Red route which bans stopping gets green light

It is hoped the council's plans will improve air quality and encourage active travel

A new red route has been approved for Coventry city centre, meaning drivers will not be permitted to stop on selected roads.

A new cycleway plus changes to the area’s restricted parking zones were also agreed at a council meeting on Wednesday.

The move forms part of wider traffic management plans that aim to ease air pollution and facilitate the Coventry Very Light Rail (CVLR) network.

Council cabinet member Patricia Hetherton said: "It's about the air quality and encouraging people to walk... and cycle."

Motorists will be able to stop in parking bays signed and marked on the red route

Red routes are marked by double red lines along the kerb, with no stopping allowed, even to drop off or collect.

Restrictions in Coventry will cover the route of the CVLR track, the Burges, Trinity Street, Hales Street loop and both Bishop Street and New Union Street up to the city’s ring road.

The system would be put in place in the next two to three months, the meeting heard.

The route will be enforced with smart cameras, but restrictions will not apply to emergency services, blue badge holders or taxis.

Under the council's plans, restricted parking areas will also reduce and new double yellow lines will be installed on selected roads.

The segregated cycleway will go on most of a CVLR demonstrator route, which is hoped to run 1.5km (0.03 miles) from Warwick Road by the railway station to Millennium Place.

The council is seeking permission to build the demonstrator track for a battery-powered vehicle to operate on ultra-thin rails.

Work is planned to begin on the cycle route in the autumn and finish by March next year.

The new section of cycleway will be positioned between the pavement and road

Ms Hetherton said: “It’s about... 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.”

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.