Soho Road: Safety protest after Hizar Hanif's death

Mat MacDonald, of Better Streets for Birmingham, said the city should be united in calls for safer roads

Dozens of campaigners calling for safer streets in Birmingham have met near the spot where a young father died.

Hizar Hanif, 31, was sitting in a stationary car when it was hit by an Audi on Soho Road, Handsworth, last month.

Mat MacDonald, of Better Streets for Birmingham, said the city needed to speak as "one voice" to demand road safety measures.

It has called for technology to limit car speeds and road layout changes.

Mr McDonald, co-chair of the group, told the crowd on Soho Road: "Only by speaking as one voice across this vital and diverse city can we truly honour those who have died, and can we ever hope to achieve justice for those they have left behind."

The group, which has previously campaigned at other sites for road safety, said: "Every single day, someone else is seriously injured."

"This is not an acceptable part of life and it's something that we need to change."

Hizar Hanif "had so many dreams, so much more he wanted to accomplish," his wife said

A woman was seriously hurt in the crash in which Mr Hanif died two weeks ago.

A man was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and released while police inquiries continue.

Mr Hanif was described by his wife as someone who "went above and beyond for his family and friends" and was loved by everyone.

"Hizar was the most driven and passionate person I knew," she wrote in a tribute, released by West Midlands Police.

The force said it carried out patrols on Soho Road, and the wider Handsworth area, on Wednesday.

As well as talking to people about concerns over anti-social behaviour, it carried out enforcement action or reported a number of drivers, it added.

This included moving five motorists who were parked on double yellow lines in Soho Road, and seizing two vehicles in the area which did not have a licence or insurance.

A consultation about a road safety action plan for the whole of the West Midlands is under way.