Coventry City Council has revealed plans to invest £21 million in improving the city’s transport network over the next two years. The funding will be used to enhance road safety, expand walking and cycling infrastructure, support public transport and increase the availability of electric vehicle (EV) charging facilities.
The investment forms part of the city’s wider transport strategy, which aims to make it easier for residents, commuters and visitors to travel around Coventry while providing a range of sustainable travel options.
The Transport Capital Programme for 2026/27 sets out several key initiatives. These include £2.5 million allocated for Local Network Improvements, £11.3 million for maintaining roads and pavements, £5.8 million to support active travel projects such as cycling and walking routes, and £1.5 million for new EV charging hubs.
Funding for the programme will come from a mixture of national and regional transport initiatives, including the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), the Active Travel Fund (ATF), the Active Travel Integrated Settlement (ATIS), and the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund.
Councillor 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 whilst supporting greener travel, with new active travel routes and expanded electric vehicle charging. Residents will see safer roads, better crossings and improved neighbourhoods.”
Improving road safety is a key focus of the programme, particularly around schools and busy routes. The council will continue expanding its Average Speed Enforcement network, which has already contributed to reducing serious collisions on several major roads.
The highways maintenance programme will also prioritise the most important routes and pavements, building on Coventry’s recent ‘green’ rating for best-practice maintenance standards. Planned work will include resurfacing roads and pavements, upgrading drainage systems and introducing preventative maintenance to extend the lifespan of the highway network.
Cllr Hetherton continued: “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 city is also pushing forward with plans to improve walking and cycling infrastructure. More than £4 million has been secured for projects including new segregated cycleways, upgraded pedestrian crossings and additional School Streets schemes. Among the developments is a new city centre cycle route linking Coventry Railway Station with Pool Meadow, alongside improvements planned for Westwood Way.
As part of efforts to support cleaner transport, the council will introduce four new residential EV charging hubs during the 2026/27 financial year through the LEVI Pilot Project. These facilities will offer both rapid and overnight charging at locations such as Wellington Street and Warwick Road car parks, as well as St Christopher’s Primary School and Jardine Crescent Library.
These projects will complement other major initiatives across the city, including Coventry Very Light Rail, the rollout of electric buses and the continued expansion of segregated cycling routes.
Together, the initiatives aim to ensure residents, workers and visitors have a wide range of travel options to suit different journeys across the city.
Explore more: Visit our Local Authorities section for comprehensive coverage of UK council highways projects. Updates on local authority procurement, frameworks, funding, and regional road maintenance.
