Agenda item

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place)

The Cabinet Member considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place) which sought approval for the installation of two new Average Speed Enforcement (ASE) sites on Binley Road and Henley Road as part of the Local Safety Scheme programme. As part of the ASE programme, approval was also sought for the extension of the Ansty Road and London Road ASE projects. The report had been submitted as an additional item of public business because of the special circumstances involved, these being the need to be able to complete the works required to implement the schemes in the current financial year and to gain approval of the proposed sites.

The report indicated that whilst the total number of accidents in Coventry was falling, the number of people killed or seriously injured (KSI) on the city’s main roads was increasing. Over the 3 year period (1st June 2016 to 31st May 2019), a total of 367 people were killed or seriously injured on Coventry’s road network. The City Council was the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Road Safety Lead, and was committed to reducing the numbers of people killed or seriously injured (KSI) by 40% over the next 10 years using the 3 year average (2014, 2015 & 2016) as the baseline.

In pursuance of mitigating the KSI trends on high traffic volume routes within the city, the Council introduced ASE on London Road and Ansty Road. ASE cameras were a relatively new speed enforcement technique. The cameras detected vehicles through Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and calculated their average speed by measuring the time taken to travel between defined points, a known distance apart. A clear signing strategy was used to inform drivers that they were entering an average speed control zone. The criteria for selecting a site was very similar to conventional ‘fixed’ camera enforcement sites and the report detailed the criteria.

ASE was introduced on Ansty Road and London Road in January 2019. The Cabinet Member was informed that early indications had revealed that in the first 6 months of operation there has been no recorded personal injury collisions on either Ansty Road or London Road in the area where ASE was in place since the projects became operational. Vehicular speeds had also reduced since the projects were introduced.

A citywide analysis of KSI trends highlighted the worst affected roads (in terms of high numbers of injury collisions attributed to inappropriate speeds) during the previous 3 years as Binley Road and Henley Road.  Appendix A to the report set out a personal recorded injury collision breakdown for each of these locations which highlighted speed as the significant contributory factor. 

The report detailed that over the three year period (1st June 2016 to 31st May 2019), 33 personal injury collisions had been recorded on Binley Road (from its junction with A444 Jimmy Hill Way to its junction with Brinklow Road), resulting in 3 fatalities and 5 serious personal injuries. This included a significant number of vulnerable road user personal injury collisions involving 5 pedestrians and 9 cyclists. Henley Road and Hall Green Road (from the Bellbrooke Close junction to the junction with Caradoc Close) had experienced 30 personal injury collisions, resulting in 2 fatal and 10 serious injuries over the three year period.  Further analysis revealed that a significant number of collisions occurred at the junction of Henley Road with Roseberry Avenue. Analysis of the accidents revealed drivers could be increasing speeds on the approach to get through the signals on green, and not leaving sufficient time to slow down if the lights changed. There were also a significant number of pedestrian accidents on Henley Road.

In accordance with Coventry City Council, West Midlands Police and the Police and Crime Commissioner legal agreement, it was the intention to install the Binley Road and Henley Road ASE projects in the current financial year. This would assist to reduce vehicular speeds and therefore reduce the severity of accidents if they did occur. Subject to available budget after the installation of these projects, it was proposed to extend the Ansty Road and London Road ASE projects in the current financial year. It was therefore recommended that the associated procurement process for the ASE equipment was undertaken together with collaboration with partner organisations, West Midlands Police and other West Midlands Local Authorities.

RESOLVED that:

(1) The implementation of the ASE schemes on Binley Road and Henley Road in the 2019/2020 financial year be approved.

(2) Subject to funding, the extension of London Road and Ansty Road ASE projects be approved.

(3) Approval be given for the associated procurement process for ASE equipment to be undertaken and to the collaborating with partner organisations (West Midlands Police and other West Midlands Local Authorities).