Agenda item

Report of the Director of City Services and Commercial

The Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3) considered a report of the Director of City Services and Commercial that would also be considered at the meetings of Cabinet on 1^st October 2024 and the Council on 15th October 2024, which provided an update on progress achieved since the Coventry Transport Strategy was adopted, including the latest available performance information. The report also sought approval to update the Implementation Plan which accompanied the Strategy to reflect the Council’s latest plans. Appendices to the report provided: the Coventry Transport Strategy Key Performance Indicators Progress Report; and the Coventry Transport Strategy Implementation Plan Update. The Board also received a presentation that supported the progress detailed in the report.

The Coventry Transport Strategy was approved by Council in December 2022 (their minute 83/22 referred). It was a 15-year strategy which set out plans to fundamentally change the city’s transport system, including by investing in significant improvements to public transport, walking and cycling and by accelerating the transition to zero emission vehicles.

The Implementation Plan set out the ‘pipeline’ of specific improvements that the Council intended to deliver over the lifetime of the Strategy. The proposed changes to this included updating the expected timescales for the delivery of various schemes and the addition of a small number of new actions. These additions included reform of the region’s bus services and several additional walking and cycling schemes, for which funding had now been secured. The specific changes that Council was being asked to approve were detailed in the Coventry Transport Strategy Implementation Plan Update that was appended to the report.

In considering the report and a presentation by officers, the Board asked questions and received responses on the matters in the following areas:

·  The aim by TfWM to expand the use of contactless payments and concerns that passengers who rely on cash payment may not have the opportunity to take advantage of the best ticket options.

·  There were currently 140 electric buses in the city which would increase to just under 300 when all buses in the city were electric by 2025.

·  That bus timetabling was with bus operators to register plans with TfWM.

·  The breakdown of road fatalities by age and location in the city.

·  The importance of the cross-boundary travel to work area with Warwickshire and that this should not be overlooked as part of any work the West Midlands Combined Authority were doing as part of their statutory Transport Strategy.

·  That the majority of funding provided by the Council for activities covered in the Coventry Transport Strategy was revenue funding provided via the transport levy, which was paid by all the constituent authorities that made up the West Midlands Combined Authority to TfWM. This funding supported various TfWM activities, including maintaining the bus network. Infrastructure schemes, delivered with capital funding were funded through a variety of government funds and private contributions via S106. Very little of this funding was directly from Council budgets.

·  Opportunities to promote the innovative projects being delivered to support active travel in the city, such as Very Light Rail, Ring and Ride schemes and West Midlands On Demand.

·  Aspirational work to manage freight in the city centre through the City Centre Traffic Management Plan.

Members requested that a letter be sent to TfWM regarding their aim to expand the use of contactless payments, requesting that consideration be given to passengers who rely on cash payment who may not have the opportunity to take advantage of the best ticket options. They also requested a breakdown of road fatalities by age and location in the city, be circulated to them.

RESOLVED that the Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3), having reviewed the report, recommend that Cabinet:

1)  Agree the recommendations in the report.

2)  Find opportunities to promote the innovative projects being delivered to support active travel in the city, such as Very Light Rail, Ring and Ride schemes and West Midlands On Demand.