Worker with a chair enforces two-year Coventry road closure

The road next to Coventry City Council house has been partially shut for the past two years

Using a worker with a chair to enforce the partial closure of a Coventry city centre road is not a long-term solution, the local council has said.

A 100m stretch outside the council HQ has been one-way to traffic since 2020 to create a pedestrian-friendly street.

The local authority's highways director defended the near £200,000 cost of enforcing the changed use, initially brought in during the pandemic.

But Colin Knight admitted a more permanent solution was needed.

He told the BBC a way other than having a person on site to enforce the one-way rules for vehicles would need to be found.

Director of highways Colin Knight says the measure were put in place initially to help with social distancing

Coventry City Council has spent £196,118.31 to change the road's layout and enforce the new rules, a freedom of information request by the BBC uncovered.

The restrictions were initially brought in to help with social distancing.

• Listen to the interview on BBC CWR

Mr Knight told BBC CWR: "The majority of the funding, more than £109,000... the government has provided through European regional development funding.

"That money is for specific purposes, we did not have a choice on what we spent it on, it had to be measures directly related to ensuring social distancing."

ANPR cameras or operated bollards could be used as a long-term way to stop some traffic on the street

He added: "This is about the ongoing regeneration of our city, we want to create a city for people."

Mr Knight said the council was considering more permanent solutions such as ANPR cameras and operated bollards but described them as a "big investment".

New measures are expected to be in place by "the end of the winter season", he added.

Conservative councillor Mattie Heaven, Coventry City Council's shadow cabinet member for transport, told the BBC she was "surprised and shocked" by the management of the partial road closure.