ROADS and pavements in Coventry are set for a £15million upgrade this year.
Coventry City Council has earmarked the funds for safety improvements for vulnerable road users and scheduled repairs to keep the city moving.
Planned improvements include the introduction of pedestrian facilities and junction upgrades at traffic signal sites including Tile Hill Lane at Banner Lane, new enhanced crossing facilities including at Brays Lane, and reviews on key corridors including Radford Road and Longford Road.
There will also be a number of school related initiatives including the expansion of the council’s School Streets programme, which aims to help young people to safely, conveniently and actively travel to school.
Highways repairs work are planned along London Road, in Holbrooks Lane, Upper and Lower Eastern Green Lane, the Ring Road and sections of the A45, as well as other roads in need across the city.
There will also be investment in the city’s pavements.
Coun Patricia Hetherton, the council’s Cabinet Member for City Services, said: “I think all residents will welcome this investment to make our roads and pavements safer for all.
“We will, as always, tackle the roads and pavements on a worst-first basis through the maintenance programme, and I’m pleased that we will continue to focus on pavements alongside roads and of course schemes to improve safety and reduce the number and severity of accidents.”
She said council officers regularly inspected roads and added new defects to the repair schedule.
She added: “We realise we cannot repair every road that we would like with the available funding, but we have prioritised the ones that need it the most.
“Improving road safety is a priority for us and we know it for local people too, and good progress is being made, with rolling three-year data showing a 38 per cent reduction in personal injury collisions and a 40 per cent reduction in casualties occurring on roads within the city over the last 10 years.”
The plans includes a £3.1million programme of local network improvements, £11.9million for highways maintenance, and up to £2million – subject to funding approval – of further improvements to walking and cycling.
