Annex 3

1. Introduction

In previous revisions of the Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Plan (HIAMP) the cycleway asset has been merged with others. In this revision of the plan cycleways have been separated in a first stage effort to highlight the increased importance of the asset, which is likely to gain more traction in years to come.

Cycleways are an important part of the highway network and contribute to the Councils overall strategic aims of allowing the residents of Devon to Grow up, Live Well and Prosper.

Cycleways are a diverse part of the network which can require varying levels of maintenance.

Since the Government published its Gear Change plan in 2020, there has been additional focus and funding made available for active travel. £2 billion of funding has been committed for active travel over 5 years with the aim for 50% of all journeys in towns and cities to be walked or cycled by 2030. In support of these aims, local authorities are expected to produce Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) to enable a long-term approach to developing local cycling and walking networks.

In Devon, The Council is developing LCWIPs for the major urban growth areas where there is greatest scope to secure developer contributions to enable delivery of the scheme as well as for our leisure network of trails, which are an important part of improving peoples’ health and wellbeing and supporting our rural economy.

The development of LCWIPs will have an impact on the nature and maintenance requirements of the County’s cycleway asset group, and as such consultations with key stakeholders will continue to best understand this. Where possible the Council will also look for opportunities when undertaking planned maintenance to link into LCWIPs in order to maximise efficiencies and value for money.

2. Inventory

2.1 Hierarchy

For the purpose of identifying where certain cycleways exist, Devon has adopted 3 main categories to guide maintenance and inspection.

Category A – Part of Carriageway

Fig 3.1 Cycleway a part of a carriageway

Category B – Remote of Carriageway

Fig 3.2 Cycleway remote of a carriageway

Category C – Cycle Trail (including off road sections of the National Cycle Network)

Fig 3.3 Cycle trail

2.2 Inventory

Obtaining an accurate inventory of all the cycleways in Devon has proven a challenge to the Council due to the diversity of the network. This is something the Council aims to improve in the future.

Informal data does exist that gives an indication of the lengths of network within the main settlements of Devon however, confidence in the accuracy of this data is not absolute.

Type	Total length (km)	Exeter	Barnstaple	Exmouth	Newton Abbot	Tiverton
Traffic-free routes	362	92	26	14	11	10
On-road cycle lanes	53	30	10	1	1	1
Advisory cycle routes	809	67	39	19	13	30
Footpaths & Bridleways	1,218	8	1	0	1	9
Byways	114	0	0	0	1	0
Total	2,556	197	76	34	26	51

Fig.3.4: Lengths of cycle network by main settlement

For accessibility, the Council provides maps of the current cycle network though links on the website.

3. Performance

3.1 Current and historical condition

Asset Condition

The establishment of an effective regime of inspection, assessment and monitoring of asset condition is an essential component of an effective asset plan.

Inspections are particularly important in the case of network safety where information may be crucial in respect to legal actions. A robust inspection regime therefore forms part of the Council’s defence against claims and legal proceedings.

Reporting by the public

A valuable source of condition data is the information the Council gather from the public when cycleway defects are reported. The provision of location of defects enables the contractor to optimise gangs in organising repairs in an efficient manner. This condition data is used together with other data sources to identify potential treatment sites.

Safety Inspections

Our standards for the frequency of cycleway safety inspections consider national guidelines and legislation such as:

Highways Act 1980
Well-Managed Highway Infrastructure: A Code of Practice (October 2016) (NCoP)
Well Managed Highway Liability Risk (March 2017)

The current safety inspection regime can be found in the current Highway Safety policy, a link to which can be found here.

Serviceability Inspections

In relation to Trails a key guide is the Public Rights of Way Condition Criteria which informs annual inspection and identification of maintenance and improvement works.

3.2 Current performance

Due to the nature of the network, particularly where cycleways are part of the carriageway, or locally shared footway, it is difficult to isolate the condition of this asset from others.

On dedicated cycle trails it is easier to understand the performance through recorded defects. Over the last 2 years, the recorded defects for maintenance category 16 linking cycleways is as follows:

2021 – 1,388
2022 – 1,174

This represents a reduction of approximately 15.5%.

The Nation Highways and Transport Network (NHT) survey is another resource that can be used to measure the performance of the authority over particular assets. In the 2022 survey it was highlighted that the most popular area of the service getting better was Cycle routes/lanes. Which reinforces the limited specific data available from defects.

4. Maintenance Strategy

4.1 Creation of a new asset

New cycleways can be created in a number of ways:

New developments – As part of travel plans associated with new development planning permission. Many new housing developments are being obliged to provide high quality sustainable travel infrastructure, which often includes cycleways. These often link in to existing infrastructure that may require improvement/upgrading.
Strategic upgrading of existing infrastructure – linked with the above, the local authority currently uses government incentives and capital funding to upgrade existing network to make it more accessible and appealing for sustainable travel. A good example of this would be the E4 cycle route that connects residential and travel hubs to the East of Exeter with the City Centre and the University.

Fig. 3.5: E4 Cycle Route Plan

Asset re-purposing – Another method of creating cycleway infrastructure is through the re-purposing of existing assets. This could include the prohibition of vehicular traffic along certain roads to ease sustainable and safer travel. In Exeter, during COVID, certain roads were subject to this very process, some of which have since been made permanent. An example of this is Magdalen Street in Exeter where two way vehicular traffic has now been made one-way in favour of a dedicated cycleway adjacent to the footway.

4.2 Routine maintenance

There are various forms of routine maintenance that can occur on the cycleway network, including:

Surface defect/pothole repairs
Surface patching
Surface cleaning through sweeping – in conjunction with partner authorities
Vegetation cutting
Joint/Crack repairs
Resurfacing/reconstruction
Slurry repairs

Treatment Options

The location of the cycleway, along with the surrounding environment and current construction will dictate the routine treatment and frequency that is required. A cycleway in an urban setting set alongside other assets such as footways or carriageways may be subject to less vegetation clearance but more sweeping as part of a District or City council’s cyclic operations. In contrast, a cycle trail that is remote from the carriageway may require more in the way of vegetation management to ensure the cycle trail is not restricted.

In terms of surface repair, cycleways that are remote of other assets, especially carriageways will be less prone to defects associated with vehicles. As such the surface types may range from bound surfaces to loose, granular material. The routine treatment of these surfaces will again be tailored to the need and the local environment.

Winter Service

As part of the commitment to encourage sustainable travel and make it safer, the authority has started a trial to proactively pre-salt strategic cycle routes around Exeter when sub-zero surface temperatures are forecast. To facilitate this the authority has commissioned the use of specialised equipment and solution. The effectiveness and cost benefit of the trial will be assessed after the winter period.

Fig. 3.6: Cycleway Pre-salting Vehicle

4.3 Renewal or replacement

When the cycleway is associated with other assets, such as carriageways or footways, then the options for renewal or replacement are generally linked with the associated asset.

Where cycleways are also part of the carriageway, the treatment methods and selection criteria contained within the Carriageway Annex can be referred to. As it is the carriageway that is likely to deteriorate more quickly than the cycleway it will often be that treatment method that takes precedent. The same can be said for cycleways that are remote of carriageways but associated with footways.

Cycle trails tend to comprise a more varied range of methods reflecting factors such as levels and types of use, landscape and heritage setting, and biodiversity and wildlife value. Some routes include access for horse riding (with a commitment to encouraging and supporting shared use) and so need to consider methods best suited to this combination of uses. An added factor is that the route may be permissive rather than by right and so could be subject to requirements linked to agreements with 3rd party landowners.

4.4 Network Upgrade

Whilst undertaking renewal or replacement activities opportunities to upgrade or improve the cycleway are often explored. This can take the form of:

Bringing the cycleway up to current standards
Improving usability and accessibility
Improving safety
Improving asset durability and sustainability

Such work is often undertaken with Transport Planning teams within the authority who will have a strategic understanding on the need. Such examples include the widening of the on-road cycleway along Pinhoe Rd, Exeter and the upgraded footway/cycleway in Burnthouse Lane, Exeter.

The Transport Planning team are also involved in identifying schemes for enhancing the cycle trail network. This includes close liaison with Sustrans as part of managing and developing the National Cycle Network (ref. The National Cycle Network). Priorities are also informed by the Rights of Way Improvement Plan and Policy, with a steer provided through the Devon Countryside Access Forum (ref. Devon Countryside Access Forum).

4.5 Decommissioning

With the emphasis on promoting and providing access to sustainable transport, cycleways are very unlikely to be decommissioned by the authority. Assets may be superseded by new developments, which will be seen as an improvement/upgrade.

5. Levels of Service and Investment Strategy

5.1 Investment Strategies

There is currently a focus on investment to encourage and enable active travel through the creation of high-quality cycleway networks. Whilst this investment is directed at the creation of infrastructure, there is little provision for the ongoing maintenance.

Although a robust asset deterioration model exists for carriageways a similar model has not been developed for cycleways. This is in line with the relatively low risk and low historical spend on cycleways however development of a less complex model may assist in determining budget splits for cycleway spending going forward. Budget allocation is currently based more on historical spend assessments and on a need’s basis.

5.2 Levels of service

Current level of service, informed by condition assessments if available, against the stated Levels of Service in the Plan, funding and Risk assessments.

Levels of Service demonstrate the relationship between the Council’s corporate objectives, including the Strategic Plan for 2021 – 2025, and the performance of highway assets in terms of stakeholder requirements. The Levels of Service represent the fundamental service aimed at helping to deliver a road network which is as safe, reliable and as fit for purpose as possible within the current funding and resource constraints. Table 4.6 is an extract from the Strategy and shows the Levels of Service measures for Cycleways along with an indication of how they relate to the Council’s Levels of Service Statements.

Due to the nature of the cycleway network, where a lot of the asset is associated with other assets, such a footways and carriageways, the maintenance standards, and the general condition of these cycleways will be linked with these assets. These service levels can be viewed in the carriageway and footway annexes.

Service standards for cycle trails are informed by the Public Rights of Way Condition Criteria as indicated in 3.1 above.

Measure	Responding to the climate emergency	Be ambitious for children and young people	Support sustainable economic recovery	Tackle poverty and inequality	Improve health and wellbeing	Help communities to be safe, connected and resilient
Inspect footways and cycleway at set frequencies and prioritise repairs to safety defects in accordance with the Highway Safety Inspection Policy.	√	√	√	√	√	√
Develop and deliver an annual programme of footway and cycleway maintenance repairs.	√	√	√	√	√	√

Fig 3.7: Levels of Service

6. Programme Development

6.1 Identifying Schemes for an Initial Works Programme

For category A or Category B cycleways, the programme development will again be linked with the associated assets, such as footways and carriageways. This has been developed by the Local Asset Capital Programme (LACP), which places greater emphasis on identifying and understanding local priorities.

As well as understanding the local needs of communities through consultation, which can include a range of works across all assets, the local teams also consider a range of other data and information sources to identify potential works, this can include but not limited to:

Safety inspection reports and data
Customer reports
Visual inspections

Alongside this, where works are programmed to other assets or infrastructure close by, opportunities may be sought to undertake maintenance or improvement to the cycleway network, which may otherwise prove too costly, or a lower priority.

Cycle trail work programmes are predominantly informed through the annual inspection regime, with consultation through the Devon Countryside Access Forum, and also potentially through other fora such as the Parish Paths Partnership.

6.2 Prioritising the Works Programme

For category A and B cycleways, the prioritisation of works will again depend largely on the associated assets. Due to the inherently low risk nature of cycleways and gradual deterioration, it is often the associated assets that dictate the need and the priority.

Factors included in this prioritisation will include but not limited to:

Asset category (Carriageway/Footway Maintenance Category)
Asset use and location (Traffic Flows, Urban Routes)
Data condition (Scanner, Deflectograph etc.)
Defect data (Potholes)
Customer reports
Community priority

Public safety and ease of use are the main considerations in prioritising cycle trail works. However, Devon County Council also has wider land management functions to factor. In addition to routine vegetation cuts, surface maintenance, and drainage, this can include activities such as habitat management, tree works, boundary fencing, car parks, waymarking and information signage.

6.3 Selecting and Optimising Schemes for the Forward Programme

The selection and optimising of cycleway schemes currently dependant on works programmes associated with other assets. Opportunities are taken to maximise these opportunities when funding allows however, with a reduction in overall funding, these opportunities to focus on the cycleway network may become more difficult.

Work has also taken place to work with other strategic teams to maximise the opportunities gained through new development, or strategic government funding grants. This work has be sporadic at times but with greater coordination could be maximised further in the future.

7. Risks

A big threat to achieving the maintenance objectives on cycleways is funding and overall prioritisation. Without sufficient focus and funding for the maintenance of this asset type the condition of the network is likely to deteriorate. In turn, this could have an impact on the overall objectives of promoting sustainable travel through the provision of high-quality routes.

In conjunction with the lack of funding for targeted maintenance, there is also increased activity in the creation of new assets. This is creating a much larger liability for the authority to maintain however; no additional provision has been made for the ongoing maintenance of these assets. This again could lead to a reduction in quality of the asset and may result in reputational damage to the authority.

Further identified risks can include:

Availability of suitable surfacing materials with correct PSVs,
Less frequent Serviceability inspections being undertaken may be exposing the authority to risks, such as more complaints, claims and customer dissatisfaction etc,
Climate change with more rainfalls and frequent storm events may cause more damage to our footways,
Availability of specialist contractors to carry out maintenance activities,
Increasing costs of materials and labour.
Reduction in the net book value of the asset,
Reputational damage to the authority
More frequent disruption to users due to increased emergency unplanned maintenance due to neglected or poorly maintained assets.

8. Improvement Actions

Alongside the Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Plan, this Annex is a live document. It will be subject to continuous improvement and ongoing development with input from Council Officers and Stakeholder feedback. Areas for improvement are identified within the Annex which are summarised as Improvement Actions in this section. These Actions are aligned with Strategic Goals and are assessed as part of a wider cross-asset prioritisation process that prioritises their implementation taking account of the framework of funding and resource availability.

The actions that have been identified as being required to ensure the Cycleways asset management objectives are achieved are:

Hierarchy and Inventory – A primary focus for the authority is to make improvements in the data that is held on the cycleway inventory. It has been noted in section 2 that the data held on lengths of cycleway is sparse, unreliable and does not clearly indicate the inventory held across the 3 categories. Improvements in this area will create a better understanding of the network along with links to other assets, thus facilitating greater focus and prioritisation on the maintenance, bringing it more in line with a risk-based approach of asset management.

This may also lead to a review of the categories creating further opportunities for focus and prioritisation.

Travel Developments – Whilst cycling remains a focus for sustainable travel, there are other developments that may have an impact on the network and the way it is used. An example of which is the increased use of E-bikes, as well as the trial of E-scooters to facilitate shorter, urban journeys.

Identify the impacts of these developments as there could be an increased liability on the cycleway network. This in turn means that funding for these assets may need to become a greater priority to ensure the network is of sufficient quality and avoid reputation damage.

Training – With the improved links to other areas of the authority, there may be opportunities to undertake training and professional development for existing practitioners to better understand the importance of these assets and the impact on the network as a whole.

Identify training requirements to ensure suitable competency levels.

Version Control

Version	Date	Summary of Changes
1.0	12 April 2023

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Annex 3 – Cycleways

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