Agenda item

Report of the Director of Transportation, Highways and Sustainability

To consider two petitions as follows:

a)  Petition against Clifford Bridge Road Cycle Lane development

A petition bearing 593 signatures. The petition has been submitted by Councillor F Abbott, a Wyken Ward Councillor, who has been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item along with the Petition Organiser.

b)  Petition - Build the Binley Cycleway to a high-quality standard and in full

A petition bearing 187 signatures. The Petition Organiser has been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item.

The Cabinet Member for City Services considered a report of the Director of Transportation, Highways and Sustainability on the Binley Cycleway – Section 7 (Clifford Bridge Road) consultation feedback, as captured within the consultation report, and two petitions submitted to the City Council regarding the scheme, for consideration when further developing the proposals for this section of the Binley Cycleway.

A petition headed ‘Petition against Clifford Bridge Road Cycle Lane Development’, bearing 593 signatures, had been submitted. Councillor F Abbott, a Wyken Ward Councillor, sponsored the petition and she, along with the Petition Organiser attended the meeting.

A further petition headed ‘Petition - Build the Binley Cycleway to a High-Quality Standard and in Full’, bearing 187 signatures, had been submitted. The Petition Organiser was unable to attend the meeting.

Binley Cycleway was identified as a strategic cycle route connecting Coventry city centre with the University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) via Binley Business Park within the West Midlands Local Walking and Cycling Infrastructure Plan (WM LCWIP).  Funding to construct the Cycleway was secured from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and Active Travel England (ATE) from the Transforming Cities Fund, Active Travel Fund Tranche 2, and Active Travel Fund 3.

For ease of scheme design and consultation, the Cycleway was divided into two sections.  Design and consultation on the first sections of the route was undertaken in 2020/21, and construction was well advanced, with the Cycleway completed and open for use between Gulson Road and Princethorpe Way.  The next section, from Princethorpe Way to Clifford Bridge Road, was programmed to be completed in November 2023 once the installation of the new traffic signals along this section of the route had been carried out.

The section of the route between the UHCW and Dorchester Way / Clifford Bridge Road had also been constructed and was open for use.

Additional funding had subsequently secured from Active Travel Fund 4 for a scheme that would extend the Binley Cycleway along Allard Way connecting to the New Century Park residential estate, as reported to the Cabinet Member for City Services at her meeting on 2nd August 2023 (minute 11/23 referred).

The remaining section of the Cycleway, along the southern section of Clifford Bridge Road between Brinklow Road and Dorchester Way, had been subject to three specific rounds of engagement, the first of which was held in 2021 focussed on a fully segregated cycleway, the second held between September 2022 and January 2023 based on a revised design, and the third, in July 2023, focussed on an alternative shared use path design in response to feedback on the first two rounds of engagement.  The revised scheme design had also been reviewed by Active Travel England and Transport for West Midlands (TfWM).

The engagement in July had triggered two petitions, which required consideration.  Both petitions opposed the shared use path scheme consulted on in July, with one asking for the Cycleway scheme to be dropped totally, the other supporting the original, fully segregated, cycleway that was originally proposed.  Details of both petitions were contained within the main body of the report.

247 responses were received to the engagement in July, completing the Let’s Talk survey. The consultation report was appended to the report, and key points made were summarised in the main body of the report.

The scheme had generated a lot of public interest, and a wide range of views had been expressed. These included the identification of alternative routes that could be taken for the Cycleway, avoiding this section of Clifford Bridge Road, and comments on detailed aspects of the scheme design, such as the impact upon car parking, access to driveways and side roads, pedestrian safety, vehicle speeds, access to the Hospital, and the need to deliver high quality cycle routes to encourage cycling. These issues were considered in detail within the main report.

A further design review was recommended taking these views into consideration.  It was further recommended that this design review adopted the following principles:

•  That there was an identified need for a high-quality cycle route on the eastern side of the city connecting local communities with key facilities such as the Hospital and the Binley Business Park.

•  That the carriageway width of Clifford Bridge Road needed to be maintained at its current width, recognising that it would remain a two-lane single carriageway road.

•  That the pedestrian and cycle infrastructure should be provided at a standard that is LTN1/20 compliant as the default position, maintaining segregation of pedestrians and cyclists from each other and from traffic, with any exceptions to this standard requiring robust justification.

•  That no parking capacity should be removed along this section of Clifford Bridge Road.

•  That appropriate visibility be maintained for vehicles exiting side roads and driveways.

•  That community concerns about wider transport issues such as overspill parking from the school or the Hospital, vehicle speeds, and HGV traffic levels be addressed as part of standard City Council processes for such matters alongside the delivery of a revised scheme.

•  That the impact on existing landscaped areas and trees be minimised or sufficiently offset.

Any revised scheme would also need to achieve the objective of a high-quality cycle route linking the Hospital area with Binley and would complete the Binley Cycleway. The full Binley Cycleway would provide a spine route from which further routes could link, with future route options including Hipswell Highway, a connection to Coombe Abbey Park, and a link through Binley to Willenhall.  Subject to approval from the funding bodies, and any further engagement with stakeholders, the intention would be to construct the revised route during 2024.

Councillor Abbott and the Petition Organiser spoke in support of their petition explaining that it had been raised due to concerns from residents living along the Clifford Bridge Road and the surrounding roads and raised the following concerns:

·  The visibility and speed of cyclists

·  The width of and volume of traffic on the Clifford Bridge Road

·  Access for emergency vehicles

·  Access for residents into and out of their driveways

Officers responded, advising of the following:

·  That the road width would be maintained in the revised design scheme.

·  Visibility would be maintained or improved by moving the cycleway to a segregated facility.

·  The level of parking would be maintained and residents would have like for like access and would feel safe using the parking.

·  Officers would work with all households individually along the route to make access to driveways as safe as possible.

·  The further review of the scheme, incorporating core principles, would be addressed through the City Council’s standard programmes including the petitions scheme.

·  Any future concerns would be picked up from Road Safety Audits.

·  A public meeting would be arranged with residents to share the revised scheme design prior to the advertising of the Traffic Regulation Orders.

·  Signage for cyclists would be investigated.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for City Services:

1)  Notes the consultation feedback as captured within the consultation report, the two petitions submitted to the City Council regarding the scheme and agrees that full consideration be given to these when further developing the proposals for this section of the Binley Cycleway.

2)  Requests that the Director of Transportation, Highways and Sustainability, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for City Services, undertakes a further review of the scheme design for the section of the Binley Cycleway along Clifford Bridge Road taking account of the consultation feedback and following the design principles set out in paragraph 2.11 of the report, and implement the revised scheme design subject to any detailed design changes arising from the Road Safety Audit process, audits undertaken by Active Travel England, and any final detailed issues raised during further engagement processes agreed by the Cabinet Member.

3)  Agrees that a public meeting be arranged with residents to share the revised scheme design.

4)   Following the public meeting with residents, approves the advertising and subsequent making of Traffic Regulation Orders for the revised scheme design to make the Cycleway, and any associated measures required to implement the revised scheme design, to enhance the safety of users of the highway and particularly the Cycletrack.

5)  Requests that the Director of Transportation, Highways and Sustainability takes the issues highlighted in paragraph 2.13 of the report forward for consideration under the relevant Traffic Management and Road Safety processes for inclusion in the future capital programme subject to the outcome of investigation and prioritisation.