The ring road and city centre by van
Coventry's middle is wrapped in a ring road with junctions close together, and inside it some streets are for buses or permit holders only. None of it is hard once you know, but a wrong turn in a van can mean a fine in the post.
The ring road
The ring road is short and busy. A few facts from the council make it easier:
- It is 2.25 miles long with nine junctions, close together, so the slip roads are short.
- The council's advice is to stay in the right-hand lane unless you are about to leave at the next junction.
- Junction numbers are signed in white on red, so look for the red signs, not the usual black.
- The limit is 40mph on the main loop and the slips.
For a removal van, that means knowing your exit number before you join. A Luton changing lanes late on a short slip is the kind of thing that adds ten minutes and a lap.
Bus gates and bus lanes
Coventry enforces its bus lanes and bus gates with cameras, and vans are not exempt. The council lists bus gates at:
- Gosford Street
- Greyfriars Road (since 8 September 2025)
- Hales Street, at the junction with the Burges
- Sky Blue Way
- Stoney Road
- Tile Hill Lane
- Whittle Arch
Unless a sign shows times, the council says they run all day, every day. The penalty is £70, cut to £35 if paid within 21 days. A sat nav set for a car may send you through one, so if your pickup or drop-off is near Gosford Street, Greyfriars Road or the Burges, check the route before the day and tell your driver.
Permit-only streets in the middle
Two city-centre schemes, around Trinity Street and the Burges, and around High Street and the Cathedral, restrict access to permit holders and authorised vehicles between 10am and 6pm, Monday to Saturday. If you are moving into or out of a flat in those streets, ask the building's management how removals get in, and aim to load before 10am or after 6pm if you can.
Flats in the city centre
- Find out where the loading point is. Many blocks have one, at the back or in a basement, and it is often not where the front door is.
- Book the lift if the building lets you. Waiting for a shared lift with a sofa eats the loading time you paid for.
- Give your driver the postcode of the loading point, not the main entrance, if they differ.
- Say if there is a height limit on a car park entrance. A Luton will not fit under most of them.
Roads out of the city
Longer moves leave Coventry on a handful of roads, and it helps to know which one your move uses when you choose a time:
- West to Birmingham and Solihull on the A45.
- South to Kenilworth, Warwick, Leamington and the M40 on the A46.
- North to Bedworth and Nuneaton on the A444, which also meets the M6.
- East to Rugby on the A428, or to Leicester on the M69 from junction 2 of the M6.
The drive is counted in the price whichever way you go, so the route matters for the time of day, not the cost.
Picking a time
Weekday mornings bring school traffic on the radial roads into the city, and Saturdays bring shoppers to the middle. An early start on a weekday, or a Sunday, is usually the quickest time to move in or near the ring road. Your driver will say what works when he gets in touch.
Ring road facts from Coventry City Council's ring road facts page; bus gates and penalties from its bus lane and bus gate enforcement page; city-centre permit hours from its residents' parking schemes page. All checked 22 October 2026.
Your card is held, not charged, until the driver accepts. The rest is paid to him on the day.