City secures major cash boost to transform transport system - The Coventry Observer

City secures major cash boost to transform transport system

Coventry Editorial 17th Aug, 2022   0

COVENTRY City Council has secured £115.9million in grant funding to help decarbonise and improve the city’s transport system.

Much of the funding was secured following a successful bid to the Department for Transport’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement. Additional cash was also secured from West Midlands Combined Authority’s Active Travel Fund and Sustrans’ Paths for Everyone funding.

The money will be discussed at the meeting of Cabinet on August 30 before going to Full Council on September 6.

If approved, the funds will be used to support a number of innovative transport schemes across the city.




All of these aim to make it easier to walk, cycle or use public transport in the city through the installation of a number of sustainable transport measures.

These include things like targeted improvements to road networks, new cycling and walking routes and improved connectivity across the transport system.


In addition, a large chunk of the funding will go towards the Coventry Very Light Rail project to help support the development of this unique scheme which, when finished, will offer an affordable and reliable light rail system in the city centre.

By investing in this infrastructure, the Council aims to promote sustainable transport in the city and encourage residents to use alternatives to the private car.

And if successful, the project could significantly reduce the number of emissions produced by the city’s transport system, improving people’s health and helping the city play its part in tackling the causes of climate change.

“We have to encourage people to choose alternatives to the private car for some journeys and to do that we have to make sure that walking, cycling and public transport are attractive and viable alternatives in our city,” said Councillor Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change.

“This funding will help us to lead a number of projects that will play a major role in the green transformation of our city’s transport network.

“Along with the all-electric bus fleet, fully segregated cycle routes and more on street charge points than anywhere else outside London our ambition is to enable local people to be able to make real choices about how they travel sustainably.

“As we’ve said before, in Coventry we don’t want to just talk about climate change. We want to actually tackle it.”

In addition to the funding secured the schemes will also be supplemented by up to £26.8m match funding which is a mix of private and public sector investment.

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