Changes to bus lanes in two Exeter arterial routes have been approved following a three and a half hour debate at County Hall this week that involved city and county councillors and more than a dozen community campaigners and members of the public.
Bus lane operation times will be extended in Pinhoe Road, Honiton Road and Fore Street, Heavitree, where three car parking spaces will also be removed opposite the shops in North Street to widen junction access.
A loading bay in Fore Street, Heavitree will be moved to a location that still has yet to be decided, and the city council is to consider altering its Gordon’s Place car park charging structure to offset the hour and a half of morning loading time that is being removed by the the changes.
Exeter central & eastern corridor bus lane changes
| Bus Lane | Old operation times | New operation times |
|---|---|---|
| Honiton Road inbound Hill Barton Road overbridge to Ringswell Avenue | 8am-9.15am Monday-Friday | 7am-10am Monday-Saturday |
| Heavitree Fore Street inbound Butts Road to Church Street | 8.30-9.30am & 4-6.30pm Monday-Friday | 7-10am & 4-7pm Monday-Friday |
| Pinhoe Road inbound Whipton Community Hall to Widgery Road | 8-9.30am Monday-Friday | 7am-10am Monday-Saturday |
| Pinhoe Road inbound Tarbet Avenue to St Mark's Avenue | 8-9.30am Monday-Friday | 7am-10am Monday-Saturday |
The changes are part of the Devon Bus Services Improvement Plan, a county-wide scheme adopted in July 2022 which includes six key transport routes in Exeter.
Five run from the city centre to its outskirts along radial routes and one along Barrack Road between Topsham Road and Heavitree Road.
The latest changes will affect the routes that run along Heavitree Road and Pinhoe Road, which the county council calls Exeter’s central and eastern corridors.
The plan is being delivered as part of a national bus strategy launched by the government in March 2021. The schemes are at various stages of development.
The bus lane and parking changes in Heavitree are part of several “intelligent corridor” upgrades.
A bus priority junction will also be constructed in the eastbound Heavitree Road bus lane between Gladstone Road and Grendon Road.
New traffic signals will be introduced 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 will be removed from the south side of the road to create space for the new junction, with some residents’ parking replacing the bus stop.
Exeter bus corridors. Source: Devon County Council Bus Services Improvement Plan v2
CCTV monitoring will be used to enable adaptive traffic control and fine drivers for moving traffic offences, while traffic information signs will provide real-time information about road conditions in both corridors.
The county council says: “The combined measures could save approximately four minutes per bus on the central corridor and 3 minute 20 seconds per bus on the eastern corridor”.
However it also says the journey time savings on both routes “will fluctuate depending on the bus services, and congestion levels, and direction of travel along the corridor”.
It also claims an “economic benefit of around £2,150,000 per year” will result from the journey time savings, for which £2.4 million of government funding has been allocated.
Devon County Council Exeter Bus Service Improvement Plan central and eastern corridors map. Source: Devon County Council.
The county council originally proposed extending the Fore Street, Heavitree bus lane operation times to run for twelve hours from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday.
It held an informal consultation on its proposals in February and March which yielded more than 800 responses, then a statutory consultation on the traffic regulation orders required to complete the changes in September and October.
This consultation produced a total of 916 responses, of which 448 were focussed on the Fore Street, Heavitree proposals. 304 of these were objections and 144 in support.
Petitions also followed, 653 people signing one opposing the changes started by Heavitree traders Association and 311 people signing another in support.
The county council subsequently reduced its bus lane operation time proposals for Fore Street, Heavitree, and its Exeter Highways and Traffic Orders Committee met on Tuesday this week to make final decisions on the changes.
12 November 2024 Devon County Council Exeter Highways and Traffic Orders Committee meeting
During the three and half hour meeting, which was held solely to discuss these changes, more than a dozen community campaigners and members of the public, as well as city and county councillors, argued at length both for and against the proposals.
Resident Ian Frankum, who was involved in the campaign to end the Heavitree & Whipton Active Streets trial, presented a petitions of 1,641 signatories against the changes in Heavitree, which he said was in addition to the 653 Heavitree traders Association petition signatories.
Cycling journalist Edward Pickering said that poorest households were four times as likely to use buses as the wealthiest, and added that the shortened bus lane hours would prevent its afternoon use by school transport.
Mandy Darling, a community officer for charity Devon in Sight, said that investment in public transport was needed to improve the experience of disabled passengers.
Independent city councillor Lucy Haigh said that assumptions had been made about businesses in Fore Street on which the proposals would have a significant negative impact.
City councillor Duncan Wood, who sits on the committee as a co-optee, questioned why an impact assessment of the changes that is required under the Equality Act 2010 had not been included on the meeting’s agenda.
He also said he had not been adequately briefed by officers before the meeting.
City councillor Lynn Wetenhall, who also sits on the committee as a co-optee, said that its members had received insufficient information from county council officers.
She said that officers had failed to consider important matters such as Royal Mail delivery and collection security requirements in relation to Heavitree Post Office.
She added that the potential of nearby parking in the Co-op store car park in North Street, which provides more than 60 spaces, many of which are often available, had been ignored.
However an amendment she proposed to enable officers to review some of the issues raised during the debate, which was initially seconded by city council leader Phil Bialyk, who also sits on the committee as a co-optee, was rebuffed by council officers.
They said it was too late to consider any new ideas as government funding conditions required its delivery by March next year.
Phil Bialyk then proposed another amendment, to remove the proposed Fore Street bus lane restrictions altogether on Saturdays, which was carried by the committee.
