Coventry Council is consulting on changes at junction 7 of the ring road, Barras Lane and Spon End.
Deadline for responses: 15 December 2021.
The survey form, with my responses in red
1 How are you responding to this survey? As a representative of an organisation (please specify): Cycling UK (CTC Coventry)
2 Are you concerned about air quality in Coventry? Yes
Spon End
These questions relate to the Spon End part of the scheme only.
To remove the pinch point which causes congestion at Spon End and to reduce traffic delays and queuing we will:
- widen from the former Black Horse and through the railway arches to Godiva Carpets to remove a pinch point. The Black Horse is locally listed but since it was listed, major alterations have been carried out which have changed the inside of the building. Demolition will be subject to planning approval
- widen the footpath outside properties on Spon End providing opportunities for planters and environmental improvements
- provide alternative parking for residents and businesses within the site of the current Godiva Carpets, where existing limited on-street parking needs to be removed
- widen from Upper Spon Street to Windsor Street to provide two lanes towards the city and provide space for shared cycleway and footpath
- provide a shared cycleway and footpath and link the cycleway to Upper Spon Street and Meadow Street to the city centre
- upgrade pedestrian crossings to toucan crossings to provide a safer cycle link to Junction 7
- upgrade traffic signals to facilitate dynamic traffic management, this means we can change the signal timings to respond to changes in the traffic flows
3. Remembering that we have been directed by Government to do this, are there any elements of the Spon End scheme which you think could be improved to make it better for people living and/or working nearby? Please include location details where appropriate.
Improve the cycle link between Albany Road and Meadow Street. This will make it easier for people to cycle from Albany Road to either Spon Street or Croft Road.
Crossing Butts Road at Albany Road is a more direct route to Spon Street than cycling via Windsor Street. The same consideration applies to people cycling from the Spon Street area to Albany Road.
Crossing Butts Road at Albany Road brings people cycling from Albany Road to the left side of the carriageway at Croft Road, which is a more appropriate position for re-joining the carriageway than the right side.
I expect that people cycling in the opposite direction (from Croft Road to Albany Road) will prefer the route along the south side of Butts Road.
4 Do you think the Spon End scheme will help improve air quality in Coventry?
Not sure
5 Do you have any other comments about the Spon End scheme?
The added capacity will leave a long-lasting legacy of increased motor traffic. It’s a pity that nothing is proposed to encourage people travelling along the Allesley Old Road corridor to use Active Travel rather than cars.
Ring Road Junction 7
These questions relate to the Junction 7 proposals only.
To remodel Junction 7 including removing the roundabout and Moat Street car park and replace with a direct route from Spon End to the city centre, we will:
- remove the existing roundabout and replace with a new, more direct, road layout controlled by traffic lights providing more direct routes for pedestrians and cyclists to where – the city centre?
- close the existing subways
- remove the existing car park and raise the ground levels to enable the new junction layout
- create spaces with landscaping and planting for wildlife to transform the area which is currently dominated by vehicular traffic
- provide direct walking and cycling routes up to 5 metres wide with toucan crossings to make it easier for people to cross the junction
6 Remembering that we have been directed by Government to do this, are there any elements of the Junction 7 scheme which you think could be improved to make it better for people living and/or working nearby? Please include location details where appropriate.
No comment
7 Do you think the Ring Road Junction 7 scheme will help improve air quality in Coventry?
Yes
8 Do you have any other comments about the Ring Road Junction 7 scheme?
No
Upper Hill Street/Barras Lane
The next three questions relate to the Upper Hill Street/Barras Lane elements only.
To close the right turn from Holyhead Road to Barras Lane and remove one of the key congestion points in the city, we will:
- create a left-turn from the Ring Road slip road into Upper Hill Street to enable the removal of the right-turn movement from Holyhead Road to Barras Lane
- make Barras Lane (Upper Hill Street side) one way from Coundon Road to Holyhead Road
- remove the signals at the junction of Holyhead Road and Barras Lane, but the pedestrian crossing across Holyhead Road will remain
- narrow Holyhead Road between Barras Lane and the Ring Road and provide landscaping and pull in bays
- provide parking bays on Barras Lane
- remove the car park on Upper Hill Street (near to St. Osburg’s school) and replace with landscaping
- remove the parking bays on Upper Hill Street near to the school between the Ring Road and school entrance
- provide a pedestrian crossing in Upper Hill Street outside St. Osburg’s School
- complete the segregated cycleway from the rail crossing at Coundon Road to link with the Hill Street Bridge
- provide a new signalised junction at the Upper Hill Street / Barras Lane /Coundon Road / Abbots Lane junction
9 Remembering that we have been directed by Government to do this, are there any elements of the Upper Hill Street/Barras Lane scheme which you think could be improved to make it better for people living and/or working nearby? Please include location details where appropriate.
Provision should be made for two-way cycling along one of the routes crossing Holyhead Road between the railway and the ring road. Possibly using one of the pedestrian crossings on Holyhead Road. This would reduce severance and open up a cycling alternative to the B4107 between Earlsdon Street and Lydgate Road.
Recent planning applications for residential housing in the Abbots Lane area have stressed a desire to have low car use – improving cycling links between the South-West and the North directions would complement the links being built along Coundon Rd and Upper Hill Street.
10 Do you think the Upper Hill Street/Barras Lane scheme will help improve air quality in Coventry?
Yes
11 Do you have any other comments about the Upper Hill Street/Barras Lane scheme?
No
12 Is there anything else you want to tell us about improving air quality in Coventry?
No