Plans for future transport improvements in Devon and Torbay have been endorsed by Devon County Councillors today (Wednesday 12 March).
Extensive public consultation and stakeholder engagement has informed the development of the Devon and Torbay Local Transport Plan (LTP) 2025-2040, produced jointly with Torbay Council.
Following today’s decision by Devon County Council’s Cabinet, the LTP will now be submitted to the newly formed Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority in the next stage of its progression towards adoption.
The LTP sets out the Council’s priorities for transport and is supported by existing complementary strategies including the Devon Carbon Plan, the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans, the Bus Service Improvement Plan and the Devon Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy.
The vision of the plan is for transport to be well-integrated and accessible in order to facilitate sustainable growth, support net zero carbon targets by 2050 at the latest, improve travel choice and benefit people’s health and wellbeing.
It is underpinned by objectives which include decarbonisation, unlocking development, making travel easier and more reliable, and ensuring Devon is the place to be naturally active.
The results of the public consultation held in October and November last year found that the vision of the LTP was supported to some extent by 82% of respondents and its objectives were considered important by at least 80% of respondents.
Councillor Andrea Davis, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport, said:
“It’s encouraging that we received overwhelming support for the aims and objectives of the proposed Local Transport Plan 4 during the recent public consultation. The LTP has an important role to play in our efforts to tackle carbon emissions and so it promotes a range of sustainable transport options including an upgraded and integrated public transport system. It’s essential this plan progresses towards adoption so that we are in a strong position to make the case for future investment from grant funding or developer contributions.”
Councillor Stuart Hughes, Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said:
“This is a really important document for Devon, and I particularly welcome the continued commitment to new active travel links which will support healthier lifestyles, investment in highway improvements for a more reliable and resilient network, and road safety interventions to reduce the number of people being killed or seriously injured on our network. The new Local Transport Plan will help better connect our communities and keep our county’s huge road network moving and I look forward to seeing the plan being delivered in the coming years.”
A number of priorities are proposed across all areas of Devon and Torbay, including enhancement of bus services and supporting transition to lower emission and zero emission buses, providing bus priority on key routes, improving the integration of rail and bus services, expanding pedestrian and cycle networks, and establishing a comprehensive network of electric vehicle charging facilities to support the transition to electric vehicles and help make private car usage as environmentally efficient as possible.
All of the proposals are subject to securing funding from a range of sources including Local Transport Plan, Government grants and developer contributions.