Cycle Coventry - Route 4. Site visit

Members of the Cycle Coventry Advisory Group went on a site visit in early November.
The route is from Spon Street to Eastern Green.  Particular issues were at Butts Road, Hearsall Common and Tile Hill Lane west of the A45.

Latest comments on route 4.

Crossing the ring road - junction 2

It's no fun cycling from Stoney Stanton Road into the city centre:

The current route for cyclists is shown in red. We have to cut across two flows of fast traffic: motorists getting onto the ring road in the clockwise direction and motorists leaving the ring road from an anti-clockwise direction.

The council is proposing to re-design the junction to allow buses and taxis a convenient short cut (shown in red):

A new entrance/exit for buses to/from Pool Meadow bus station is also proposed (shown in yellow).

Why won't cyclists be legally allowed to use the new facility? Taxis will.

I suspect that the council is considering converting the pavement on the north-west side of White Street into a pedestrian-cyclist shared use facility. While that will work for slower cyclists, a lot of pedestrians use pavement at this point, so there will be conflict between pedestrians and cyclists hurrying to work.

Why not both a shared cyclist/pedestrian route, for the slower cyclist AND a shared cyclist/bus route, for the faster cyclists? Cyclists in a hurry  can easily reach 15-20 mph, they won't hold up the buses over such a short stretch.

Site visit to Cycle Coventry - Route 1

Members of the Cycle Coventry Advisory Group went on a site visit in late October.
We looked at a route which avoided Widdrington Road and the issue of crossing Lockhurst Lane.
Latest comments on route 1.

Grand Opening Kenilworth <--> Warwick University path

26 October saw the grand opening of the cycling and walking path between Kenilworth and University of Warwick:

More photos from Sustrans.

Local dignitaries made speeches. The chair of Warwickshire County Council's Highways committee expressed the hope of closer collaboration with Coventry on transport matters. I wonder if that means that we might see improved cycle routes between Bedworth and Coventry? Or an improvement to the bridlepath between University Hospital and Coombe Abbey Country Park?

The university's deputy vice-chancellor mentioned the aim of increasing the use of its facilities by local residents. I wonder whether we will see better signage between the university's "Tesco's entrance" and the new path? Directing cyclists along Scarman Road to the main entrance may be best for long distance riders, but Canley parents taking their children to Abbey Fields might be better off with a Health Centre Road route.

I'm told that Warwickshire County Council is becoming more serious about improving the route between Kenilworth and Leamington. The A452 is diabolical. A serious study of the costs of a cycle path is being made and there's talk that construction could be part financed by the proposed development of the Thickthorn area south-east of Kenilworth.

More details about the path

Warwick University's view

It was rather windy at the portrait bench...

Cycle Coventry - First Impressions

Over the past month I have cycled along most of the proposed routes. I've a few general comments which I hope to raise at the Cycle Coventry Advisory Group meetings:

1. Monitoring. Early on is the only time to find the baseline cycle usage. Not only should the cycle use on the proposed routes be measured, but also on alternative routes, to check how much cycle traffic is generated by the improvements and how much is merely shifted. More accurate data about current usage might also be helpful in assessing the usefulness of various improvements.
2. Website It might be a good idea to establish a website early-on to report on progress and plans. Inviting comments from (would-be) users. An example from Lancaster & Morecambe
3. Could route 4 be extended along Corporation Street to join routes 2 and 3? If so re-installation of the facility for cyclists to by-pass buses waiting at the Upper Well Street junction could be examined. Buses block the carriageway as they wait behind other traffic waiting to turn right from Corporation Street at the traffic signals. At the moment there's a danger of cyclists taking to the footway to avoid the congestion.

I've also some comments about each of the routes:

North-East Routes

• Route 1
• Route 2
• Route 3

South-West Routes

• Route 4
• Route 5
• Route 6
• Route 7

Broadgate signs

If you look at the High Street entrance to Broadgate, you will see:

I queried this with the council and received the following response:
  

To clarify on the cycle provision within Broadgate the restrictions in place currently allow cycling in all directions through the square and cyclists are permitted to gain entry at the two access points.

You are however quite correct that the regulatory signage at the High Street access point does state No Entry and does not have the appropriate "Except Cyclists" supplementary plate associated with it. This supplementary plate was omitted as a departure from standards to maintain the decluttered look within the area and negate the need for larger street furniture to be provided to accommodate the larger sign plate.

Therefore whilst you are right that technically the signage in place does provide a mixed message to cyclists, extended observations on site clearly show that cyclists are choosing to freely use Broadgate and we are not aware of any issues where cyclists have deviated from their chosen route because of absence of this supplementary plate. 

Accordingly the intention is to monitor the new layout to determine whether this omitted sign plate is an specific issue, and should this be identified then appropriate action will be taken to mitigate this issue.

Cycle Coventry - grows!

Since my blog at the end of May, more money has been announced. This time to boost cycling in North East Coventry.

Click on this link for my understanding of the proposed routes.

Representatives of various cycling communities, Coventry University, UHCW and EON met with council officers for the first meeting of the Cycle Coventry Advisory Group on 24th August.

We were presented with an updated map, a diagram showing the project's management structure and an overview of the budget:

£,000's 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 Total Revenue funding 549.1 930.8 1085.1 2565 Capital funding 695 2079 1588 4362 Total 1244.1 3009.8 2673.1 6927

The split is about 50:50 between the North-East schemes and the South-West ones. The North-East schemes have a 45:55 revenue:capital split, the South-West 30:70.

We were asked about what we thought should be the priorities for the year 2012/13. Any of the allocation that Coventry can't spend by the end of the year (31 March 2013) will go to a scheme which can. I'll publish a blog post with my comments in the next few days.

Green Fayre

Every year Cyclic has a stall at both the Green Fayre and the Godiva Festival. An opportunity for us to talk to local cyclists about the problems with Coventry's roads and paths.

Heavy rainfall caused this year's Godiva Festival to be cancelled. However the Green Fayre did take place on 23 June in War Memorial Park. Some of the points made:

Holyhead Road

The cycle lane has been removed between Southbank Road and Moseley Ave. / Four Pounds Ave. In its place there's kerbside car parking. Although a set back, I didn't complain too loudly as

• the cycle lanes were not really part of a good route as the conditions for cycling on Holyhead Road between Moseley Avenue and the ring road are pretty poor
• converting the Holyhead Road pavements to cycle paths would create dangers for both pedestrians and cyclists. Motorists would drive into cyclists as they crossed the side roads. The money needed to create a half safe solution could be better spent on improvements at other locations in Coventry.
• there's a alternative route via Barkers Butts Lane:

Tesco Cannon Park

• Roundabout junction of Lynchgate Road and Kirby Corner Road. Buses and taxis entering the roundabout from Kirby Corner Road have priority over cyclists on the roundabout travelling from the University of Warwick to Sir Henry Parks Road or Charter Ave. (western arm). Many such cyclists wish to use the bus lane or join the cycle path which begins at the Toucan crossing between that roundabout and the one at the Charter Avenue junction.
• At the entrance to the University of Warwick at Lynchgate Road, motorists from De Montford Way sometimes take the racing line, crossing the centre line at the bend. There's also considerable pedestrian traffic between the University of Warwick's entrance and Tesco.

Coventry Canal

The towpath is too narrow, but there's not much that can be done about that. What could be improved are the access points:

 

It's very difficult to get tandems or bicycles with trailers past the chicanes. No way could a mobility scooter get past.

North-South Road

Is there space to build a cycle path along side?

Other points

I was able to give some advice on things like secure cycle parking at the Barracks car park (contact CVOne in New Union Street, CV1 2NT. 024 7683 3671 for details) and cycle retailers (see map).

Cycle Coventry - £3.5 million award

Great news!

Coventry Council has just been awarded £3.5 million from the Department of Transport to encourage more cycling in south-west Coventry. There's also a £2.2m local contribution to make a total of £5.7m to be spent over three years.

Commuters, students and local residents are the targets. There's plenty of scope for improvement as the 2001 census showed that half the people working in the area lived within 3 miles of their place of work but 57% of those commuted by car.

The planned means to achieve more cycling are:

• Improved cycle routes (including better signage)
• Better parking
• Speed limit review
• Promotional campaigns aimed at both workplaces and households.

The improved routes (in blue):

 

Outline infrastructure improvements

• Tile Hill Lane: Improved access to Coventry Business Park
• Hearsall Common: Extension of the off-road cycle path, including a new toucan crossing. Contraflow cycle link along Canley Road
• Upper Spon Street: Refurbishment of the link to Sovereign Road, including the replacement of the pedestrian crossing on the Butts with a toucan
• Banner Lane: Improved lighting and completion of the off-carriageway cycle path
• Railway line between Tile Hill and Canley Stations: Refurbishment of subways and conversion to shared use
• Canley station: Shared-use access
• Coventry Station: Shared-use path on Eaton Road
• Spencer Park: Upgrading of path
• Charter Avenue and Mitchell Avenue: Shared use path along single-carriageway sections
• Charter Avenue: Cycle lanes along dual carriageway section
• Cannon Park Shopping Centre: cycle paths
• A45 Burnsall Road subway: Refurbishment and conversion to shared use
• Kenilworth Road: Toucan crossings across Gibbet Hill Road and A45
• Gibbet Hill Road: Cycle link between Kenilworth Road and University's Gibbet Hill Campus
• Improved signage
• More cycle parking at retail centres, workplaces and railway stations
• Review of speed limits and traffic signal response times

Promotion

• Two or three Workplace Engagement Officers to liaise with workplaces to nominate Cycle Champions and create site specific packages of measures such as cycle parking, pool bikes, cycle training, Dr. Bike sessions, events and information
• A Residential Engagement Officer to promote cycling to residents using paper maps, the web, printed media, third parties and face-to-face communication at railway stations, local centres and community events

For more details, see pages 13-17 of the bid made to the Department of Transport.

Broadgate parking

On 25 April I met council officers to consider cycle parking in Broadgate. They suggested three locations:

Between Nationwide and Timpson

An old favourite as the photo from 2009 shows. 

Enforcement action saw the powered two-wheelers disappear and more bicycles appear.

Near the public telephones (Travelodge)

Outside Wilkinson

 

Council officers couldn't say exactly where, as Wilkinson was undecided about where their entrance would be.

Whether enough will be provided remains to be seen. If enough aren't provided, cyclists will improvise:

City Centre Zebra Crossings

I realise it's a bit late to post this, but readers might be interested:

Notice of Intent

Proposed Introduction of Pedestrian Crossings

Notice is hereby given that, Coventry City Council ("the Council"), pursuant to its powers under Section 23 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (as amended), intends to:

1. remove the controlled (Puffin) crossing on Gosford Street approx 192 metres south-west of its junction with Sky Blue Way;
2. install a new pedestrian (Zebra) crossing in Earl Street approx 7m east of its junction with High Street;
3. install a new pedestrian (Zebra) crossing in Fairfax Street approx 20m west of its junction with Priory Street;
4. install a new pedestrian (Zebra) crossing in Pool Meadow Access Road approx 9m north of its junction with Fairfax Street;
5. install a new pedestrian (Zebra) crossing in Gosford Street approx 192 metres south-west of its junction with Sky Blue Way to replace the existing pedestrian (Puffin) crossing;
6. relocate the existing pedestrian (Zebra) crossing in Jordan Well located approx 58 metres east of its junction with Much Park Street to a point approx 46 metres west of the centre-line of White Friars Street;
7. install a new pedestrian (Zebra) crossing in Gosford Street approx 50 metres east of the centre-line of Cox Street junction; and
8. install a new pedestrian (Zebra) crossing in Hales Street approx 15 metres east of the centre line of Bishops Street junction.

The Council is undertaking the installation of the pedestrian crossing facilities as part of the works associated with the Coventry 2012 Public Realm and Olympic Legacy Project. The proposed works include narrowing the carriageway and increasing the footway, to improve the environment for pedestrians and other road users, and provide a safe facility for pedestrians to cross the road.

Works to the crossings should be completed by no later than April 2013.

Any person requiring more information in connection with this proposal should contact the Council's Traffic and Network Management Section, during normal office hours on telephone number 024 76834209.

A copy of this Notice, a plan detailing the location of the said crossings and Statement of Reasons may be inspected at Civic Centre 4 (Reception Area), Much Park Street, Coventry, during normal office hours.

Any representations should be forwarded in writing to Mr R Parkes, Commercial Team, Legal Services, Coventry City Council, 4^t" Floor Christchurch House, Greyfriars Lane, Coventry, CV1 2GZ, or via email to 'rob.parkes@coventry.gov.uk by no later than 12 ^thApril 2012.

---

It's a pity that the council hasn't set up a web-map showing where they plan to make road changes with a weblink to details.  They could then email anybody who had previously indicated interest and invite comments.

Hales Street - a process failure

On 19th March I met council officers to consider a westbound cycling route on Hales Street.

A pavement route on the north of Hales Street is a pretty bad idea for at least two reasons:

Firstly there's not enough room at the bus stops.

Secondly cyclists travelling from Fairfax Street to Corporation Street would have to cross the path of oncoming buses and taxis to reach the pavement at Millennium Place and to get back to the left side of the road at Bishop Street.

Another idea is to convert the pavement on the south side to  pedestrian/cyclist shared use. 

It's pretty narrow, but has far fewer pedestrians than the north side. Whether it's better than an on-carriageway contra-flow is debatable.

Using the pavement presents problems at and beyond the bend.

Cyclists will have to move to the right to see pedestrians further down the road.  

Past the bend the pavement gets narrow.  People will be coming in and out of shops. There's also the problem of obstruction by retailers' signs.

A  suggestion was made to take some space from the carriageway to widen the pavement.

Contra-flow on the carriageway is the obvious solution, until you notice a bus coming from Bishop Street:

No problem for a fast (15 mph) cyclist. Such a cyclist would only take three seconds to cover the distance from where the photos were taken to the junction. But a slow (7 mph) cyclist won't reach the junction before the bus had blocked it.

The kerb on the north side has been built out too far. If the build-out were a metre less, a bus could get around the corner without taking the whole of the carriageway.

I expect the council will say it's too expensive to move the kerb.


Why didn't the design brief for the junction include a requirement for bothway cycling on Hales Street?  Perhaps if cyclists hadn't been overlooked at that stage, something much better would be in place now.

Hales Street is marked on Coventry Council's cycle map as a cycle route.

Recommended cycle routes in blue

More Cycle Parking at Coventry Station

It appears that Virgin Trains has won £300,000 from the Department of Transport to erect a
"300 space purpose built cycle point, including a mixture of secure storage of cycles (racks and lockers), covered with cctv, lighting and associated signage."
at Coventry Station.

See the spreadsheet at
http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/linking-places-fund
 
Let's hope we get a better deal than Sevenoaks:

"The bike parking at Sevenoaks station has been totally inadequate and we campaigned for an increase from an existing 80 spaces to 150. Network Rail told us that as part of the station revamp, the parking was to be increased to 300. So the champagne was flowing. Until the new racks were installed. They are a rack system made by Allpark ltd and basically the racks are too close together so that squeezing in to secure the bike to a small triangular anchoring point at ground level can be a filthy procedure. "

"The Sevenoaks Cycle Forum has remonstrated with Network Rail about this but it looks highly unlikely anything will get changed at this point. If station renovations are going on near you and increased cycle parking is part of the deal get involved and make sure you don’t end up with the same travesty as has happened at Sevenoaks."

See Cyclenation News February 2012: http://www.cyclenation.org.uk/news/news118.pdf

Bishop Street Bridge

Proposals have been made to build a food superstore, a multi-storey car park and a health & fitness club on the site of the old Royal Mail sorting office in Bishop's Street. The pedestrian and cyclist access between the site and the area north of the ring road needs to be improved to encourage a switch from car travel to walking/cycling for reasons of health, the environment and (personal) finance.

At the moment pedestrians use the footbridge 3000 times a day. The bridge is rather ugly and its access ramps are too steep for many wheelchair users. It's also too narrow for safe shared pedestrian/cyclist use:

About half the width recommended by the Department of Transport for shared cyclist/pedestrian use.

The developers propose to replace the bridge with a ground level light controlled crossing (Toucan crossing).

Rather mixed views on this proposal have emerged, mostly concerning safety but also raising other matters. I've listed some below, I don't think they are all of equal weight:

Points for a Toucan crossing

• The need for a 2m high barrier between the ring road carriageways shows that many pedestrians prefer a ground level crossing to climbing up stairs.
• The developers probably favour a ground level crossing instead of a bridge on cost grounds and the Council would not want to place obstacles in the way of the redevelopment of the site.

Points for a Bridge

• It's not unknown for motorists to jump red lights and it is not unusual for pedestrians to cross without due care and attention. Children, people with mobility impairments or partial sight might be put at significant risk with a Toucan crossing. As the city centre has a number of late night venues, a higher proportion of users are drunk than is the case at other places in the city.
• Incidents occurring after the introduction of a ground level crossing might lead to the council paying large amounts in compensation to injured parties. These payments might be large enough to lead the council to cuts jobs or services in order to balance their budget.
• Traffic stopped at the lights might tailback to ring road junctions 1 (Foleshill Road) and 9 (Radford Road), obstructing traffic turning into or out of  Foleshill Road or travelling to Wickes.
• Pedestrians who have crossed one carriageway will have to wait in a central "sheep pen" to reach the other side of the road. This "sheep pen" might get congested at peak times.
• At peak times, to cope with large flows of motor traffic, there may be considerable delays for pedestrians and cyclists crossing the road.

Other points

• Traffic speed and volume might be too much for a Toucan crossing. Yet something similar on Birmingham's inner ring road (James Watt Queensway) seems to work:
  
• The ring road was designed to carry motor traffic around the periphery of the City Centre, creating obstacles on it will lead to traffic rat-running through the centre. This and the stopping of traffic on the ring road will create additional air pollution, noise pollution and wear and tear on vehicles. However London has much higher congestion than Coventry and that seems to lead to a much higher levels of public transport use, walking and cycling.

The Motorcycle Riders' Association are against a ground level crossing, contact paulhillock@hotmail.co.uk

Further details about the developer's proposals: http://planning.coventry.gov.uk/portal/servlets/ApplicationSearchServlet?PKID=715299

Cycle Route review

A few days ago, the Cycle Users' Consultation Group met to discuss the issues raised in the review of Coventry's cycle routes.

We started with the A45, a road built in the 1930's with cycle tracks on both sides. Unfortunately, when changes were subsequently made to accommodate increased traffic flows little consideration was given to cyclists. This has lead to a situation where established facts on the ground make re-instating cycling conditions to their original standard difficult and expensive.

After getting though about a quarter of the issues we decided to discuss Hales Street.  I hope something better  than the current arrangement will be provided.  There's also an opportunity to make Greyfriars Lane bothway for cyclists. If Coventry Council wants to show that  it is aware that cycling is a highly efficient user of scarce city centre space, a low-carbon transport solution and helps tackle the obesity issue it would do something.  Or maybe it doesn't?

Anyway here's a list of the issues raised about the signed cycle routes in the city:

Issue	Recommendation	Cost	Notes
A45 Stonebridge Off Road (N)
Cannot get access to route from north side at Stivichall roundabout. Access possible from Tollbar but not continuous. South side works but is narrow at eastern end.	Resolve as part of Tollbar Island. Current proposal is to remove route from north side of A45 and improve south side.	N/A	Depends on Highways Agency's works on Tollbar End
A45 Kenpas Off Road (N)
Route appears to terminate on north side just before Stivichall Island.	Convert footway (by Festival pub) to shared cycle route and sign route to Leaf Lane. Ensure future continuity on A45 as part of Tollbar scheme	Low	Needs report and signing
No crossing facilities at Leamington Rd junction.	Install non signalised crossing on end of Leamington Road. Good road width to accommodate	Med	Designs already available
Gap in route (on both sides) east of Kenilworth Rd. Presumably removed as part of A45 widening.	No option to widen or significantly improve. Convert footway to shared cycle route and cut back vegetation where possible.	Low	Needs report and signing
No signalised crossing facilities over Kenilworth Rd. Must cross with traffic which can be difficult	Explore possibilities as part of LSTF. Likely to have implications on traffic flows	Med/High	Included in bid
A45 Fletcthamstead Off Road (N)
Gap in route (south side) West of Kenilworth Rd. Presumably removed as part of A45 widening. Already used heavily by cyclists	Convert footway to shared cycle route	Low	Needs report and signing
Short gap in route (north side) at Homebase Roundabout outside police station. Also general lack of signing to indicate continuity of route	Widen footway to create shared cycle route. Consider road markings, such as elephant feet markings, to delineate route	Med/Low
Large gap on (west side) between Standard Ave and Broad Lane. Not clear how the road operates i.e. one way?	Needs contra flow cycle route at north end and appropriate signage. Could be difficult to accommodate into the highway	Med	Could be addressed through LSTF
Large gap on (east side) between Sainsbury's and Broad Lane	Wide footway would allow simple conversion from footway to shared cycle route.	Low
Gap on west side between Tile Hill La and Broad La	Widening could be difficult due to large trees so only option is to convert to shared use	Low	Risk Assess
Gap on east side between Tile Hill La and Broad La	No room in highway for any widening, so only option is to convert to shared use	Low	Risk Assess
Toucan crossing timings need adjusting as they require an unnecessary wait of around 40 seconds	UTMC informed	Low
A45 Dunchurch Off Road ()
Cannot get to route (west side) without cycling on busy section of A45. Unclear how this odd arrangement has occurred, presumably road widening	Remove route from cycle map, or amend to fit with the actual. Sign alternative on road route through residential area	Med/Low
Route does on start until end of Pickford Way slip road on east side. Not clear why this arrangement exists and is dangerous for users travelling towards Pickford Way	Remove route from cycle map, or amend to fit with the actual. Sign alternative on road route through residential area	Med/Low
Tile Hill Lane A45 to Tile Hill Lane east (near Blockbusters) Off Road (N)
Route technically does not continue beyond A45 junction travelling west. Works well in opposite direction	Works to extend route across A45 to Tile Hill Lane west would require conversion to Toucan crossings which would be poor VFM. Leave for now.	N/A	Consider through LSTF, but unlikely
Hearsall Common Tile Hill La to Kingston Rd Off Road (Y)
Route (north side) terminates half way along the common. No crossing or link to Canley station	Cross Hearsall Common via a new Toucan and continue route alongside the common to Earlsdon Ave North. Install new crossing point, uncontrolled, on Earlsdon Ave N opposite Kingston Rd.	High (But good VFM)	Scheme designed but not implemented due to Village Green
Kenilworth Road City boundary to Gibbet Hill Off Road (Poss)
Lack of signalised crossing facility at Gibbet Hill Rd. Cross with traffic.	Signalise by installing Toucan, but would have impact on traffic capacity / congestion	Med/High	Check if any UoW plans
Kenilworth Road Gibbet Hill to A45 Off Road (Poss)
Need controlled crossing at A45. Often raised by cyclists as a dangerous crossing.	Signalise, but could be expensive and have major impact on capacity	Med/High	Could explore through LSTF
Kenilworth Road A45 to Stoneleigh Ave Off Road (Y)
Need improved link into Stoneleigh Ave due to poor visibility	Widen footway / convert to shared use. Cut back hedge.	Med	Designs already available
Spencer Park Through park Off road (Y)
Works well but needs maintenance on bridge deck	Request maintenance	Low
University of Warwick Lynchgate Road Off Road (Poss)
Missing link between new cycle route on Sir Henry Parks and UoW.	Currently included in Tesco Cannon Park 106	N/A
University of Warwick Gibbet Hill rd. Off Road (Poss)
Need link into university on Gibbet Hill Rd	50k Available in UoW 106. Limited highway room to much without effecting trees		Med/High
University of Warwick Gibbet Hill to main campus Off Road (N)
Works well	N/A
Holyhead Cycle Route All On road advisory (N)
Stops at Four Pounds Ave and at Pickford Way roundabout	Sections between Southbank Rd and Four Pounds Ave due to be removed. A new signed route will provide continuous signed on road route into City Centre. The western end will be extended via new developer funded routes to Browns La Jaguar	Funded
Allesley Park Through Park Off road (N)
Route ends at park exit near A45	Needs signing and consider improved crossing over A45 slips at western exit	Low/Med
Jaguar Whitley Whitley Common Off Road (N)
Appears to work well	N/A
Coat of Arms / Memorial Park Into Jaguar Off Road (N)
Section through wooded area needs lighting, and route needs extending to Allard Way alongside London Road	Light wooded area link to Abbey Road and create new route alongside London Road.	Med/High
Coat of Arms / Memorial Park Into Jaguar Off Road (N)
Link to Leaf Lane is narrow but works well	N/A
Coat of Arms / Memorial Park Coat of Arms Bridge Road On road (N)
Works well although some maintenance issues e.g. leaves and road surface	N/A
Coat of Arms / Memorial Park Through Park Off road (N)
No signing to indicate it is a cycle route, and missing link at northern end towards Warwick Rd /Earlsdon	Sign new link from Coat of Arms to Leamington Road Park. Consider options for extending route through Warwick Road Park	Low
Allard Way London Road to Jasmine Grove Off Road (N)
Route ends at Humber Road. North end links into Jasmine Grove and Lang bank Ave cycle route	Extend route from Humber Rd to Riverside Close through conversion of footway. Would require better crossing facilities over ASDA and Humber Rd	Med/High	Tie into ASDA development, on hold
Allard Way Jasmine Grove to Binley Rd N/A (N)
No suitable route between Jasmine Grove and existing route from Whitworth Ave.	Either create on road signed route along Barley Lea/Whitworth Ave/Linfield or create new route along Sowe Valley to fill gap. Final section from Second Ave to Binley Rd will be addressed through New Century Park development, but would also benefit from cycle route alongside Allard Way	On road low, Sowe Valley or med/high	Designs done
No route between Second Ave and Binley Road	Needs existing footway widening, but limited room, or new route through New Century Park. Ideally both as NCP not as convenient	Med/High	Some design work done. Was included in NCP development design.
Peugeot Stoke All on main spine road Off road (N)
Links well into east/Terry Road but ends abruptly on southern arm on Humber Road just before bridge, where the route is needed most! The road is narrow and changes to 40 mph,	Review speed limit. Consider off road route, but could be land issues, and expensive	N/A	Speed review requested
Prologis Park / Arena All Off road (N)
Generally works well although access from the east is not good off Foleshill Road	Link existing crossing on Foleshill Rd near Windmill Rd/Arena by converting footway to cycle route. Limited room in highway	Med	Risk assess
Canal All Off road (Y)
Generally works well. Section between City Centre and Leicester Causeway yet to be upgraded.	Upgrade first section. Better signing and maintenance would help on existing. Would benefit from supporting signed on road link route from City Centre e.g. through Hillfields. Still plans to continue route north to Bedworth	High	Address canal towpath extension through LSTF.
Binley Road Sky Blue Way On/off road (N)
Key missing link between Far Gosford St and Binley / A444 roundabout (south side), and along Far Gosford St which is one way. Very well used route.	Address FGS by create new cycle route along Sky Blue Way utilising bus lane and new cut-through by new hotel. Consider removing parking bays on south side of Binley Road to accommodate cycle route. Existing footway bit narrow.	Med/High	Gap included in hotel plans
Binley Road A444 to Allard Way On road advisory (N)
Works well, although some sections too narrow around Brays la to Church la. Route ends at Allard way	Remark cycle route around Brays Lane to accommodate buffer between parking and cycle route.	Med
Broad Lane Hawthorn to Banner Off road (Y)
Forms part of NCN. Works well but not yet complete. Will link into new Banner La route	Complete route as part of Bannerbrook Sec 106 works	N/A
Naul's Mill Park Barkers Butts to Randle St Off road (N)
Pleasant route, but poorly maintained.	Needs resurfacing. Many people cycle on better maintained main path through park.		Check if highway/inform parks dept
Compass Court Spon St to Windsor St Off Road (Y)
Works well	N/A	N/A
West of Rugby Club Between Butts and Sovereign Rd Off Road (Y)
Route does not link in Compass Court route as end of Upper Spon St is one way.	Create cycle contraflow	Med
Techno Centre Puma Way to Parkside Off Road (N)
Works well. Wrong tactile paving	N/A	N/A	Not highway
Subways Jct 6 Off road (N)
Missing link between Coventry station and subway cycle route to City Centre	Address through 2012 and LSTF by creating contraflow route on Eaton Rd	Med
Subways Jct 2 Off road (N)
Existing route to Millennium Square ends abruptly at Chauntry Place and does not link into Stoney Stanton or Foleshill Rd	Create new shared use cycle track to end of Stoney Stanton Rd. Tie into possible Pool Meadow access improvements	Med
Subways Jct 5 (N)
Missing link between subway at jct 5 and Park Road	Create new segregated shared use route, but requires Cycle Tracks Act order	Low
Subways Jct 8 (N)
Fill in Hill St Subway? Cyclists use both the subway and bridge	Carry out quick count to assess situation	N/A
Subways Jct 4 N/A (N)
No provision for cyclists around Gulson /London Rd	Convert footway to segregated shared use	Low	Designs done

Stoney Road Bridge: Southbound cars banned

There's a proposed Traffic Regulation Order banning private motor vehicles from travelling south over Stoney Road's railway bridge.  Taxis are now to be included in the ban.
Text:

Modification of a Road Traffic Order

City of Coventry (Stoney Road) (Bus Lane) Order 2011

Coventry City Council ("the Council"), under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (as amended) and the Local Authorities' Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996, intends to modify the above Road Traffic Regulation Order ("the Order").

The Order was advertised on 13th October 2010, and sought to implement a bus lane in the nearside lane of Stoney Road (south carriageway) from a point four (4) metres south west of its junction with Manor Road to a point forty-seven (47) metres north of its junction with Michaelmas Road.

As advertised, the Order permitted buses, taxis, private hire vehicles, pedal cycles and vehicles accessing 41 and/or 43 Stoney Road, to travel in the bus lane.

The Council received a number of responses in favour of the proposal together with a number of formal objections. These were formally considered at the Cabinet Member (City Services) meeting held on 13th December 2011. At the meeting the decision was reached that the Order should be modified to prohibit taxis (hackney carriages and private hire vehicles) using the bus lane.

As a result of the aforementioned decision the Council hereby gives notice that the Order is to be modified thereby prohibiting taxis (hackney carriages and private hire vehicles) from using the bus lane. Buses, pedal cycles and vehicles accessing 41 and/or 43 Stoney Road, will continue to be permitted to use the bus lane.

A copy of this notice, the modified Order, plan and modified Statement of Reasons for making the Order may be inspected at Civic Centre 4 (Reception Area), Much Park Street, Coventry, during normal office hours. Any objections to the proposed modification should be forwarded to Mr R Parkes, Commercial Team, Legal Services, Coventry City Council, 4th Floor, Christchurch House, Greyfriars Lane, Coventry CV1 2QL by no later than Thursday, 16th February 2012.

Any person requiring further information in connection with this proposed modification should contact the Council's Traffic Management Team during normal office hours on telephone number 024 76834209.

Chris West
Director of Finance & Legal Services
Council House
Coventry
Dated: 26th January 2012

Binley Road / Brindle Avenue junction

Coventry council is proposing to make some changes to the junction:

Adding a Toucan crossing across Brindle Avenue and shifting the crossing on the citybound carriageway closer to Brindle Avenue

Diagram      Notice of Intent.

Extending the bus lane on the outbound carriageway

Diagram   Traffic Regulation Order

Phoenix Way (A444) Entrance to Tesco Arena

I should have posted this earlier, but better late than never!

Coventry Council is proposing to add Toucan crossings to the junction of Phoenix Way with Classic Drive. This will make cycling and walking along the A444 between Bedlam Lane and the Ricoh Areana easier.

It re-instates the cycle/pedestrian path diverted when Classic Way was built.

More details:

• Cyclist & Pedestrian Plan
• Motorists' Plan
• Notice of Intent: Proposed Installation Pedestrian Crossings 
• Proposed Prohibition of Turns Revocation Order 2011

 
From the covering letter:

It is proposed to make some changes to the junction of Phoenix Way / Classic Drive (Tesco, Arena Retail Park) / Car Park C of the Ricoh Arena. It is proposed to install pedestrian / cycle crossing facilities, and revoke the existing Traffic Regulation Order that prohibits various manoeuvres at the junction.
If you wish to object to either of these proposals please write to Mr R Parkes, as per the detail on the attached notices by no later than 12th January 2012.
If you would like to discuss this proposal in more detail please contact Simon Gordon on 02476 832107.

Hales Street - One Way!

No entry signs have been erected on the Whittle Arch end of Hales Street.

Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders have been issued prohibiting riding and driving westwards along Hales Street between the Arches and Bishop Street. A taxi rank has been marked in Hales Street.

Yet back in March 2011 proposed Traffic Regulation Order were on view as follows:

City of Coventry (City Centre) (No. 1) (Prohibition of Driving, One Way, Variation and Revocation) Order 2011

1. This order shall come into operation [...]
2. 1. In this order
   2. reference [...]
   3. "Pedal Cycle" has the same meaning as in Regulation 4 of the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002
   4. [...]
3. Save as provided in Articles 4, 5, and 6 of this Order, no person shall ride or drive [...] any vehicle on the lengths of road specified in the first column of the Second Schedule to this Order other than in the direction specified in the second column and at the times specified in the third column of the said Schedule.
4. Nothing in Article 3 of this Order shall apply to any vehicle listed in the First Schedule to this Order
5. [...]

First Schedule

Nothing in Article 3 of this Order shall apply to any

1. Pedal Cycle
2. vehicle being used for police, fire or ambulance service [...]
   
3. [...]

Second Schedule

Length of Road	Direction	Times
[...]	[...]	[...]
Hales Street between its junction with Bishop Street and its junction with Trinity Street	Eastbound	All Times
[...]	[...]	[...]

[...] shows where irrelevant text has been omitted .
 
I'm no lawyer but I'm pretty sure that the original text meant that most vehicles were to be prohibited from travelling westbound on Hales Street.  Exceptions were for emergency services responding to emergencies and for pedal cycles.

Before Christmas I telephoned the council's traffic management department concerning the issue.

I was told that the Traffic Regulation Order hadn't been brought into force yet as the council wanted to allow time for the issues to be fully debated. It was thought unfair to make changes on the ground and then, when faced with opposition, to conclude that it would be too expensive to change things. Nevertheless the Traffic Regulation Order had been passed by various committees and would go ahead largely unchanged.

So what has happened? Did a few people, after a short chat, decide that as bus stops were to go on the museum side of Hales Street, the taxi rank would go on the other side? Simply forgetting about cyclists?

What has happened to the idea of discussing issues with interested citizens of Coventry before changing things on the ground? To the Rule of Law and Due Process?

Hales Street is an important route for cyclists travelling westwards across the city centre. It avoids the gradient on Gosford Street and the heavy traffic of the ring road. Faced with a no entry sign just past Trinity Street, cyclists will choose one of these options:

1. Take their chances and cycle through.
2. Ride on the footway putting pedestrians at risk.
3. Push their bicycles on the footway
4. Cycle along Palmer Way.
5. Cycle along Palmer Way taking a shortcut to the Burgess via the alleyway by
   "Club Release".

 I'm pretty sure options (a) and (b) will be the most popular. Palmer Way is indirect, has a poor surface and an upwards gradient. It is often partially blocked and is probably unfamiliar to most cyclists.

One-way for motor vehicles, bothway for cyclists has worked before. As illustrated in this photograph from a Department of Transport publication: (LTN 2/08, Figure 7.6):