Hundreds sign petition slamming decision to “sacrifice 26 irreplaceable trees” to make way for “dangerous, little used” cycle lane that “adds to pollution” – but council says more trees will be planted in their place

The planned final phase of a cycle lane in Coventry – where a motorist was filmed last year speeding along the ‘protected’ infrastructure while undertaking another driver and which locals say could lead to collisions between reversing drivers and cyclists “aiming” at them at 30mph – has once again been the subject of intense scrutiny this week, after almost 1,000 residents signed a petition urging the council to stop the project “immediately” to save 26 trees along the proposed route.

However, Coventry City Council has responded to the petition by pointing out that the 26 trees which would be felled if the plans are approved are set to replaced by 32 new trees and a range of low growing plants, with the local authority also noting that the proposed cycleway is key to promoting sustainable travel in the city.

Earlier this year, Coventry City Council announced a revised set of plans, following feedback from locals which has led to the scheme being redesigned three times, for the Clifford Bridge Road stretch of the Binley cycleway, a 6km-long protected cycleway linking the city centre to University Hospital Coventry.

According to the council, the Binley cycleway was “developed and designed to accommodate the needs of people that do not usually cycle” by reducing concerns about safety and lack of confidence.

The latest revised proposals for the Clifford Bridge Road section mean that the road will no longer be narrowed to accommodate the cycling infrastructure, while more parking spaces will be made available in comparison to the original plan, with a kerb now separating the cycle lane from the pavement for much of the route.

> Residents oppose cycle lane plans that would make cyclists “sitting ducks” for motorists accessing driveways

However, after residents again raised concerns in January about the prospect of cyclists riding into drivers reversing out of their homes, a petition has been launched calling for an “immediate” halt to the project in order to save the 26 trees earmarked to be cut down as part of the scheme.

According to the council, which is holding another consultation on the changes until 12 September, “we will remove a total of 26 trees. But we will plant 32 new trees. The new tree species are a good mix of species well suited to an urban environment. These will be planted with a special root protection system which will help them to thrive in the conditions.”

“It may seem like a step forward for sustainable transport, but it comes at too high a cost”

But Will Delieu, who set up the change.org petition last week, believes the plan to cut down the trees as part of the cycleway’s construction comes at “too high a cost” and will “cause irreversible damage to the local environment”.

“We need your support to save the 26 beautiful, mature trees along Clifford Bridge Road that are at risk of being removed to make way for a new cycle lane,” Delieu wrote.

“These trees have stood for decades, providing shade, cleaner air, and natural beauty to our community. Removing them would not only destroy the green character of our neighbourhood but also cause irreversible damage to the local environment.

“The proposed cycle lane may seem like a step forward for sustainable transport, but it comes at too high a cost. The loss of these trees would have long-lasting negative effects on our ecosystem, local wildlife, and the well-being of residents. We believe there are better alternatives that would not require sacrificing our precious natural heritage.

“The trees not only an amazing habitat for our wildlife, but an environment which our neighbourhood would hate to see gone. These trees have been here for decades. I support sustainable transport, but we need to explore other options.

“We call on Coventry City Council to halt this project immediately and explore alternative routes or designs that protect our trees. Let’s work together to find a solution that supports both sustainable transport and environmental preservation.”

The petition, which was launched last week, has so far attracted over 900 signatures. One of those signatories, Ann Wilson, the vice chair of Coventry Tree Wardens, believes the trees along Clifford Bridge Road are “irreplaceable”.

“These trees and the benefits they provide to local people are irreplaceable,” Wilson wrote. “They should not be sacrificed for a cycleway that is already dangerous, causing traffic congestion, adding to pollution, and is little used.”

The claim that the Binley cycleway is “little used” is a common one among the petition’s signatories.

“Why are they chopping down trees that have been in place for many years for a cycle path that no one uses?” asked Joy Foley. “I’ve literally seen three people on cycle paths since they were made. Total waste of our money. Wise up council, we need trees in our world… Please stop this madness you want to inflict on us.”

This video of the Binley Cycleway in #Coventry is mesmerising.

High-quality cycle lanes are direct and continuous. This reduces the need to stop and start, as you can see in the clip, making cycling a safe and convenient choice.

pic.twitter.com/Z55RXp3513

— Adam Tranter (@adamtranter) May 18, 2023

Responding to the petition, a spokesperson for Labour-controlled Coventry City Council reminded locals that a public consultation on the scheme is open until 12 September.

“If these plans are approved at the City Services Cabinet Meeting at the end of October, we would remove 26 trees as part of the work,” the spokesperson said.

“It’s important to note however that they would be replaced by 32 new trees as well as a range of low growing plants. Those trees would be planted with a special root protection system which would help them to thrive.

“This section of the cycleway is the final step in joining up the city centre, Binley and the University Hospital. When complete that cycleway will play a key role in promoting sustainable travel in our city.”

> “Our roads will be safer if we all look a bit more”: Cycle lane plans “a recipe for disaster,” say residents – because reversing motorists can’t see cyclists “aiming at you at 30”… due to parked cars on road

As noted above, this isn’t the first time that the Clifford Bridge Road portion of the Binley cycleway has come under fire from disgruntled residents.

In January, resident Dawn McCann launched another petition against the revised plans, which she said was based on safety concerns about the lane’s proximity to homes on the road.

“I think they keep tweaking it to try and fob us off and not tackle the actual issue of safety,” she said at the time.

“No one who lives on Clifford Bridge wants to run cyclist over, nobody would intentionally injure anybody, but the way the cycleway is being designed at the moment, all of those cyclists are sitting ducks.”

Speaking at a council meeting last November, when she first raised the issue of motorists reversing onto the cycle lane, McCann said: “At the moment cars reverse on the pavement. When you build the cycle lane, they will have to reverse across a footpath and a cycleway onto Clifford Bridge Road. Even if you reverse on Clifford Bridge Road [into the drive], between parked cars you don’t know if a bike’s coming.

“The visibility thing has been the main thing that the Clifford Bridge Road residents are worried about, I don’t know how you get round that.

“If you're reversing out across [the cycle lane] with a bike aiming at you at 30, it doesn’t matter how many times you look, there are going to be collisions.”

Meanwhile, Labour councillor Robert Thay also raised concerns about how the scheme would work at rush hour.

“They’re going to increase the amount of cyclists, you’re going to be trying to get out when cyclists will all be piling to the hospital, and you won’t be able to see them,” he said.

“So you will have to reverse back blindly, hoping that there’s not all of these cyclists who are apparently going to be using the cycle path onto Clifford Bridge Road. It’s a recipe for disaster between half seven and half eight in the morning and half four and half five in the evening, because they are the busiest times on that road.”

> Proposed city centre e-bike ban will “discourage cycling and penalise responsible cyclists,” says cycling and walking commissioner

However, West Midlands’ former walking and cycling commissioner Adam Tranter criticised the complaints and simply urged motorists to take extra caution when “blindly” reversing out of their drives.

“When we are reversing, when we do stuff, just that extra look or that extra bit of caution, even though it will feel uncomfortable could be beneficial,” he said at the time.

Tranter also distinguished between “e-motorcycles” doing high speeds and “the average cyclist and a pedestrian”, who travel on a “human scale”.

“Often when cyclists and pedestrians are together there’s a bit of give and take with eye contact,” he added. “You can’t have that level of contact when you’re doing speeds in a car over 20-miles-an-hour, it’s been proven.

“So if you slow the speeds down, if you get people to look and visualise, it’s a bit of give and take and generally from the data it seems to work. The data seems to suggest that our roads will be safer if we all look a bit more.”

> "Traffic on road? Just use a cycle lane": Motorist facing court after speeding through segregated bike lane

And while opponents of the scheme are vocal in their concerns about cyclists riding at 30mph and potentially crashing into unsuspecting drivers, perhaps the most shocking incident to have taken place on the Binley cycleway so far involved a Ford Puma driver undertaking another motorist by speeding along the protected bike lane last July.

The manoeuvre, which Tranter said at the time “could have quite easily had catastrophic consequences”, and led to the driver in question being identified and charged by police.

“In the West Midlands we are very clear that we will not tolerate behaviour that endangers vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. This shocking footage has rightly sparked outrage online and I’m grateful to the police for swiftly taking action,” the former walking and cycling commissioner said.