Coventry city centre to become 20mph zone

[dutchman]

Coventry city centre will become a 20mph zone for motorists from next month.



As part of on going changes to transform the city centre, the local authority is planning to enforce lower speed limits on all city centre streets.

The new speed limit will cover the entire area within the ring road and council officials say the new speed is being introduced to maximise pedestrian and motorists safety.

Several temporary signs have already been in place around new shared space junctions since the beginning of the year but the council plans to make these more permanent across all streets and junctions by the end of May.

Under the plans, several “gateways” are also being created at entrances into the city centre where large signs will be installed to tell drivers they are entering into a 20mph speed zone.

[dutchman]

Coventry city centre roads become part of a 20mph zone

The city centre of Coventry has been made a 20mph zone.

The new limit covers the area within the ring road and is marked by large gateway signs at all 13 entry points.

It also includes widened pavements, narrowed carriageways and 15 new zebra crossings in a bid to make a "pleasant environment".

Coventry City Council says the zone is the first of its kind in the UK, controlling speed by changing the environment rather than by road humps.

The city centre roads previously varied in speed limits, with the maximum being 30mph.

'Self policing'

The changes also follow the introducion of "shared space" junctions - four-way junctions that do not have traffic lights or kerbs, creating an area where neither pedestrians nor vehicles have right of way.

Councillor Lindsley Harvard, cabinet member for city services, said: "We've done checks on the [shared space location] and we've found that the average speed has reduced from 24mph to 18mph.

"We are working hard to create a city centre that is more more pedestrian-friendly.

"By marking the zone as people enter the city centre, we will be able to remove all the unnecessary signs and road markings, making the whole city centre look better.

"We wanted to make the whole area self-policing. I think speed humps can be quite distressing for people with back problems, and emergency vehicles."

It is part of the wider improvements to transform areas of the city centre, including Broadgate, the link between the railway station and Bull Yard, and the area outside Holy Trinity Church.

[Spuffler]

I thought it was all pedestrianised.......

[dutchman]

I thought it was all pedestrianised.......

Not quite Spuffler, the area between the town centre and the ring road is neither one thing nor the other at present.

[rebbonk]

I thought it was all pedestrianised.......

Not quite Spuffler, the area between the town centre and the ring road is neither one thing nor the other at present.

Beg to differ, I think it's an accident waiting to happen.

[Spuffler]

I reckon it's an accident that has already happened.....about 50 years ago.....?