Coventry city centre's 'shared spaces' scheme up for debate

Councillors will meet next week to discuss the future of the controversial ‘shared space’ junctions in Coventry city centre.


Scene of the fatal accident at the junction of Hales Street and Corporation Street

The meeting has been called after three petitions have been received by Coventry City Council relating to the new junctions.

One of the three options on the table includes scrapping the scheme and re-introducing traffic lights.

Pressure has been put on the council to remove the European-style junctions since 71-year-old David Thompson, of Briscoe Road, Holbrooks, died a few weeks after being hit by a bus in Hales Street in January.

The pensioner, who was partially sighted, was hit by the bus as he negotiated the new junction.

One of the petitions sent to the council, with 162 signatures, has called for more information and consultation on the concept.

A second, submitted by Coun Dave Nellist (Soc, St Michael’s), has a total of 525 signatures and calls for the shared spaces to be scrapped.

A third petition, submitted by a resident in Lower Stoke, has eight signatures and is in favour of the junctions.

In a report which will give city services cabinet members a list of options and recommendations in response to the petitions, Chris Young, senior engineer for traffic management at the council, said: “There has been concerns expressed about the safety of the new junction type.

"The fact that people perceive and acknowledge there is a need to exercise caution is a major benefit as they immediately pay more attention. The previous junction layouts did have a poor injury accident record and the collision summaries highlight this fact.

“There is clear evidence to demonstrate the safety benefits of schemes similar to the type we are introducing.”

The report states in the last five years there have been 271 casualties in the city centre.

Of these collisions, 104 were pedestrians and 120 of the accidents were recorded at traffic lights.

Councillors who approved the scheme last year have always insisted the removal of lights and opening up of the road would reduce accidents and improve the flow of traffic within the city centre.

On Tuesday the committee will consider whether to continue with the current scheme and 20mph zone around the city centre; to suspend the current programme pending further review and implementation of possible change; or to scrap the junctions altogether and revert back to traffic lights and pedestrian crossing around the city centre.

They have been recommended to take the first option and continue with the current scheme.

Controversial ‘Shared Spaces’ Junction to Stay


Cox Street/Jordan Well junction

Council Bosses in Coventry say they’ll be keeping a junction with no traffic lights – even after a pensioner died there.

Over 5 hundred people signed two petitions demanding the junction on Hales street near Coventry University gets it’s traffic lights and road markings back.

It was after David Thompson – who was 71 - was hit by a bus there in January. He died almost a month later in hospital.

But the council says the junction is safer than it used to be. In fact they plan to get get rid of more traffic lights and put in zebra crossings around the city to improve road safety.

“It’s basically better now than it has been in a long, long time.” Councillor Lindsley Harvard said.

They think removing lights forces drivers and pedestrians to pay more attention and avoid accidents.

“Statistics show traffic lights create more injury accidents than other forms of crossing the road do.”

This comes as the council prepares to turn the whole city centre into a 20mph zone and create extra car parking spaces to encourage more people to visit Coventry.

Coventry 'shared space' junction plans reviewed

Plans for more "shared space" junctions in Coventry are to be reviewed by a council scrutiny committee.

The four-way junctions do not have traffic lights or kerbs, creating an area where neither pedestrians or vehicles have right of way.

Councillor Dave Nellist said the meeting was a chance to review a "deeply unpopular decision".

In January, Coventry City Council defended the safety record of the first shared space at Gosford Street.

A second junction on Corporation Street and Queen Victoria Road will be introduced, the council said.

City redevelopment

The Labour-controlled authority said it had received two petitions with a total of nearly 700 signatures against the schemes.

The changes to the traffic system are part of a £7m redevelopment of the city centre ahead of the Olympic Games when Coventry will host football at the Ricoh Arena.

Mr Nellist said: "To many people this decision was rushed into in order to make the new scheme ready for Olympic visitors in the summer.

"I'm not happy that the rest of us who live here 365 days of the year have been treated in such a cavalier fashion."

A spokesman said the Scrutiny Coordination Committee cannot overturn a decision made by a cabinet member, but it can recommend that the cabinet reconsider the decision.

The public can attend the meeting which will take place at 09:30 GMT on 21 March.

The council said it hoped the new crossings would be completed by May.

Flashing speed signs for Coventry's shared space junctions


Visually impaired protest outside the Council House

Flashing speed signs and training for visually impaired people are being planned to improve safety in Coventry city centre and around the shared space junctions.

During a review hearing of the controversial junctions yesterday, traffic management officers for Coventry City Council gave details on what was being done to make the areas safer and successful.

Pressure to scrap them mounted after 71-year-old David Thompson, from Holbrooks, died a few weeks after being hit by a bus in Hales Street in January.

The junctions were considered again by the scrutiny committee after three councillors succeeded in “calling in” the decision, in a bid to get more details on the junctions and plans to remove more traffic lights and replace them with zebra crossings.

At a previous meeting it was also agreed funding would be provided to help train vulnerable people in the city on how to use the junctions.

It has now been revealed almost £16,000 will be spent on training.

Coun Dave Nellist (Soc, St Michael’s) is spearheading the campaign against the European-style layouts with Coun Roger Bailey (Con, Whoberley) and Coun Russell Field (Lib Dem, Upper Stoke).

The scrutiny committee heard £14,000 would be given to the council’s visual impairment team, who already have 20 people on their waiting list, and £2,000 to the Guide Dogs Association.

Colin Knight, assistant director of planning, transport and highways for the council, said work was being done to introduce 10-15 gateways into the city centre which would warn motorists they were entering a 20mph zone.

He said: “We are taking a holistic approach to the city centre creating gateways and placing signs to warn drivers they are coming into a different environment.

“This work is about changing the whole culture and making people think about how they are driving within the city centre and when approaching these junctions.”

He said they would consider flashing speed signs and regularly monitor the speed and volume of traffic.

Scrutiny chair Coun Ann Lucas agreed they could not undo the cabinet’s decision but was happy about the new points raised.

Following the meeting Coun Nellist added: “When the shared spaces were included in an Olympic report last year there was only four lines saying decluttering, and removing barriers. No-one knew what that meant and now we do.

“The review was a great opportunity to debate again but we should have had this meeting 12 months ago.

“It’s a year too late.”

Former Home Secretary wades into row over shared space junctions in Coventry



FORMER home secretary David Blunkett had waded into the row over shared space junctions in Coventry.

The Labour MP, who has been blind since birth, described the controversial junctions as part of a “national experiment” which reflect a bygone era.

Mr Blunkett’s forthright views were in response to a letter penned by campaigner Rita Norman about the outcry among and blind people and the disabled in Coventry who say the European-style changes are too dangerous.

Blind people in Coventry have said they no longer visit the city centre since the shared space junctions were introduced in November.

Mr Blunkett wrote: “I am very aware of the difficulty which the fashion of shared spaces is causing.

“This is being pushed by the Department of Transport and, of course, in practice, means going back to streets that did not have pavements! There is nothing new or modernistic about this. It reflects a bygone era where small, narrow, cobbled streets made ‘shared spaces’ an inevitability.

“This is a national ‘experiment’ which combines the previous fashion for pedestrianisation with the (tongue in cheek) previous fashion for having roads with pavements.”

Mr Blunkett has vowed to support Rita’s campaign and share his views with shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle.

Rita said: “I’m pleased he responded. It makes me hopeful. I’m going to keep fighting until we get our traffic lights back. It’s time to get rid of shared spaces – they’re no good for anyone.”

Members of the Coventry Society for the Blind agree wholeheartedly and say they no longer visit the city centre.



Veronica Nickolas, aged 63, of Binley, who has been registered blind for 30 years, said: “I tried to cross at the Burges junction and my head was spinning. I could hear cars and buses from every side. It was really scary. I stood there for 15 minutes and thought to myself I’m not going to make it to the other side.”

Mohammed Mansha, aged 52, of Foleshill, who has been blind since birth, said: “They have taken away our confidence. I used to go into the city centre three or four times a week. Now I have to think twice about it. I can’t go on my own. There are too many buses that use the junctions. Drivers don’t realise that as soon as we put our foot on the road -–we have right of way but without kerbs it’s not really made clear.”

Thousands have signed petitions against the junctions since grandad David Thompson, 71, of Holbrooks, died after an accident on one of the shared spaces in January.