Coventry plans LEZ for busy radial road

Air Quality

Coventry City Council plans to designate part of a radial road  a low emission zone (LEZ) to bring nitrogen dioxide concentrations down to below legal limit values. 

The LEZ will apply to the eastern end of A4114 Holyhead Road where it joins the city’s ring road. Coventry’s air quality modelling suggests that NO2 concentrations are a particular problem on the easternmost section of the road, between the Barras Lane junction and junction 8 of the ring road, with concentrations at times around 50 per cent higher than the legal limit of 40ug/m3. 

Coventry says the problem arises from high traffic volumes queuing from the traffic signals at the Barras Lane junction; the gradient of the road; and the proximity of the properties and retaining wall to the road carriageway. 

To tackle the problem, the council proposes:

• removing the traffic lights at Holyhead Road / Barras Lane and closing Barras Lane to vehicular traffic at its junction with Holyhead Road 
• introducing an LEZ on Holyhead Road between the railway bridge (west of Barras Lane) and the ring road junction 
• improving the parallel B4106 to accommodate traffic diverting from Holyhead Road  
• improving junction 7 of the ring road, which provides access to the B4106 

“This package will relieve traffic pressures on Holyhead Road, ensuring reduced traffic flows and freer-flowing traffic,” says the council. LTT requested more details of the LEZ but none were available. 

The proposals are part of the city’s wider clean air plan to reduce NO2. This also includes a lorry ban on part of the Foleshill Road. 

The Government originally instructed Coventry to introduce a Class D charging clean air zone (CAZ) to improve its air. The council fought this proposal and the Government backed down earlier this year (LTT 06 Mar).