Traffic changes that left Coventry traders “struggling to survive” will be partly scrapped by the council, it was agreed this week. Businesses on Far Gosford Street called for changes brought in by the council last year to be reversed as “they clearly haven’t worked.”
The scheme included making the road a red route, adding more disabled parking spaces, reducing short stay spaces and changing waiting restrictions in some areas. It was introduced last November (2022) as an experimental order to tackle concerns raised by police and bus users.
But just six months later a petition on behalf of the road’s traders claimed the changes had been an “unmitigated disaster” for businesses’ revenues.
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“[Many] are now struggling to survive as a result of the traffic changes,” it said.
The appeal with 45 signatures also claimed the “only benefit” of the shift had been the number of parking tickets handed out by the council. It also claimed traders hadn’t been visited by officers or asked about how the changes had affected them.
A council report into the issue saw it agree to scrap some of the changes by revoking the experimental traffic order and putting in a new one. But others will be kept, it was agreed at a Cabinet Member meeting on Wednesday (24 October.)
The changes mean that some of the disabled bays added to the street will go and more limited waiting bays will be added. The maximum length of stay in these limited bays will reduce to 30 minutes to help create a turnover of spaces, though blue badge holders are able to stay longer.
An area opposite Fargo village will also see its double yellow lines removed and become a loading bay and limited waiting area instead. Councillors and officers also agreed to look into making a bus stop on the road shorter.
But other elements of the scheme will be kept including a red route along the street introduced to help keep traffic moving along, as “obstructive” parking was hitting bus journey times. Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Jim O’Boyle, who sponsored the traders’ petition, stressed the need to engage with business to make sure their experience is “properly fed back.”
“I know that we’ve had over about two or three years now believe it or not, conversations, meetings, with lots of different people to try and understand some of the concerns,” he said. “So the problem sometimes is with these things is we see a way forward and then someone who didn’t really engage, someone who engages later on, and we’re back to square one.
“I don’t want that, but I do want that proper engagement with them, because I think there are some tweaks that can happen here, definitely.”
“For the moment let’s see how this will work, let’s understand from the traders exactly what different or not it has made to the ability to run their businesses the way they see fit, that’s what I’d like to see. And we can take it from there,” he added.
“You’re not responding to all of the issues that have been raised I understand that but a number of them you are trying to, I get that. But I accept as well that this is ongoing.”
Responding, Cllr Patricia Hetherton said: “I think at this stage it’s about making sure the traders are with us I think at all times, we don’t want them disadvantaged in any way.
“Some of those things I would think are probably small things that we can do without costing too much so that’s really quite important.”
The changes will take about three weeks to come in including seven days after they are first advertised, the meeting heard. Speaking to the LDRS after the meeting, Cllr O’Boyle said there is “some work to be done” and he will be revisiting the bus stop issue.
On Far Gosford Street, he said the road is “complex” with lots of issues going on and problems such as criminality also have to be considered.
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Robert Johnson is a UK-based business writer specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. With an eye for market trends and a keen interest in the corporate world, he offers readers valuable insights into business developments.
