Coventry Transport Strategy Implementation Plan - Print version

Introduction

1.1 Purpose of this document

This Implementation Plan accompanies Coventry City Council’s Transport Strategy.

The Transport Strategy sets out plans to bring about a fundamental change to the way that people and goods travel to, from and around Coventry in the future.  It explains why a change is needed and describes, in broad terms, what we will do over the next 15 years to deliver that change.  This document provides further detail about our plans.  It sets out details of the specific improvements that we will make to the city’s transport network and the expected timescales and approximate costs associated with these.

It is important to note that the schemes referred to in this document are at different stages of development (for example, funding has already been secured to deliver some, while others are currently unfunded or only partly funded).  For this reason, this plan focuses particularly on the schemes that we will deliver during the first five years of the strategy (2022/23 – 2026/27), as these are generally more developed, while also giving an indication of what further improvements we have ambitions to deliver over the later years of the strategy (2027/28 – 2036/37).

Similarly, expected costs have been provided by sorting schemes into a range of cost brackets (<£10m, £10-£25m, £25-£50m, £50-£100m and £100m+).  This is intended to be sufficient to provide a broad sense of the level of investment associated with our plans, while also reflecting the fact that some schemes are still in the early stages of development and that, as a result, precise figures are not available at this time.

Furthermore, while this document accurately reflects current plans at the time of writing, we will also keep it under regular review.  We will do this by publishing an Annual Progress Report, which will outline our progress in implementing the Transport Strategy and to report any changes which we are making to this plan.  This will allow us to remain flexible in our approach and to add to or adjust our plans to respond to changing circumstances arising from factors such as national, regional or local policy decisions or new funding opportunities.

1.2 Structure of this document

The Transport Strategy describes the improvements that we intend to make across six broad areas:

• Public transport
• Walking, cycling and micro-mobility
• Road network
• Zero emission and shared vehicles
• Freight
• Encouraging behaviour change

This document is therefore structured around these six areas. For each of them, it describes the specific improvements that we plan to deliver and when they will be delivered.  In practice, not all these improvements will be delivered directly by the Council.  Some schemes will be delivered by, or in partnership with, our various partners in the region, and this is also highlighted here.

Public transport

The Transport Strategy describes plans to deliver major improvements to the city’s public transport network, including the development of a first-of-its-kind in the world mass transit system, Coventry Very Light Rail (CVLR), and improvements to existing rail and bus services.  The table below shows the specific public transport schemes which we currently plan to deliver over the lifetime of this strategy.

Walking, cycling and micromobility

The Transport Strategy describes plans to significantly improve the conditions for walking and cycling, and to trial new forms of micromobility, such as e-scooters.  The table below shows the walking, cycling and micromobility schemes that we currently plan to deliver over the lifetime of this strategy.

Road network

Although the Transport Strategy aims to bring about a reduction in levels of car travel overall, it is recognised that some investment in the city’s road network is still required.  This will be targeted primarily at the Strategic and Key Route Network (busy roads which carry large volumes of traffic, such as the city’s A-roads), on areas where significant development is planned and on local air pollution hotspots, as identified in our Local Air Quality Action Plan (LAQAP). 

Road schemes will not be designed exclusively for cars and the Council will ensure that where new roads are built, or existing roads are improved, that space and facilities for pedestrians, cyclists and/or public transport is also designed in.

The table below shows improvements that are currently planned to the road network within, or immediately adjacent to the city over the lifetime of this strategy.

Zero emission and shared vehicles

Although the Transport Strategy aims to bring about a reduction in levels of car travel overall, it is recognised that some journeys will continue to be made by road.  Therefore, the strategy also seeks to accelerate the transition from petrol and diesel vehicles to zero-emission alternatives.

The table shows schemes that we currently plan to deliver over the lifetime of this strategy in order to support this change.

Freight

The Transport Strategy sets out plans to change the way in which goods are transported to, from around Coventry. The table shows the schemes that we currently plan to deliver over the lifetime of this strategy in order to achieve this.

Encouraging behaviour change

In addition to the physical improvements to transport infrastructure and services described in the previous sections, the Transport Strategy also sets out plans to reduce car travel by actively encouraging a change in residents’ behaviour.  The table shows schemes that we currently plan to deliver over the lifetime of this strategy in order to achieve this.