Request for road traffic number surveys for Iron Bridge Road.
In support of the Queen St changes – The council claims that traffic volumes along Iron Bridge have been reduced by 35 percent and that cycling along the way has gone up. This is now leading to permanent one-way changes along Iron Bridge.
However no recording of traffic has been known / witnessed or known publication of data.
Request to include:
1) Dates of period of recording pre-/post- one-way installation to validate claim of 35% drop and increase of cycling along Iron Bridge / St Davids Hill
The Council has not claimed that there was a reduction in traffic of 35% on Iron Bridge, but rather that there was a 30% reduction (the 35% reduction was on Queen Street). The dates of the counts used to derive the data reported are as follows:
| Vehicle Flows | Cycle Flows | |
| Before Scheme | 24/02/2014 – 28/02/2014 | 10/02/2009 |
| After Scheme | 16/09/2021 | 16/09/2021 |
For all count dates, data for the 12-hour period 07:00-19:00 was used.
2) Specific section of road where recording took place, eg Iron Bridge, St Davids @ Hele Rd, Iron Bridge @ North Street, etc.
The locations of the counts used to derive the data reported are as follows:
| Vehicle Flows | Cycle Flows | |
| Before Scheme | St Davids Hill, near Dinham Road junction (SX 91626 92815) | Iron Bridge/Paul Street/North Street/Bartholomew Street East junction (SX 91787 92674) |
| After Scheme | Iron Bridge/Paul Street/North Street/Bartholomew Street East junction (SX 91787 92674) | Iron Bridge/Paul Street/North Street/Bartholomew Street East junction (SX 91787 92674) |
3) Method of recording – in person or another counting method, eg, camera, automated, etc.?
| Method of recording | |
| 10/02/2009 | Trained council enumerators stationed close to the Iron Bridge/Paul St/North Street/Bartholomew Street East junction |
| 24/02/2014 – 28/02/2014 | Vehicle detection radar in St Davids Hill near Iron Bridge |
| 16/09/2021 | Independent traffic survey company, using a small video camera close to the Iron Bridge/Paul St/North Street/Bartholomew Street East junction |
4) Specific data outcomes (actual numbers) & how made known to public.
| Vehicle Flows | Cycle Flows | |
| Before Scheme | 3,784 | 52 |
| After Scheme | 2,618 | 129 |
The outcomes of these traffic counts were summarised on page 3 of a report to the Exeter Highways and Traffic Orders Committee meeting of 16 January 2023, available at Agenda for Exeter Highways and Traffic Orders Committee on Monday, 16th January, 2023, 10.30 am – Democracy in Devon. Note that the figures in the report have been rounded, so may not exactly match the figures quoted above