Transport Strategy

1.1 Purpose of this strategy

A safe, sustainable and reliable transport system is essential to the effective functioning of any community, and Coventry is no different.  This strategy sets out Coventry City Council’s plans to deliver a transport system that meets the need of the city’s population, businesses and wider community, providing access to community facilities and supporting a thriving economy and a healthy population.

The strategy recognises the need to reduce inequalities in access to economic, educational and cultural opportunities and in public health, and to ultimately improve the quality of life for our citizens.

It sets out plans to bring about a fundamental change to the way that people and goods travel to, from and around the city in the future, and identifies how we will work with various partners to achieve this.

More specifically, it includes:

• the case for change. A summary of how our transport system is working currently and why it needs to change
• a long-term vision, including a set of objectives which we will aim to meet over the next 15 years
• a broad description of what we will do over the lifetime of the strategy (2022/23 – 2036/37) to achieve these objectives. Further detail is set out in an accompanying Implementation Plan.
• a summary of how we will measure our progress, through annual reporting.

This strategy is fully integrated with the West Midlands Combined Authority’s (WMCA) Local Transport Plan (LTP), and the two documents together provide the transport policy framework for Coventry.

The strategy will be subject to regular review, to allow for response to changes in national or regional policies, the emergence of new technology such as autonomous vehicles, or to respond to changes in travel behaviour, such as those brought about during the COVID-19 pandemic.

An Annual Progress Report will also be prepared to outline progress in implementing the strategy, and to report any changes to the Implementation Plan.

1.2 Vision and key principles

The overall purpose of our strategy is to offer a safe, sustainable, equitable and resilient transport system, which enables our residents, visitors and businesses to thrive. In seeking to realise this vision, there are also some important principles that we will adhere to.

We will:

• engage with residents, businesses and institutions across the city and ensure that our plans reflect and incorporate their views.
• strive to ensure that all parts of the transport system are accessible to everyone.
• be flexible in how we achieve our objectives, responding to changes in travel patterns arising from factors such as the impact of the pandemic upon working practices, emerging new technology, and increasing fuel prices.
• be innovative. Coventry already has a reputation as a leader in the field of transport innovation. We will seek to maintain and strengthen this over the lifetime of the strategy.
• balance tackling local challenges with improving Coventry’s regional, national and international connections
• focus on detailed short and medium-term planning with consideration for longer-term thinking
• take a ‘multi-modal’ approach, recognising that no one form of transport can meet everybody’s travel needs. This will include a package of walking, cycling, public transport improvements, measures aiming at encouraging more sustainable car use and an approach that embraces emerging modes of travel arising from new technology.
• think holistically, combining physical improvements to the city’s transport infrastructure with other measures, including measures that encourage and incentivise people to change their travel habits through creating a more attractive environment and accessible city.
• work closely with transport network managers and service providers to implement the transport strategy, recognising that the City Council has direct responsibility for only part of the transport system.
• align our strategy with those of our neighbours and with other key partners working in the region, and work collaboratively with them to implement it.

1.3 Engagement with residents and stakeholders

As part of the work to develop this strategy, we carried out two surveys of residents, between February and March 2021 and between February and April 2022, using the Council’s online consultation platform Let’s Talk.  In total we received almost 400 responses from residents across the two surveys.  We also engaged with residents via a drop-in session held at the Council House in July 2022 and held specific workshops to meet with key stakeholders while the strategy was being developed.

The views of individual survey participants have been included throughout the strategy to illustrate key points.