£70 fine warning as new traffic restrictions come into force in Coventry city centre

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You'll be fined if you don't follow the rules



Drivers in Coventry could face a fine if they get go through areas of the city centre at the wrong times when new bus gates are brought in next month.

The traffic-limiting measures will cover Hales Street, Trinity Street, The Burges and Palmer Lane, and Little Park Street from the Salt Lane junction.

From April 24, only buses, cycles, taxis and private hire vehicles will be allowed in these areas from 10am until midnight.

Coventry residents and businesses who need access will have to apply for a permit from Coventry City Council.

Other vehicles including bullion vans, CCC commercial vehicles, statutory undertakers, highway maintenance vehicles and emergency services will be able to go through without one.

But ordinary motorists will be fined a maximum £70, down to £35 if paid within 21 days, if they are caught driving through the gates when restrictions apply.

ANPR cameras will be used to monitor the new measures at Little Park Street and the start of Hales Street, the council confirmed yesterday (14 March.)

A stretch of road between Much Park Street and Bayley Lane will also become two-way so cars can access Bayley Lane and St Mary’s Street.

The High Street will officially stay two-way but the council expects most traffic from this to be 'outbound' after the rules are brought in.

The new bus gates will be in force for up to 18 months under experimental traffic orders brought in by the council.

They could become permanent after the council monitors traffic flows and hears feedback from the public.

Coventry council says the changes will improve the city centre as reduced traffic will make it more pedestrian-friendly and cut down on pollution.

Councillor Patricia Hetherton, Cabinet Member for City Services, said: "We know that there is a lot of unnecessary traffic in and around the city centre which can make it tricky for pedestrians, especially those with mobility issues, to navigate and enjoy.

Kerching!

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Drivers won't be at risk of a £70 fine - for now



New bus gates which could have lead to drivers in Coventry being fined £70 for breaking the rules have been delayed after a huge backlash from local businesses. The council has temporarily shelved the traffic measures, which were meant to come into force this week, and is coming up with a "revised plan."

The authority wanted to put in bus gates covering the Trinity Street loop and Little Park Street from the Salt Lane junction in the city centre. Under the scheme, only buses, cycles, taxis and private hire vehicles would be allowed on the roads from 10am to midnight, with permits needed for other vehicles.

Motorists caught breaking the restrictions would be slapped with a £70 fine, down to £35 if paid in 21 days. But news of the plans announced last month sparked a backlash among dozens of shops concerned about the impact on their trade.

Some even threatened legal action as a result of lost earnings and extra costs. CoventryLive has seen a joint statement by a group of 24 businesses operating on Trinity Street, the Burges and Hales Street, which was sent to the council on March 15. It said: "The ‘bus gate trial’ will risk jobs and livelihoods as we will no doubt see a decrease in sales.

"If this goes ahead we will have no option but to start legal proceedings for the loss of earnings, and any extra costs involved in setting up new systems, new procedures for work duties, parking, deliveries etc."

Key among the issues is how food delivery services and customers will get to the shops with the restrictions in place.

The statement added: "For the popular and large fast food services in the area there is a huge risk of closure as there’ll be no access for drivers to collect food. Part of the service allowing for online contactless orders is providing high quality food in a timely manner.

"The suggestion that drivers/customers may have a 10min walk to the store to collect food would result in a loss of time and compromise the quality of food being delivered - in some case delivering food which is no longer edible. These stores rely on online reviews and customer ratings to draw in more custom.

"A change in quality of food directly impacts the stores and we are concerned there may be business closures as a result. Some of the stores have several deliveries a day, unscheduled.

"Adding administration to organise times for deliveries to coincide with the councils proposal is an unwanted hassle and store owners simply don’t have time nor control over this. Several stores rely on customers who “pop in” for a quick shop. Limiting access would result in them choosing to go elsewhere."

The letter also suggested that making the road wider and putting in pedestrian crossings could lead to some of the improvements the council wants.

Khalid Vania, a funder for refugee-run food outlet Shawarma Shack on Trinity Street, said the plan "just doesn't work for businesses" as they would have to register delivery vehicles for permits but most collections on apps are ad hoc.

"A permit system for deliveries, a permit for you to park in allocated spots - it just doesn't work for businesses," he said. "You have an order ready for collection, you don't know who the driver is going to be. It allocated a spot, it's impossible for us to know who is coming."

"My partner actually cried. It took his life savings to put the shop together."

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Huge changes to city centre as new bus gate restricting traffic comes into force



New traffic restrictions have come into force in Coventry city centre today. Coventry City Council’s roads team have confirmed that a new bus gate in Hales Street is now live.

It means that only buses, taxis private hire vehicles and permit holders can access the Burges, Trinity Street, Hales Street and Palmer Lane.

The restrictions are in force from 10am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.

Drivers were warned earlier this year that they face a £70 fine if they don’t follow the rules. The council also said at the time that the new measures will be monitored by ANPR cameras.

The restrictions were initially expected to come into force in April, but the council pushed back the scheme after feedback from residents.

However in a tweet the roads team confirmed the changes have come into force today, Wednesday, July 19.

It’s hoped that the restrictions will ‘improve the city centre for everyone’ with more pedestrian-friendly spaces and fewer vehicles.

They’ve been introduced under an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order, which means they can be in place for 18 months. During this time, the council says it will carefully monitor traffic and pedestrian flows and listen to the views of local people before deciding if the changes should become permanent.

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Drivers were warned earlier this year that they face a £70 fine if they don’t follow the rules.

Kerching!

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The city centre is dying, and they wonder why! - Idiots!

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Astonishing 25,000 fines handed out in just six months to drivers who fell foul of new Coventry bus gate



A new bus gate in Coventry city centre has netted the council £500,000 in fines in just six months. The council has issued 25,000 fines to drivers who fell foul of the new rules since the restrictions came into force in July 2023. That's more than 130 every single day.

The bus gate covers the Hales Street, Trinity Street and Burges loop and is enforced by an ANPR camera at Hales Street. Under the restrictions, from 10am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday only buses, taxis, bicycles and authorised vehicles are allowed to use this road.

Drivers who don't follow the rule face a £70 fine, reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days or upped to £105 if not paid within 28 days. Details of the high income from fines were revealed in the council's third quarter financial monitoring report for tomorrow's Cabinet Meeting (13 February.)

It said: "There are income pressures in Bus Lane and Parking Enforcement attributed to temporary bus gates closures, however the enforcement at Hales Street and the Burges/Trinity Street cameras has seen £500k improvement in the income projections since quarter two." A Coventry council spokesperson said: "A new bus gate was introduced on Hales Street in July 2023 to help safety, traffic flow air quality around Trinity Street, Burges, Hales Street and Palmer Lane.

"Access to these streets is restricted to buses, taxis and other authorised vehicles Monday to Saturday, between 10am and 6pm. "The restriction was introduced under an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order which means that it can be in place for up to 18 months.

"The enforcement camera has been in place for six months and 25 thousand penalty notices have been issued which has resulted in £500,000 being collected in fines. "Drivers are not taken to court as bus gate enforcement is a civil matter not a criminal one. Drivers who receive a penalty notice can choose to appeal to an independent adjudication service."

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More traffic restrictions and new cycleway coming to Coventry city centre



More traffic restrictions - and a new cycle route - are set to be rolled out in the city centre as the council looks to improve traffic flow. A package of measures are expected to be rubber stamped at a meeting of the Cabinet Member for City Services this week.

The measures are Phase 2 of the City Centre Traffic Management Plan (CCTMP). It includes:

• Removing the existing Restricted Parking Zone (RPZ)
  
• The introduction of new RPZs covering smaller areas in the city centre
  
• Introducing ‘red route restrictions’ allowing mobile enforcement of parking restrictions
  
• Introducing traditional (yellow lines) parking restrictions on some other streets
  
• A segregated cycleway in the city centre connecting Greyfriars Green to Pool Meadow Bus Station

The aims of the scheme are to improve bus service reliability, improve air quality by reducing queuing traffic, promoting active travel and facilitating the Coventry Very Light Rail, which will run from the railway station to the former IKEA building.

The Hales Street bus gate was part of Phase One, along with the High Street pedestrian zone, which is still in the process of being delivered.

Phase 3 will include more bus gates and traffic ‘zoning’. Papers set to go before the meeting state that the overall aim of the scheme is to ‘maximise the use of the ring road for access to different areas of the city centre’.

It adds: "Access to car parks and for residents and service vehicles will be maintained, but traffic entering each area will enter and exit using the same ring road junction rather than be able to circulate around the inner core of the city centre.”

The meeting will take place at 3pm on Wednesday. See the agenda here for more information.

Kerching!

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New red route and parking changes agreed for Coventry city centre

A new red route and cycleway will be introduced in Coventry city centre. Changes to the area's restricted parking zones will also go ahead after a councillor approved plans yesterday (29 February.)

The move is the second phase of changes to manage traffic in the centre that the council is proposing. The overall plan aims to boost bus service reliability, improve air quality, encourage active travel and facilitate the Coventry Very Light Rail (CVLR) demonstrator track.

The red route will cover the route of the VLR track, the Burges/Trinity Street/Hales Street loop, and both Bishop Street and New Union Street up to their links with the city's ring road. It will be put in place in the next two to three months, yesterday's meeting heard.

The centre's restricted parking area will also reduce and new double yellow lines will be installed in some roads, under the plans. The segregated cycleway will go on most of the VLR route and start at Greyfriars Green, and work is hoped to begin in autumn 2024 as it needs to be built by March next year.

It comes after a consultation of the public on the plans. A survey filled in by 104 people found a majority of comments were in favour of the moves.

Some of the supportive remarks highlighted that a red route would help cut traffic congestion and the cycle route would encourage people to use the roads. But others made comments against the plans, raising concerns that a red route could put people off going to the centre and dubbing the cycleway a waste of money.

It comes after work started on an earlier phase of the plans known as the City Centre Traffic Management Plan (CCTMP). A bus gate was installed at Hales Street last year and a pedestrian zone by the city centre's High Street is in delivery.

Cabinet Member Cllr Patricia Hetherton formally agreed the changes at the meeting. She told the meeting when they started looking at it initially they were looking at anti-social behaviour and managing traffic at the Burges, and this later expanded.

She said: "For me as I say it's about the anti-social behaviour, making the city centre a safer place. It's about the air quality and encouraging people to be able to walk really and also to cycle. It's a no-brainer as far as I'm concerned."