We’re asking Exeter residents for their views on our proposals to improve bus reliability and active travel facilities in the City.
From Monday, February 19 local people can find out more about the proposals and share their feedback by completing an online questionnaire.
In addition, two in-person drop in consultation events, on March 19 and 21, are planned, where the public can view the proposals in more detail and talk to the project team.
In March 2021 the Department for Transport (DfT) announced the National Bus Strategy for England ‘Bus back better’ – this strategy aims to deliver better bus services by reforming how they are planned and delivered.
As part of this we published a Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) in October 2021.
In the plan we outlined the need to deliver bus service improvements including infrastructure enhancements and bus priority measures.
In the BSIP we considered the primary arterial bus routes into Exeter, service frequencies and congestion to establish the key bus corridors within the City of Exeter.
This consultation covers two of those corridors; Central and Eastern corridors and it also includes plans for two active travel crossings, one on each corridor.
Our design phase for the bus corridors will be completed by Summer 2024 and the bus related schemes will be complete and operational by March 2025.
The Exeter Central corridor is approximately 3km (1.9miles) in length between Paris Street Roundabout and the Middlemoor Roundabout. It includes Heavitree Road, Fore Street, East Wonford Hill, and Honiton Road. The corridor has up to 30 buses an hour in each direction Mondays to Saturdays.
The Exeter Eastern Corridor is approximately 3.4km (2.1 miles) in length between Pinhoe Sainsburys and the City Centre (Sidwell Street), predominantly along Pinhoe Road (B3212) which has up to 18 buses an hour two-way total Mondays to Saturdays.
In the consultation we are also asking for people’s views on proposals for two pedestrian and cycle crossings, one on Honiton Road at the Sweetbrier Lane/Honiton Road/Rifford Road junction, and another on Pinhoe Road near Polsloe Bridge station.
The active travel crossing proposals will be subject to future funding bids before they can be delivered.
Councillor Andrea Davis, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport, said:
“These improvements we are proposing aim to make the bus a more attractive travel choice by reducing journey times and making trips more reliable.
“We aim to use a combination of technology, physical interventions, and bus lane operational time changes to develop a ‘smarter’ bus network offering potential journey time savings of up to four and a half minutes.”
“The proposals also include two new active travel crossings to help promote healthier and more sustainable community-wide travel choices by offering safe, conveniently located crossings for people walking, wheeling, and cycling.”
Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon Country Council’s Cabinet Member for Highway Management with responsibility for cycling, said:
“We want as many people as possible to view our proposals, provide their comments and any suggestions they may have.
“And if you want to speak to someone about what this means for your community the public are invited to our two information events where you will have a chance to put your questions to one of our project team.”
The consultation will be open for 6 weeks from Monday 19 February until 29 March 2024.
The consultation period is open until noon Friday 29 March 2024. To provide your feedback, please click here to complete an online survey.
You may also like to attend one of our public drop-in events where you can find out more about the proposals and speak to members of the project team. There is no need to book for these events, just turn up:
- Tuesday 19 March 2024, 4:30pm – 7:30pm Exeter Guildhall, 203 High Street EX4 3EB
- Thursday 21 March 2024, 10:30am – 2:30pm Exeter Library, Castle Street EX4 3PQ
Paper copy consultation material and questionnaires can also be provided, and to request a paper copy, or to ask for more information or a question please email: transportplanning@devon.gov.uk