Consultation
Cullompton and Tiverton Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan
From
26/02/2024
Until
07/04/2024
Update 1 October 2024: Responses to this consultation are summarised in the Consultation Report. The updated draft LCWIP has been revised following consideration of feedback received through the consultation.
We are working to deliver improved active travel facilities, providing more direct, convenient, safe and attractive options for local journeys. We believe that improved walking and cycling infrastructure would have the following positive impacts for our county:
- Accommodating growth – a shift towards active travel would reduce congestion, particularly in areas where new housing developments put additional pressure on roads.
- Supporting health, wellbeing and access for all – improving active travel networks can make cycling and walking a common form of exercise for more people.
- Improving accessibility and social sustainability – better infrastructure can make it easier to access employment and education, key services and facilities. Dedicated cycling infrastructure can also help improve accessibility for disabled people.
- Responding to the climate crisis – shifting to sustainable transport options such as cycling and walking is one of the most important ways to tackle transport emissions.
- Economic benefits and creating better places – studies suggest that people cycling visit local shops more regularly. Public realm improvements have been shown to result in increased trade for local businesses.
As part of our plans, from Monday 26 February until Wednesday 10 April, we are holding a consultation on our draft Cullompton & Tiverton Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP). This identifies key potential routes within Cullompton and Tiverton and onward links to Tiverton Parkway, Uffculme, Willand and Killerton. It has been developed by Devon County Council in partnership with Mid Devon District Council, and has been informed by previous engagement with key stakeholders.
Below is an overview of the proposed routes (click on the image to open the map in a new tab).
Please click on this link to read the LCWIP document in full. The consultation is open until Sunday 7 April at 11:59pm.
What is a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP)?
Local authorities are required by the Government to produce LCWIPs, which analyse walking and cycling data to identify the cycling and walking infrastructure improvements needed in a particular area. This helps us to plan for future investment over the next 10-20 years.
The types of improvements put forward in an LCWIP might include new crossings, cycle routes that are physically separated from motorists and pedestrians, public realm improvements, traffic calming and wayfinding.
Have your say
Please let us know what you think by completing the survey.
Paper copies of the survey will be available at Cullompton, Tiverton and Uffculme Libraries, or can be requested by:
- emailing transportplanning@devon.gov.uk
- writing to Transport Planning, Devon County Council, Room 120, County Hall, Topsham Road, Exeter, Devon, EX2 4QD
You can join us at our online event to hear more about the proposals:
Monday 4 March, 5pm-6pm
Please email transportplanning@devon.gov.uk to register for the online event.
We are also holding a drop-in event at Cullompton Town Hall, 1 High Street, Cullompton, EX15 1AB on Monday 18 March, 2-5pm.
Following the close of the consultation, we will carefully analyse your feedback and will take it into account while preparing the final versions of the documents. We plan to publish the final version of the LCWIP later in the year.
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Context
The Cullompton & Tiverton LCWIP focuses on a core area encompassing Cullompton and the proposed Culm Garden Village. It also considers links in and around Tiverton, to Tiverton Parkway and towards Exeter.
Cullompton and Tiverton are historic market towns, with their location near Exeter making them attractive places to live for those commuting for work, key services or leisure. New planned housing developments mean that the population of Cullompton is due to rise from 8,900 to 18,000 by 2033, and Tiverton from 22,400 to 30,000 in the same period.
In the area, there is a heavy reliance on cars that has resulted in traffic congestion, and there is also a significant number of people commuting out of the towns for work, particularly to Exeter. As many people are travelling into the city by car, they are also contributing to Exeter’s significant congestion issues. In Cullompton, an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) has been declared, reflecting that air pollution levels may exceed national air quality objectives in some locations. The planned growth in population will only add further pressure to the transport network.
As such, there is a need to reduce the amount of car use by substantially increasing the number of people cycling and walking, combined with wider improvements in sustainable transport infrastructure.
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Cycling
The LCWIP area includes some good existing cycle infrastructure, particularly around Tiverton, such as the National Cycle Network route 3 (NCN3), sections of shared use path and quiet road routes. However, there are barriers to increasing cycling use, including: low current levels of cycling, high levels of car dependency, safety of cycle routes and hills in some areas.
By using geographic software to understand journey data, we have been able to locate and map the main trip origins and destinations, as well as to understand the most direct routes between them (known as ‘desire lines’). Having determined the top priority desire lines, six sets of cycling routes have been developed, which are (click on the links to open maps of the routes):
- Cullompton & Culm Garden Village
- Cullompton to Killerton
- Cullompton to Tiverton Parkway
- Willand/Tiverton Parkway to Tiverton
- Tiverton
- Links to Uffculme
These proposals would provide 35km of additional traffic free and low-traffic cycle routes, suitable for all ages and abilities. Detailed information about each route is set out in the full LCWIP document.
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Walking
Many existing roads within the built-up areas in the LCWIP area have footways for people walking. However, there is still a need to continuously improve conditions for walking to encourage people to walk more often.
The LCWIP guidance recommends that core walking zones should be identified. These zones should normally be in areas with high levels of footfall – such as town centres or business parks – and be of about a five-minute walking distance. The following two core walking zones have been identified (click on the links to open maps of the core walking zones):
Detailed information about each core walking zone is set out in the full LCWIP document.
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Prioritisation and funding
The LCWIP sets out the proposed cycling and walking infrastructure improvements in order of priority and provides a high-level costing of the schemes.
Government guidance states that priority should be given to improvements that are most likely to have the greatest impact on increasing the number of people who choose to walk and cycle, and therefore the greatest return on investment. Other factors may also influence the prioritisation of improvements, such as the deliverability of the proposed works or opportunities to link with other schemes.
Given current levels of funding for cycling and walking, it is unlikely that all of the schemes within the LCWIP could be completed, even over a 20-year period. However, the LCWIP sets out a prioritised network that can be delivered as and when funding opportunities arise, for example from central government or housing/employment developers, enabling the eventual creation of a coherent, joined up network.
Accessibility
We take accessibility seriously and recognise that some of the information presented in the files available on this page may not be fully accessible to someone using assistive technology such as a screen reader.
If you need guidance or an alternative format, email transportplanning@devon.gov.uk with details of any preferred format and the assistive technology you use.