LOCAL TRANSPORT PLAN 2000
ChallengesON THE
RAILWAYS
Coventry station lies on the West Coast
Mail Line, there is congestion along this track. There are two level crossings within
Coventry at Tile Hill and Canley. Operation of these crossings causes traffic delays.
There are no rail stations on the line to
the east of Coventry station within the City boundary.
Coventry station also lies on the
Nuneaton-Leamington line. There are no other stations along this line within the City.
EMPLOYMENT
Coventry has areas of low employment and
low car ownership. The City Council is encouraging investment into the City, bringing jobs
and prosperity.
These new employment and housing sites will
need to be served by an efficient transport infrastructure.
Where the links to employment or housing
sites are poor, those without cars are discriminated against.
CONGESTION
In the mornings, large amounts of traffic
enters the City from Warwickshire to the north, east and south, and Birmingham and
Solihull to the west. In the evening it all leaves again. Combined with the City's
traffic, this creates congestion problems and is likely to increase levels of harmful
pollutants.
Traffic entering the City causes
congestion; this can hold up not only other drivers but also the freight that is vital to
our economic welfare. It can cause delays to pedestrians wanting to cross roads. It can
endanger cyclists who share the roads with cars.
SAFETY
In many areas, traffic build-up can lead to
rat-running and dangerous driving in residential streets. Groups of residents are calling
for traffic-calming in their own streets. Other communities are calling for home zones or
blanket 20mph zones.
Parents worry about letting their children
walk to and from school. Many of them drive instead, further clogging the streets and
choking the atmosphere.
Some of our citizens feel unsafe walking
around areas of the city at night and there are complaints that some of our pavements are
unsafe.
PARKING
Parking can be a highly contentious issue.
All of those driving into the City to work need somewhere to park, and some try to escape
paying to park in the public spaces. Everyone with a car wants to be able to park outside
their house but in some areas there are restrictions that prevent them from doing this.
ROAD TO EVERYWHERE
Coventry is at the heart of the UK and the
crossroads of the national road and rail networks. The City Council works with Railtrack
and the Highways Agency to deal with bottlenecks and keep everyone moving.
The amount of traffic using our roads takes
a heavy toll on the road surface. We spend £2.5million per year repairing roads and
pavements. This is a fraction of what is needed to bring our streets up to an acceptable
standard.
LINKS IN THE CHAIN
There are over 190 road bridges in
Coventry. We have to be particularly careful in monitoring their condition and safety.
They are vital links in the chain and would cause untold disruption to trafffic should
they have to close. Around thirty bridges will require strengthening or maintenance work
in the next few years.
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