Agenda item

Report of the Executive Director of Place

The Cabinet considered a report of the Executive Director of Place that proposed to review the operation of bus lanes on the city’s road network.

In Coventry over the last 15 years there had been a 20% increase in traffic on the City’s road network. This was reported by the Department for Transport on a quarterly and annual basis. In a recent report in the Sunday Times newspaper traffic information company Inrix analysed congestion over the four-year period in 18 urban areas. Whilst London was reported as having the worst levels of congestion, Coventry was reported as having one of the fastest rising levels of congestion due to population and economic growth.

A further concern associated with high levels of traffic and congestion was the impact this had on air quality. The Environment Act 1995 made local authorities responsible for assessing air quality in their areas. If air quality in any area of the city was not good enough, the Authority would need to declare an air quality management area (AQMA) and prepare an Action Plan to improve it. In 2009 the whole of Coventry was declared as an AQMA because of its high levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and therefore the Authority was required to produce an Action Plan to tackle emissions generated by traffic as the main contributor to poor air quality.

The Traffic Management Act 2004 required the Council to secure the expeditious movement of traffic on the authority’s road network. In the face of increasing congestion and air quality issues the Council was proposing to review the operation of all of its bus lanes to effectively fulfil its statutory duties under this Act.

There were currently 22 bus lanes in Coventry totalling 8 kilometres in length. In addition there were bus priority measures at 11 signalised junctions and there were 7 bus gates. All bus lanes were in operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Discussions took place with Transport for West Midlands (formerly Centro) and representatives from the bus operators, about how to approach the bus lane review. In July 2016 a group of councillors and council officers visited the City of Liverpool to talk to their Cabinet Member and Project Manager and learn from their experiences of implementing a similar review of bus lanes in their City.

It was proposed that an evidence based trial in 4 phases be undertaken, each containing about 2km of bus lane. The first phase was expected to start in January 2017 and would run for 6 months; the bus lanes would be suspended using an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order. During the 6 month period, journey time data for buses and all other vehicles would be collected along with bus punctuality and reliability. The data would be evaluated along with the pre-trial suspension journey time data and the results would be used to advise and enable the Cabinet Member for City Services to make a decision on the permanent removal, or retention of the bus lanes.

During the trial and in order to reduce congestion and pollution, the City Council was committed to promoting bus travel and would work with Transport for West Midlands and the bus operators to develop and implement more effective means of improving bus journey time, reliability and punctuality. This would include selective vehicle detection at traffic signals, such as providing late running buses priority at signals.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet:

1)  Approves the commencement of a review of the bus lanes in Coventry, as set out in the report.

2)  Agrees to monitor throughout the trial suspension period the effect of the trial and that a report detailing the results of this monitoring and any associated recommendations be presented to the Cabinet Member for City Services for a decision on whether the trial suspensions were made permanent or whether any of the bus lanes were re-instated.

3)  Delegates authority to the Cabinet Member for City Services for the continuation of the remaining 3 phases of the bus lane review.

4)  Delegates authority to the Cabinet Member for City Services to use existing Transportation and Highways Maintenance Capital Programme funding to undertake the necessary works to enable the proper suspension of bus lanes.