Agenda and minutes

There were no disclosable pecuniary interests.

(a)  To agree the minutes of the meeting held on 31^st July 2024

(b)  Matters Arising

The minutes of the meeting held on 31^st July 2024 were agreed and signed as a true record.

There were no matters arising.

Report of the Director of City Services and Commercial

The City Centre Management Plan (CCTP) is a series of interventions designed to manage traffic in the city centre with an aim to reduce the amount of traffic circulating within the centre, thereby improving bus service reliability, improve air quality through reducing queuing traffic, promoting active travel, and facilitating the Coventry Very Light Rail (CVLR) City Centre Demonstrator track which will run from the railway station to the former Ikea building.

In July 2023, a bus gate was introduced to Hales Street with the aim of improving safety and traffic flows through the Hales Street, Trinity Street, Cross Cheaping, and the Burges area of the city centre by giving priority to pedestrians, public transport and cyclists.

This measure was designed to combat the high number of vehicles parking along with offside kerb on Burges.  While this section of kerb was intended for deliveries, the increased volume of delivery traffic since the rise of online food delivery services means this kerb line suffered a greater use than what it was designed for.  This led to buses being held up as they were unable to pass buses in front of them.

The bus gate restricts traffic other than buses, bicycles, hackney carriages and permit holders (which includes private hire vehicles) entering the area during Monday to Saturday between 10am and 6pm, which was when buses were busiest, due to serving outbound services.

All households and businesses within the area were able to apply for permits allowing access for their regular daily visitors (eg. residents, workers, delivery drivers) and temporary permits for any visitors coming at short notice (ie. Unplanned deliveries, customers, etc).

These measures were delivered under an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) (City of Coventry (Hales Street) (Bus Gate) (Experimental) Order 2023) and the statutory objection period concluded on 18 January 2024 (6 months after the order was advertised).  One objection has been received to the ETRO as listed in Appendix B.  In accordance with the City Council’s procedure for dealing with objections to ETRO’s, they are reported to the Cabinet Member for City Services for a decision as to how to proceed. The ETRO was due to expire on 18 January 2025 (having been implemented for the maximum period of 18 months).

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for City Services:

1)  Consider the objection received to the City of Coventry (Hales Street) (Bus Gate) (Experimental) Order 2023.

2)  Approves the works to the pedestrian crossing facilities as detailed in the report.

Report of the Director of City Services and Commercial

The London Road North Scheme involved the installation of a new segregated cycle track on London Road stretching from the ASDA Roundabout to its junction with Abbey Road.  The improvements would include new pavement surfacing, bus stop relocations and one signalised crossing near Tonbridge Road.  These improvements would encourage cycling and walking and help address health inequalities within the area by promoting the linkage between cycle tracks.

Councillors R Bailey and R Brown and a representative of the Whitley Residents Focus Group attended the meeting and raised concerns about the scheme to which officers responded as follows:

·  There were further residents’ meetings scheduled where concerns would be answered.  If residents’ concerns were raised prior to the residents’ meetings, officers could begin to address these.

·  The scheme would allow a certain amount of flexibility.

·  The report was seeking agreement to build a cycle route between the ASDA roundabout and Abbey Road.  Subject to agreement, notices would be advertised and progress made to the next stage of the scheme.

·  A pedestrian crossing on the Tonbridge Road included as part of the works.

Councillors R Bailey and R Brown extended thanks to officers for their extensive engagement with residents.

The Cabinet Member for City Services assured residents that the Council would continue to engage with them.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for City Services:

1)  Approve the removal of footways and construction of cycle tracks on London Road between the ASDA Roundabout and Abbey Road under Sections 65 and 66 of the Highways Act 1980, highlighted on Appendix B to the report.

Report of the Director of City Services and Commercial

The Cabinet Member for City Services considered a report of the Director of City Services in respect of petitions received relating to the portfolio of the Cabinet Member for City Services and how officers proposed to respond to them.

In June 2015, amendments to the Petitions Scheme, which forms part of the Constitution, were approved in order to provide flexibility and streamline current practice.  This change had reduced costs and bureaucracy and improved the service to the public.

These amendments allow for a petition to be dealt with or responded to by letter without being formally presented in a report to a Cabinet Member meeting.

In light of this, at the meeting of the Cabinet Member for Public Services on 15 March 2016, it was approved that a summary of those petitions received which were determined by letter, or where decisions are deferred pending further investigations, be reported to subsequent meetings of the Cabinet Member for Public Services (now amended to Cabinet Member for City Services), where appropriate, for monitoring and transparency purposes.

Appendix A set out petitions received relating to the portfolio of the Cabinet Member for City Services and how officers propose to respond to them.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for City Services endorses the actions being taken by officers as set out in Section 2 and Appendix A of the report in response to the petitions received.

There are no outstanding issues

There were no outstanding issues.

Any other items of public business which the Cabinet Member decides to take as matters of urgency because of the special circumstances involved

There were no other items of public business.