The following summary of some of the actions already taken by the city comes from a presentation by Mr Colin Knight, Director of Transportation and Highways although his responsibilities and knowledge extend wider than this title would suggest.

See also the speech by Councillor Jim O’Boyle during a climate debate.

Reducing the Council’s Emissions

As a city we are working hard to reduce our carbon emissions and to be more sustainable.

Heatline

Heatline is another major project that was implemented within the city. Council buildings including the Council House, Herbert Art Gallery & Museum – Coventry Sports & Leisure Centre and the Cathedral are heated via 6.6km of buried pipes which bring waste heat from the Waste to Energy plant to the city centre. The Wave water park is also heated via Heatline. The scheme incorporates a 650,000 litre thermal storage vessel. It has the potential to expand throughout the city centre and is a great low carbon energy supply option for new developments.

Energy efficient Street lighting

• Centrally controlled dimmable street lighting.
• 28,700 new lighting columns installed between 2010 and 2015.
• Light targeted downwards to reduce light pollution.
• 38% energy reduction across the city
• Saving 4,000 tonnes of carbon

Reducing our emissions – homes

Fuel poverty in Coventry currently 15.3% – the average for England is 11.1%

Supporting people to insulate and heat their homes with grants

Government Eco Scheme (solid wall, cavity wall, loft insulation – depending on circumstances up to 100% funded), emergency boiler replacement scheme

Helping people switch to cheaper energy tariffs

Switch & Save, and advice

Advising people

How to reduce energy bills and energy usage and helping people to understand their bills

Recycling and Roads

Clark Street

RETREAD recycles in situ materials (the existing road is used as a source of roadstone aggregate), maximising use of existing materials and reducing to a minimum the amount of new materials imported onto site and reduced lorry movements.  Significantly reduced energy consumption and a lower carbon footprint. 

Sewell Highway 

Carriageway resurfacing scheme which used the road plainings to provide a verge parking area Road planings are produced when the surface layer of a tarmacroad or footpath is removed.

Montalt Road

Residential road resurfaced using material containing two different types of plastic pellets, recycled rubber, and SMA. The pellets where used as a binding agent, replacing much of the bitumen which is a fossil fuel, to help reduce the carbon footprint of the process. One quarter of the road was resurfaced using rubber ‘crumbs’ that have come from old vehicle tyres while the remaining quarter will be resurfaced using traditional asphalt.

Transport

Electric charging

The Council received grant funding from the Office for Low Emissions Vehicles (OLEV) in 2017 for £1.2m to deliver 39 rapid chargers in the City. 

Electric taxis

In September 2019, Coventry City Council launched the Go Electric Taxi scheme, to encourage cab drivers to move to electric vehicles.  It provides incentives worth £2,500 to taxi drivers interested in making the switch to a cleaner vehicle to reduce air pollution in the City. 

Autonomous vehicles

Coventry and Warwickshire is at the heart of driverless car testing in the UK and West Midlands.

Electric buses

The Council has received £2.2 million of Government funding to invest in greener, cleaner buses for the city. 10 fully electric buses in collaboration with National Express will operate on major routes through the city. 

Very light rail

Very light rail will be quicker and cheaper to build and run than any of the tram systems currently operating in the UK.

E- car clubs 

‘Future Mobility’ programme – offer credits to people who scrap old diesels that can be used on alternative transport

MaaS/Swift

Apps to encourage sustainable/rational transport choices

Demand Responsive Transport

Travel Planning

Industry and Business

Green Business Programme and Network

Coventry & Warwickshire’s Green Business Programme and Network offers grants of up to £50k (40% intervention) for energy efficiency projects. Grants are available for new LED lighting, renewable energy, energy efficient equipment, and new efficient heating systems, plus much more.  The programme is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and is being delivered by Coventry City Council, Coventry University and Coventry University Enterprises Ltd.

UKBIC

A new national facility for battery manufacturing development. The UKBIC will promote industrial collaboration to explore and prove new manufacturing techniques, shaping the future of the emerging battery industry. It will create new employment opportunities, develop skills for the future automotive sector and unlock further R&D and investment throughout the supply chain.