NEWS

Bus corridor consultation presents more incremental changes to Exeter road network

£2.4 million Heavitree and Pinhoe Road “upgrades” have “potential for an approximate four-minute journey time saving” at peak times along length of each corridor.

Leigh Curtis with Martin Redfern

Devon County Council is holding a public consultation on bus priority proposals on two of Exeter’s arterial highways, Heavitree Road and Pinhoe Road.

The proposed schemes are among several incremental changes that are at various stages of development as part of the Devon Bus Services Improvement Plan adopted by the county council in July 2022, then updated four months later.

The plan identifies six bus corridors in Exeter, five of which run from the city centre to its outskirts along radial routes and one along Barrack Road between Topsham Road and Heavitree Road.

The current consultation is for bus priority proposals on what it calls the city’s “central” and “eastern” corridors.

Exeter bus corridors map Exeter bus corridors. Source: Devon County Council.

The central bus corridor runs from the Paris Street roundabout along Heavitree Road and Honiton Road, forking at Sidmouth Road to reach both junctions 29 and 30 of the M5.

The proposed changes would introduce new traffic signals on an extended eastbound Heavitree Road bus lane to give buses priority when turning right into Barrack Road by allowing them to proceed ahead of other traffic, which would be signalled to stop when buses pass through.

Residents parking and a bus stop would be removed from the south side of the road to create space for the new junction, with some residents parking replacing the bus stop.

The consultation materials do not include an assessment of the viability of these changes at busy times, when eastbound traffic is often tailed back from Heavitree Fore Street to before the proposed new traffic signals.

Proposed Heavitree Road bus lane bus priority layout Proposed Heavitree Road bus lane bus priority layout. Image: WSP.

The short stretch of Barrack Road between Heavitree Road and Magdalen Road would also be reconfigured as part of the changes.

The footpath on its east side would be removed to create room for an additional northbound carriageway, including a partial bus lane, for buses turning left into Heavitree Road towards the city centre.

The uncontrolled pedestrian crossing on the Heavitree Road and Barrack Road junction would be removed and a bus stop in Livery Dole would be relocated.

At the same time bus lane operation times in Heavitree Fore Street and Honiton Road would be extended and buses would be given extra time to pass through traffic signals.

CCTV monitoring would be used to enable adaptive traffic control (and, if Devon County Council gets Department for Transport approval, fine drivers for moving traffic offences) while traffic information signs would provide real-time information about road conditions.

The county council says there is “potential for an approximate four-minute journey time saving per bus” from all the new measures combined along the length of the whole corridor, although this appears to be only for inbound morning buses.

£1.7 million of government funding has been allocated to these changes.

Proposed Barrack Road northbound bus lane layout Proposed Barrack Road northbound bus lane layout. Image: WSP.

Bus Services Improvement Plan changes are also proposed on the eastern bus corridor, running from Sidwell Street along Pinhoe Road and beyond as far as the M5.

A two-mile stretch of this route, to the Pinhoe Road junction with Hill Barton Road, would also see the use of CCTV monitoring to enable adaptive traffic control with real-time information on traffic signs and bus priority signalling. Bus lane operation times would also be extended.

The county council describes these changes as an “upgrade” which makes the route an “intelligent corridor”, and again says “there is potential for an approximate four-minute journey time saving per bus”.

The information provided in the consultation materials, however, says inbound morning bus journey times will only be shortened by “approximately 18 seconds” and evening outbound times by “approximately 3 minutes 17 seconds” while there will be “minimal impact” at other times.

£700,000 of government funding has been allocated to these changes.

New North Road bus gate illustrative view New North Road bus gate illustrative view. Image: Devon County Council.

Other Exeter Bus Services Improvement Plan changes have already been approved, or approved in principle.

In October, after a public consultation held in July and August, the county council cabinet approved a scheme on what it calls the “northern” corridor, running from Cowley Bridge roundabout to Exeter bus station via New North Road.

An eastbound bus gate is to be introduced in New North Road by widening the existing contraflow cycle lane in front of John Lewis to create a new bus lane, returning two-way traffic to this section of the street after its previous removal.

Buses travelling along New North Road will head directly to the bus station via Sidwell Street, instead of following the current route along Longbrook Street and York Road past St Sidwell’s Primary School.

The county council said the changes would mean bus passengers would save “approximately 2.5 minutes”, with eight services per hour across eight routes representing a “17% reduction in bus journey times”, although it appears this would depend on where passengers embarked.

The scheme is to cost £400,000.

New North Road bus gate layout New North Road bus gate layout. Image: Devon County Council.

Bus Services Improvement Plan changes are also on their way in Exeter’s “western” corridor, which runs along Dunsford Road and Cowick Street to the city centre across Exe Bridges.

In Cowick Street the operation times of the existing 100 metre bus lane are to be extended, with changes accordingly made to parking and loading times.

Buses will also be given priority over other traffic at the Cowick Street/Buller Road junction, and CCTV-based adaptive traffic control with real-time information will be introduced, as elsewhere.

On the other side of the river, buses turning out of Preston Street into Western Way will be given priority and linked signal timing will be used to prevent queuing traffic blocking the road.

An informal consultation on the Cowick Street bus lane changes that was held last October yielded just seventeen responses.

Three were from bus operators, two from local businesses and eleven from a local resident group. The remaining response was from a bus user who attended a single library drop-in session.

Apart from the bus operators and the individual bus user, all the respondents opposed both consultation options, while each of the bus operators disagreed with the others.

A county council report noted the limited sample size and lack of consensus, then recommended that traffic regulation orders for the second option be advertised to “gauge wider views on the proposals” on the basis that the council will approve them “if no objections are received”.

The traffic regulation orders have not yet been advertised for the scheme, which is expected to cost £235,000.

Exeter Western bus corridor map Exeter Western bus corridor. Image: Devon County Council.

The government launched its national bus strategy “Bus Back Better” in March 2021, requiring local transport authorities to submit a Bus Services Improvement Plan setting out how improvements could be made.

Devon County Council estimated that the annual cost of delivering its plan would be £33.6 million, but it was allocated just £14.1 million for the three-year period from 2022-23, £86.7 million less than it requested.

All the currently-planned schemes must be delivered by March 2025.

Devon County Council will be required to publish an updated Bus Services Improvement Plan by June, following guidance issued by the Department for Transport in January.

It will have to identify which of its schemes have been, or will be, delivered by the end of 2023-24 against those which are programmed for delivery in 2024-25, while determining “ambitions and priorities for future delivery in 2025 and beyond”.

Subscribe to The Exeter Digest - Exeter Observer's essential free email newsletter

Your personal information will be processed and stored in accordance with our Privacy Policy

The county council consultation on the proposed Heavitree Road and Pinhoe Road corridor changes is open until Friday 29 March.

Drop-in events are being held from 4.30pm-7.30pm on Tuesday 19 March at Exeter Guildhall and from 10.30am-2.30pm on Thursday 21 March at Exeter Library.

Respondents can also submit comments via an online survey.

The consultation is also inviting comments on two active travel crossing proposals, neither of which is currently funded. One is in Honiton Road, between the Rifford Road and Sweetbriar Lane junctions, the other at Polsloe Bridge.

A major nationwide study published in November last year found that Exeter bus services had been cut by nearly 42% since 2010.


Democracy doesn't work when people don't know who is deciding what on whose behalf and what the costs and consequences of those decisions will be.

Exeter Observer is proving that reader-funded media can deliver the independent public interest journalism our local democracy needs.

Upgrade to a paid Exeter Observer subscription to support our work and get access to exclusive premium content and more.

More stories
Northbrook Swimming Pool campaign demonstration Exeter Guildhall 13 May 2025

Campaigners compel Exeter City Council to reconsider Northbrook pool closure with 2,250-strong resident petition

Pressure on council intensifies after freedom of information request responses confirm £3.5 million budget cuts included potentially unlawful decision to close swimming pool without public consultation or impact assessment.

Wild camping on Dartmoor

Supreme Court rejects Dartmoor landowners’ attempt to prevent wild camping on their land

Judges unanimously dismiss appeal by Alexander and Diana Darwall against 2023 ruling upholding Dartmoor Commons Act as campaigners call for enhanced public rights to access nature pledged by Labour when still in opposition.

Child on park bench

Ofsted finds Devon County Council children’s services remain “inadequate” with rating unchanged since 2020

Inspection report highlights “serious weaknesses” that are “leaving children at risk of harm” as failings echo poor Special Educational Needs & Disabilities provision.

Mid Devon District Council headquarters at Phoenix House in Tiverton

Mid Devon District Council mischarged 2,865 social housing tenants £15.5 million in rent over twenty years

Housing regulator identifies “serious failings” in application of rent standard as council discovers dozens of evictions in which “rent arrears were the sole, or contributory factor”.

Dartmoor wildfire on 5 May 2025, photo by Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service

Dartmoor National Park warns of continued high fire risk after wildfire destroys 1,230 acres of moorland

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service took nearly 24 hours to extinguish bank holiday weekend blaze that followed warning of uncontrolled moorland fire risk.

Former Firezza in Sidwell Street to become adult gaming centre

24 hour year-round Sidwell Street “adult gaming centre” allowed at appeal

Planning inspector finds no evidence that “increase in crime and disorder” or “serious detrimental impacts on the health of local residents” would result from change of use from restaurant and takeaway unit.

On Our Radar
Steve Tyler and Marco Cannavò

SATURDAY 31 MAY 2025

Love, Devotion and Harmonious Melodies

Steve Tyler and Marco Cannavò perform medieval music on historical instruments.

ST NICHOLAS PRIORY

Exeter Respect Festival

SATURDAY 7 & SUNDAY 8 JUNE 2025

Exeter Respect Festival 2025

The annual celebration of Exeter diversity returns for its 28th anniversary with live music and performance, food stalls, community and campaign groups.

BELMONT PARK

Exeter City Of Literature literary map

SUNDAY 8 JUNE 2025

The Book Market 2025

Exeter City of Literature event features independent booksellers from across the county with author talks, stalls, food and drink.

CATHEDRAL GREEN

Exeter Custom House

SUNDAY 8 JUNE 2025

Heritage Harbour Festival 2025

The maritime-themed event returns for a third year with steam boats, exhibitions, talks, live music, film screenings and more.

EXETER QUAY

Art Week Exeter 2025 graphic

MONDAY 9 TO SUNDAY 15 JUNE 2025

Art Week Exeter 2025

Festival returns with exhibitions, film screenings, talks, workshops, performances, social events and an art car boot sale.

EXETER CITY CENTRE

Pipe organ keyboard in St Mary's Church, Throwleigh by Andrew Abbott

SATURDAY 14 JUNE 2025

Lost and Found (Keyboards Revoiced)

Exeter Contemporary Sounds and Ian Summers perform works on rescued, repurposed and reimagined instruments.

EXETER LIBRARY