[06
APR 00] COVENTRY CITY COUNCIL NEWS
Buses To Stay In Broadgate
BY ANTONY HOPKER
Fears over changes to bus routes through Coventry city centre have been blown out of proportion by a local newspaper, according to council bosses.
The latest plans for the revival of the city reveal that buses will NOT be barred from Broadgate.
But the creation of two new squares in the city centre will involve re-routing much of the traffic trying to get to the heart of the shopping area.
Councillors agreed that there had to be a re-think of bus routes into Coventry as people's shopping habits were likely to change.
The re-development of the Lower Precinct and the opening of the SkyDome arena mean that visitors are more likely to be attracted to the bottom end of the city centre.
 Cllr John Fletcher (Labour, Whoberley) said that the way the ideas had been written up in the Coventry Evening Telegraph had encouraged its readers to be negative about the changes.
He said:
"I think the way it was presented in the local paper and the questions that were asked put it in
the wrong context.
"If we ask people if they want change they will say no, but if we ask people where do you expect to be able to go in the next few years you will get different answers.
"I expect the centre of gravity of the city to move away from Broadgate in retail terms."
He added that there were other problems with bus routes in the city as they do not
deliver people to business parks or shopping centres.
 John McGuigan, Strategic Director (City Development), said the aim was to make the Precinct a throughfare that was well-used day and night.
He said:
"Buses will go through Broadgate. Broadgate isn't a square now. This will make sure the focus there is on people and not vehicles."
But Cllr Arthur Waugh (Labour, Westwood) said the priorities over change in the city centre were wrong, and Broadgate risked being entirely cut-off from the rest of the shopping area.
He said:
"If you restrict the view up the Precinct by allowing the awful escalator and the ramp to obstruct the view it will cut Broadgate off.
"You should get that done first before thinking about the squares."
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