The crossroads between Hales
Street, Trinity Street and Fairfax Street will be shut to all traffic
as part of the Phoenix Initiative.
Buses that used to go over
this crossroads from the south of the city will instead go around a
gyratory formed by Hales Street, Burges and Trinity Street.
Motorists used to being able
to drive around the city centre are furious at the moves as they
believe cars will be banned from using these streets.
They are joining forces with
protestors who want to save the Hippodrome and those who are angry
about the decision to put toilets in place of the the library
information centre at a special meeting tomorrow.
Coventry People’s Action
group are trying to collect the necessary number of signatures that
will force Coventry City Council to hold a referendum to see if people
want a directly-elected mayor.
Thousands of signatures are
needed to make the vote happen.
Tomorrow’s meeting in the
Greyhound Pub in Much Park Street, from 2pm, will discuss the
strategy. It will be chaired by former councillor Ron Morgan, who now
runs the Toy Museum.
Irene Shannon, of the Coventry
Society, said the meeting was part of a wake-up call to councillors to
listen to what people in the city wanted to hear.
She said the latest traffic
proposals would “kill the city centre” and must be stopped.
Mrs Shannon said:
“How will people be able
to drive from one part of the city centre to another. It’s hard
enough as it is. I don’t know how to give directions in the city
centre any more.”
Chris Beck of the Phoenix
Initiative said cars “might” be banned from using the roads as
part of a later stage of the development if congestion got too bad.
But he confirmed that the road
closure would take place at the crossroads as part of the building of
Millennium Place.
He said:
“I can’t say what the
buses will do because I don’t run them. The bus companies are
considering what to do.”
A bendy-bus might be the only
vehicle allowed across the square as it is environmentally-friendly
and will go under the millennium bridge linking the square from the
other parts of the Phoenix Initiative development.
