Coventry City Council has unveiled a major £21 million investment programme to upgrade the city’s transport network over the next two years, supporting safer streets, improved public transport and expanded walking, cycling and electric vehicle infrastructure.
The funding forms a key part of the Coventry Transport Strategy, which sets a long‑term vision for enabling residents, commuters and visitors to move easily and sustainably around the city.
The Transport Capital Programme for 2026/27 outlines several major priorities, including:
- £11.3 million for road and pavement maintenance
- £5.8 million for active travel improvements
- £2.5 million for Local Network Improvements
- £1.5 million for new electric vehicle charging hubs
The programme is backed by funding from national and regional sources including the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, the Active Travel Fund, the Active Travel Integrated Settlement, and the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund.
A significant focus of the programme is boosting safety, particularly around schools and on the city’s busiest corridors. Coventry will continue expanding its Average Speed Enforcement (ASE) network, which has already reduced serious incidents on key arterial routes.
Targeted schemes will address known hotspots and support safer walking and cycling environments for children and families. Coventry’s highways maintenance programme, which recently secured a national ‘green’ rating for best practice, will continue to prioritise roads and footways in the greatest need of repair.
The £11.3 million package will fund the resurfacing of roads and pavements, improvements to drainage, and preventative measures to extend the life of the network. These works aim to improve reliability, reduce potholes and strengthen overall network resilience.
More than £4 million has been secured for new and improved active travel routes, including:
- New segregated cycleways
- Upgraded pedestrian crossings
- Additional School Streets schemes
- The completion of the City Centre Cycleway, linking Coventry Railway Station to Pool Meadow
- Improvements to the Westwood Way corridor
The investments form part of Coventry’s wider shift to cleaner, healthier transport networks that give residents more choice in how they travel.
To support the transition to electric vehicles, Coventry will deliver four new residential charging hubs in 2026/27, funded through the LEVI Pilot Project.
This expansion supports Coventry’s ambition to provide EV charging options for residents across the city, particularly those without off‑street parking.
Cllr Patricia Hetherton, Cabinet Member for City Services, said:
“This investment strengthens our commitment to improving travel for everyone in Coventry – whether you walk, wheel, cycle, use public transport or drive. We’re delivering schemes that repair and upgrade our roads while supporting greener travel, with new active travel routes and expanded electric vehicle charging. Residents will see safer roads, better crossings and improved neighbourhoods.
“In recent weeks we’ve seen a sharp rise in potholes nationally, made worse by relentless weather. Persistent rain, saturated ground and freeze–thaw conditions have taken a heavy toll on road surfaces. Our teams are prioritising the most safety‑critical defects, and I’m confident we’ll get on top of the worst issues so we can return to our preferred ‘find and fix’ approach—sorting the reported defect and the surrounding area in one go.”
The investment programme underpins several major city‑wide initiatives, including:
- Coventry Very Light Rail
- Transition to all-electric buses
- Delivery of segregated cycle routes
- Wider housing growth supported through improved connectivity
Together, these investments will help ensure residents, businesses and visitors can choose from a range of safe, reliable and sustainable travel options.
Image credit: iStock
