People living near a controversial traffic scheme in Exeter will be asked to give their opinions on four potential solutions.
A consultation will take place throughout March in an effort to solve the problem of the Dryden Road closure which has sparked protests and petitions.
The road was closed to traffic during the Covid pandemic as a way of creating a safe way to and from the city centre for pedestrians and cyclists, but opponents say it has just moved congestion and pollution to other nearby streets instead.
Campaigners want the road re-opened for through traffic, saying that among other side-effects of the closure, roads through the nearby hospital grounds are being used as ‘rat runs’.
Supporters of the closure, however, say the route has become safer and cleaner for cyclists, pedestrians and wheelchair users, and allowing traffic to return will create unacceptable danger. It has, they say, increased the number of children using the route to cycle to and from school.
A meeting of the Exeter highways and traffic orders committee (HATOC) at County Hall next week (January 29) will discuss the way forward for Dryden Road.
A report to the committee says there are four options for the future of the hotly-contested traffic scheme. They are:
Retain the existing layout
Allow buses and authorised vehicles to use the road again.
Allow one-way traffic westbound on Dryden Road while maintaining two-way access for cyclists.
Allow two-way traffic on Dryden Road with cycle lanes along the full length of the road.
Returning Dryden Road to its former configuration is not considered as an option, as council officers say that would eliminate essential safety measures for pedestrians and cyclists and compromise the Exeter Transport Strategy.
New pedestrian crossings in nearby Bovemoos Lane will also be considered.
The public consultation will be carried out from March 2 until April 5, and the results will come back to a meeting of the HATOC in July.
People campaigning for the re-opening of Dryden Road are expected to lobby councillors at the meeting next week.
Ian Frankum, who has led the campaign, said: “While none of the options is perfect, the last one does allow for the re-opening of Dryden Road both ways with a protected provision for cyclists and pedestrians, which is something we have advocated from the start of the campaign and which thousands of people called for in recent petitions.
“We are extremely confident the right choice will prevail.”
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