[DF&F Main Menu] [Community Profiles Menu] [Community Appraisals Menu] Rewe & District Community Appraisal Report 2000 Index Transport & Traffic 250 people responded listing their major means of transport – 216 used a car / van, 12 walk, 10 use the bus, 8 use a bicycle, 1 uses a taxi and 3 listed other means. There was some enthusiasm for car sharing occasionally for shopping and social or leisure activities, but less than 10% of respondents would be willing to car share often for any activity, and over 60% would never car share, or felt it not applicable in their case. 155 people responded about the need for bus service improvements. Cost was the most commented on (115), other things highlighted were timetable (68), bus shelters (42), access for those with disabilities (32), reliability (28), bus stop location (24) and routes (18). Speeding traffic and footpaths / pavements had been highlighted as a major concern at the Public Meeting held before the steering committee was set up – the questionnaire had 9 questions about these. 218 respondents listed what they thought are the sources of the traffic problems and these are shown below. Of 241 respondents, 175 of them feel in danger from speeding traffic. The main road (A396) attracting 145 responses, Thorverton Road (38), Green Lane (32), Columb John Road (19) and about 10 each for the other roads in the parish. Number of respondents Speed control measures are supported by 198 respondents – 126 would like to see the speed limit reduced to 30 mph (although Thorverton Road is already 30 mph and still causes concern with speeding traffic), 90 would like to see speed cameras, 73 would like to see ‘gateways’ at either end of the village, 56 would like to see further traffic calming and 36 would like to see chicanes in the village.   Over half of residents feel that road maintenance is good or reasonable, although side roads, verges, ditches and hedges had between 25% - 37% of respondents listing their maintenance as poor. On the plus side around 90% of those replying listed the maintenance of the main road as good or reasonable. Regarding pedestrian facilities – 109 people (45% of the 241 respondents) feel they are poor, 85 (35%) feel they are reasonable, only 10 (4%) feel they are good. 127 (53%) respondents currently use the footpath along the A396 – over half of these who responded to the question. 195 respondents would like to see improvements to this footpath - see below (NB The Rewe Barton section is now being remodelled) "Anything that would reduce speed" "There is little point in lowering speed limit when current 40 is not policed" "Extend speed limit & street lights northwards to beyond Speedway Garage"… and from main road to Culmdale" "More pavements & paths throughout – pelican crossing at Stoke Canon end where road must be crossed to follow footpath" "Pelican crossing outside Social Club & Church" "Columb John Road to bus stop very dangerous for old people & children" "Cycle path on A396" (4 people said this) "We think there is a need for speed cameras in Rewe as most motorists ignore the 40 limit" "Drains are continually blocked in wet weather and water is across Thorverton Road causing a hazard to traffic" "At Latchmoor Cross 30mph speed limit was put into operation several years ago & red calmers put down to try to limit excess speeding. These have worn away and little has been done to reinforce restrictions" "As a family we are very concerned about traffic speed" "The great danger of the junction Narrow Lane to Silverton on A396. So much could be done with the space which is available on the left going north " "The bus service is brilliant but if used regularly £3 return can work out pricey" "Timetable could start earlier from Rewe to Exeter. Buses often drive past people at the bus stop. Bus fares ridiculously high" "Not been here long (1 year) it’s a beautiful place but if did not have my car I would feel isolated here" 188 people responded to the question about paths, street lights, crossings etc. More pavements attracted the most responses (111, 59%), more footpaths (94, 50%), cycle paths (67, 36%), pelican crossings (42, 22%), more street lights (39, 21%), traffic islands (17, 9%). Conclusion and possible solutions As had been expressed at the original meeting, traffic and pedestrian facilities are major problems in Rewe. A very significant number of people would like to see significant improvements in both these areas. There would be much support for the 40 mph speed limit to be reduced to 30 mph – this could be coupled with other traffic calming measures which could incorporate improvements to the footpath. The footpath along the A396 should be complete throughout the existing 40 mph speed limit area; the dangers currently present there discourage people to use it – that in turn leads to less residents interacting with each other informally and thus leads to people within Rewe claiming that they never get to meet anyone / know what is going on. The pavement at Rewe Barton is currently being done as part of that development. Thought needs to be given to pedestrian provision over the railway bridge – maybe the road there could be cut down to a single carriageway with directional priority; this would in turn calm the traffic. The carriageway from the Parish Hall towards Stoke Canon could be remodelled to allow space for a pavement to join up with the footpath outside Westfield. At the Tiverton end, the verge is wide enough to allow construction of a footpath similar to that down to Stoke Canon – this could even be extended to the Silverton turning by Beacon Down. Provision of footpaths along other roads should be considered. Possible Solution: Set up an action group to liaise with County Highways Dept. to implement some of these ideas. The bus service attracted many comments and it may be worth passing these findings on to Stagecoach – these must however be balanced against the low number of people who use the bus as their major form of transport. Note: the bus service along the A396 is one of the best rural services in the county – 26 / 27 return services on weekdays, 21 / 22 on Saturdays and 8 / 9 on Sundays. [Previous Page][Index][Next Page] [DF&F Main Menu] [Community Profiles Menu] [Community Appraisals Menu] [Top of Page] [Devon C.C. Homepage] Page Created: April 2002 This Information was provided by Corporate Information Services Send any comments, enquiries, etc. to DRIS@devon.gov.uk