Plan to target Coventry speedsters
Extra traffic calming agreed for Coventry housing estate
Last updated 25th Jul 2025
EXTRA traffic calming measures are set to be introduced on a Coventry housing estate where nearly 50 residents had signed a petition calling for a 20mph speed limit.
The announcement was made at this week’s (July 23) Coventry City Council Cabinet Member for City Services meeting when it was explained that the new lower speed limit on Bannerbrook Park could not be introduced because the roads had yet to be adopted by the council.
Conservative group leader Cllr Gary Ridley, who represents the Woodlands ward, said the issues of road safety and speeding motorists evoked passions within the community.
“I know that 50 people near enough have felt motivated to sign this petition so I thought it important to air some of these things in public,” he explained. “I certainly welcome the commitment to bring forward potential traffic calming measures but would appreciate some clarity about what they look like and perhaps a bit more of a timescale.
“In terms of the wider issue around 20mph zones, we see continual controversy around the country about various schemes but we actually have the community here who would welcome this and we have the opportunity to roll this out as soon as we possibly can. It could be used as best practice for other areas.
“I think people on Bannnerbrook are pretty angry that this issue has been going on for some considerable time – the first development was some 15 years ago. People do want to see some progress.
“I wonder if there is some form of measure that we can bring forward that requires new developments to be built as 20mph zones. We obviously have a 30mph default in the this country but maybe there is some way that we could put some kind of covenant or restriction that introduces a 20mph zone as a default. We have considerable development going on in Eastern Green and I think people would broadly welcome it.”
It was agreed that the concerns of petitioners be noted and that extra traffic calming measures would be brought forward into the current financial year.
John Seddon, the council’s strategic lead on transport and innovation, said: “In terms of the adoption process I share the frustration of members and residents with the pace of the process.
“My starting position is that where we have estates like this then we should aim to get them adopted as quickly as possible but one of the issues is to ensure that Severn Trent have adopted the drainage system before we go ahead and adopt the roads which are built on the drains so we don’t inherit a problem.
“In the long term, I don’t see it 20mph speed limit being a problem once the roads are adopted.”
Sections of Astoria Drive and Monticello Way on the estate could be considered for some sort of traffice calming and Cllr Patricia Hetherton, cabinet member for city services who chaired the meeting, said: “I am in favour of 20mph in certain areas because I think it gives streets back to the community and makes people feel safer.”