A new and refurbished 500-metre length of National Cycle Network Route 52 between Warwick University and Charter Avenue in Coventry has been upgraded to improve access for active travel.
The work was funded by Sustrans and delivered by Coventry City Council. Sustrans provided £1.5 million in a sub-grant to Coventry City Council to deliver the work. This project with the council is just one chapter of Sustrans’ national programme funded by the Department for Transport, to improve the National Cycle Network and create accessible paths for everyone.
Route 52 stretches north from Warwick through Coventry, Nuneaton and Coalville, linking with National Cycle Network Route 6, just west of Loughborough. The works have expanded the National Cycle Network by building a new dedicated cycleway and a new footway between Warwick University and Charter Avenue, as well as segregated shared use paths in a public realm area alongside Cannon Park Shopping Centre. This complements previous improvements to the cycle route along Charter Avenue, between Lynchgate Road and the A45.
To the west of the Aldi supermarket in Cannon Park Shopping Centre, new walking, cycling and wheeling paths have been built, seating has been added, trees planted and wildflower seeds sown to create a new green space for the community to enjoy.
The completed route is part of an exciting longer-term plan to make Coventry station more accessible via active travel, increasing access for residents and students across South Coventry, with the next stage due to start in Autumn 2024.
The paths were mapped out by designers at Coventry City Council by following desire lines already used by the public. Desire lines are unplanned paths that are informally created by pedestrians through regular usage, such as grass worn down to a mud path due to numerous people using a shortcut over time. By assessing public use, Coventry City Council and Sustrans were able to create paths that suit the needs of the community.
Coventry Councillor Jim O’Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change, said: "Building the cycleway infrastructure on Lynchgate Road, not only improves access to the University of Warwick campus and Cannon Park shopping centre, but the new toucan crossings will more safely connect pedestrians and cyclists to the existing cycle track along Charter Avenue, which links Kenilworth to Coventry.
"We are beginning to build us a really good network of top quality segregated cycle routes – and this is important because the biggest barrier to cycling is perceived safety. This work also complements our ambition to be a greener city and sits well with our pioneering Coventry Very Light Rail, the fact Coventry will be the UK’s first all-electric bus city and our ambition for on-street charge points.”
Councillor Patricia Hetherton, Cabinet Member for City Services, said: “We are delighted to see the Lynchgate Road cycleway is now complete. Creating better conditions for walking, wheeling and cycling in the city so that people rely less on their cars is a key priority for us. These kind of good quality new routes give people options making it easier for pedestrians to move around, especially those with mobility issues.”
Clare Maltby, Midlands and East director at Sustrans, said: “We are thrilled to showcase the new and improved Warwick University to Charter Avenue section of the National Cycle Network. It’s an example of what we hope to achieve, as we progress our Paths for Everyone vision, connecting communities. We hope that this upgraded route can now become a vibrant, traffic-free corridor that will connect communities with business, study and job opportunities.”