THE council has been erecting more road signs in Coventry city centre after stinging criticism of its parking zone by an independent tribunal.
But campaigners say the additional signs – which inform drivers of the zone’s parking restrictions – still don’t go far enough.
Its actions come despite leading council figures attacking the tribunal report by the national chief adjudicator Caroline Shephard.
She accused them of being “deluded” in denying the problems of inadequate signage, after 60,000 fines were issued since 2012 in the ‘Restricted Parking Zone’.
Parking is banned inside the ring road apart from in designated parking bays.
The scathing report accused the council of being deluded as motorists were being “confused” and “misled” by poor signage – after the removal of double yellow lines.
An Extraordinary General Meeting of the council to examine the issues takes place on June 12 at 2pm, which the public can attend, after opposition Conservative councillors called for it.
Coventry City Council highways chief Colin Knight and deputy leader Abdul Khan have in the last fortnight issued public statements relating to an independent barrister being hired to assess the tribunal’s report.
The council has still not told Coventry Observer readers how much taxpayers’ money is being spent on the barrister, despite our repeated questions.
A council statement last week added of the unnamed barrister’s advice: “Counsel advice concluded: “It is my opinion that the RPZ is lawful and legally enforceable subject to adequate signage.”
It added: “Coventry City Council continues to review signage across the RPZ and is replacing signs that have become damaged or obscured by vegetation. Additional repeater signage continues to be installed as needed.”
Scores of signs have been going up in the last week.
Road safety campaigner Richard Heneghan said today: “It is encouraging to learn that Coventry City Council are finally erecting more signage in Coventry city centre.
“However we must remain mindful that the public and Traffic Penalty Tribunal have been citing these issues since the inception of the Restricted Parking Zone in 2012.
“Many of these locations have never had a single sign since the inception of the Restricted Parking Zone but now all of a sudden signage is going up.
“If it is required now, it was required previously. There are still many roads with no signage at all.
“If we use High Steet as an example; between a sample period of Oct 2016 to May 2018, 100 per cent of appealed Penalty Charge Notices have been cancelled as a result of alleged inadequate signage or the council withdrawing from the tribunal cases at the last minute.
This issue applies in innumerable locations across the RPZ.
“What is terribly concerning is that even as of today’s date, there is not a single sign along the entire length of High St, Lamb Street, Corporation Street (Belgrade to Well St junction).
“We have long-asserted that the Council appear to have simply played a numbers game; cancel what they are forced to whilst raking in the revenue from the majority who are either deterred from appealing or do not have the time.
“It is time for Coventry City Council to allow a transparent, deep-dive investigation in to how the local authority have been able to fail to act on repeated tribunal rulings over a number of years to the detriment of the public.”
