sure what to do for the best. I know I will struggle to go in the car and in some ways would rather not bother trying than have to worry about the journey I really want to go though

Robinpud - us too !

It's really quite safe, it's the safest area in Birmingham and will have lots of people around because you will have to walk past the German Market for most of it. It's also very well lit (especially around the market!)