Public Transit and Coventry

2007 needs a co-ordinated strategy to get us out of our cars.

More and more car use means more and more congestion, pollution and noise.

Year-on-year, we need to use our cars less. If we still need to use cars (rural communities, etc), we need viable alternatives to petrol to receive governmental and industry support.

- I've recently written about lobbying for a Walking/Cycling strategy from the city council in 2007.

- For 2007, the city council is also moving to a system of "salary sacrifice" where employees can support independent bike shops and purchase bicycles. Other employers could join in with this type of scheme. Warwick University already has an arrangement with Albany Cycles in Earlsdon for its staff and students.

- 2007 should see a revival of Coventry celebrating Without My Car day. In 2004, Broadgate was closed off to vehicles.

- There will be more development on the Sprint rapid bus transit project (dedicated vehicles halfway between buses and trams running between Warwick University and Nuneaton via the city centre and Foleshill Road).

- In 2007, Virgin Trains, serving Coventry mainline station, may switch over part/all of its rolling stock to run on biofuel.

- As you can see from the Energy Saving Trust database, there are no filling stations for electricity or biodiesel or hydrogen or bioethanol within 20 miles of Coventry. The nearest is in Coalville (Crossroads Garage, 99 Midland Road, LE67 1EH) for biodiesel. If the city council was serious about environmental affairs, they'd call a summit of the leading filling stations in or near to Coventry and encourage them to provide such facilities. Either we remain reliant on petrol, or we try to diversify as an interim step whilst truly sustainable technology (renewably-powered hydrogen, far-more efficient electric car technology) is developed.