1. Which vehicles are permitted to drive through the bus gates in the Heavitree and Whipton Street trial?
Under Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act, this information is exempt from disclosure under the rights inferred by the Act, because it is already publicly available on this Council website, within the traffic regulation order documents.
2. Are Council vehicles permitted to use the bus gates? If so, please provide the list of all vehicles which are permitted.
Yes. We do not hold a list.
3. If yes, why are Council vehicles allowed? Is this a business decision?
To enable public services to be delivered as efficiently as practicable. It is expected that Local Authority vehicles would comply with the bus gate restrictions unless it was considered necessary to utilise the exemption. The exemption of Local Authority vehicles is consistent with other restrictions.
4. Why are Council vehicles treated differently than Care workers, medical staff, care in the community and Prescription delivery companies?
Local authority service vehicles can usually be easily identified, as they are typically branded with the logo of the relevant local authority. In contrast, vehicles used by care workers and the other groups listed above are less likely to be readily distinguishable from other vehicles, as such groups may use their own (unbranded) vehicles. Therefore, the bus gate restrictions would be less enforceable if the latter groups were exempted, likely reducing compliance and thus reducing the effectiveness of the Active Streets trial in relation to reducing traffic on residential streets.