There are a range of methods that we could adopt to meet the challenges faced locally in transport planning.

We only have a limited amount of money to spend and so we will have to prioritise the schemes carefully.

There are two basic approaches we could take:

CORRIDORS AND CENTRES

Coventry can be naturally divided into three corridors:

• to the west linking the centre to Solihull and Birmingham
• to the east linking the centre to Rugby and London
• north-south linking the centre to Nuneaton and Kenilworth.

We could invest in major projects to deal with challenges in each of these zones and the City Centre. This would include schemes such as:

• BUS SHOWCASE
  Upgrading existing bus routes so that buses have priority, are easier to get on and off and are more reliable.
   
• PARK AND RIDE
  Intercepting car drivers as they drive into Coventry and encouraging them to complete their journey via public transport.
   
• DEMAND MANAGEMENT
  Making it harder to drive into or park in the centre while simultaneously making it easier to use public transport.
   
• NEW RAIL STATIONS
  Building new rail stations in some of our corridors would enable people to make more use of the trains.
   
• INTERCHANGES
  We could make it easier to swap between bus, train, car, bike or foot by providing stations at which all these different transport types meet.

It would take many years to deliver these projects and they may only be able to be funded one at a time.

Alternatively we could aim for:

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

Instead of delivering a small number of large schemes, we could concentrate on a larger number of smaller schemes and encourage a gradual but continuous improvement in the network and public transport system.

This approach would focus on schemes such as:

• LOCAL SAFETY
  Making residential areas safer for those who live there. We could use traffic calming, 20mph zones and even 'Home Zones' where the pedestrian and cyclist are in charge.
    
• HIGHWAY RENEWAL
  We could renew major roads and pavements, giving them a longer life span and making them safer. There is a long backlog of renewal work to be done.
    
• RESIDENTS' PARKING
  We could introduce schemes to enable residents to park in their streets while others such as - commuters dodging car park fees - are prevented from parking.
    
• OTHER SAFETY SCHEMES
  Improvements in street lighting would make people feel safer at night, encourage them to walk or use public transport and reduce their dependence on the car.
    
• CYCLE ROUTES
  Building decent cycle routes where cyclists are protected from motor traffic will encourage more people to get about by bike.
    
• INFLUENCE
  We intend to continue Influencing bus and train companies to convince them to improve standards of reliability and service.

If we focus on these more community based schemes, it is unlikely that we will be able to deliver the large schemes listed in 'Corridors and Centres' as well.
  

©1995-2000 Coventry Internet Developments Ltd

This page modified on 10 November 2008 09:49:15AM