Transport improvements in Starcross and Mamhead Road

A public consultation is being held on improvements to the A379 at Starcross and the Mamhead road from Starcross to the A380.

Please read the information and view the plans provided below and have your say using our online questionnaire. If you wish to access plans while completing the questionnaire, we recommend opening the questionnaire in a new window or tab.

The proposals will also be on show at Starcross Pavilions on Wednesday 15 January from 2:30 pm to 7:30 pm, when officers from Devon County Council will be on hand to answer any questions.

The consultation will close on 5 February.

Background

The section of the A379 through Starcross is a well-known pinch-point where provision for vehicles and pedestrians is constrained. In particular, the sections of single vehicle width at the pillars opposite New Road and between Church Road and the Spar restrict traffic flow and the narrow footways along The Strand between New Road and the Spar can be unattractive and feel unsafe to some pedestrians.

Improvements are also proposed to the C-class Mamhead Road from New Road to the A380. The route is occasionally blocked by large vehicles which are unable to pass, leading to long delays.

Given the close proximity of the A379 Starcross and Mamhead road, the proposals are being brought forward together in a single consultation.

Starcross proposals

The consultation for Starcross focuses on proposals to widen sections of footway along The Strand to improve pedestrian safety. These are proposed alongside a number of smaller scale measures to improve traffic flow, road safety and reduce vehicle speeds. These measures have been developed through discussion with the Parish Council.

Details of the proposed improvements that are being consulted on, as well as links to plans illustrating the proposals, are as follows:

Improving pedestrian footways on The Strand between New Road and Spar, including:

• a new section of footway along New Road and banning of right turns out of New Road
• widening the footway to the south of New Road to Westbank charity shop
• widening the footway from Alexandra House to Church Street

Additional sections of double yellow lines:

• Adjacent to the Atmospheric Railway pub to improve flow of northbound vehicles after they have passed the Pillars.
• From the properties ‘Exe Bank’ to ‘The View’ to provide an informal passing place

Improvements to improve safety and provide additional parking:

• Provision of see-through end panels to improve visibility between pedestrians and cyclists at the northbound bus stops adjacent to Bonhay Road.
• Additional parking on A379 to the south of Royal Way and narrowing of lanes on A379 to reduce vehicle speeds on northbound approach to Starcross.

You can also view a plan providing an overview of the proposals for Starcross.

Mamhead proposals

Devon County Council has developed proposals to upgrade sections of the Mamhead route. As the route is over 8km in length in a sensitive wooded area upgrade along the full route would be prohibitively expensive and have significant environmental impacts.

Instead, proposals for a number of modest improvements to key pinch points along the route have been developed. These are primarily to widen the narrowest parts of the road, although other sections such as the hairpin and in the vicinity of Mamhead Cottage where there is insufficient room for large vehicles to pass are also proposed for improvement.

An overview plan of road widths along the road can be seen here. The sections for which improvements are being consulted on are indicated in boxes.

These sections, including links to Google Street View of the location, are as follows:

• Google Street View Section 1: Widening of kerbed narrowing as road comes from A380 to Mamhead Road. (approximately 180 metres south from A380 junction) that is a pinch point.
• Google Street View Section 2: Reprofiling of banks between Section 1 and Harcombe Plantation to remove vertical edge of bank at side of road to increase usable road width.
• Google Street View Section 3: Localised widening on the outside of bends in the road in the vicinity of Kenton Hill Covert (as route alignment transitions from north south, into north west- south east).
• Google Street View Section 4: Relocation of gate posts and vegetation clearance to improve visibility of inside bend on southern side of road broadly opposite Bigwood Hill.
• Google Street View Section 5: Vegetation clearance, reprofiling of banks and widening of the road on the bends in vicinity of Mamhead Cottage.
• Google Street View Section 6: Widening of inside bend of hairpin and improving visibility.
• Google Street View Section 7: Road widening to enable two vehicles to pass on section between crossroads at Ivy Cottage cross and Blackforest Lodge.

The plans of the proposals can be viewed below:

• Section 1 and 2
• Section 2 and 3
• Section 4, 5 and 6
• Section 7

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

Have your say

Please let us know your views by completing the online questionnaire.

If you would like further information please get in touch using the contact details below:

Address: Transport Planning, Lucombe House, County Hall, Exeter, EX2 4QD
Email: transportplanning@devon.gov.uk