Major changes coming for Exeter traffic

Major changes to the way traffic moves around Exeter are being proposed as the city tries to encourage more walking, cycling and wheeling.

A comprehensive new plan for the Newtown area is to be debated next week (July 15) by the city’s highways and traffic orders committee, made up of county and city councillors.
The same committee introduced the unloved Low Traffic Neighbourhood project around Heavitree, which was scrapped last year after fierce public opposition.
But the Newtown proposals have been widely welcomed during a lengthy consultation process.
Members of the committee will be recommended to endorse spending almost half a million pounds on a package of measures including banning traffic from part of Russell Street; introducing contraflow cycling along Clifton Hill and stopping parking in parts of Belmont Road, Clifton Hill, Clifton Street, Heavitree Road, Clifton Road and Russell Street. Pay and display meters would also appear in parts of Russell Street.
The money will come to the councils as a grant via Sport England.
A report to the committee says the proposed Newtown Community Transformation Project is a collaboration between Exeter City Council’s Live and Move project and Devon County Council.
The project aims to make green spaces more useable and to make it easier and safer to get around. It says there are already high levels of walking and cycling in the area, but the scheme will encourage more.
“Newtown has been chosen as a great location for a transformative scheme with the needs of the community at its heart,” says the report.
It says that with the opening of St Sidwell’s Point leisure centre and the closure of the Pyramids and Clifton Hill leisure centres, travel in the area has changed. The current layout of Clifton Hill and Clifton Road discourages active travel.
Public engagement on the proposals began back in 2021, when among the issues raised by local people was congestion caused by cars parking. After 10 weeks of consultations earlier this year the response from people living in Newtown was mainly positive.
In her conclusion the county’s director of climate change, environment and transport Meg Booth writes: “The scheme will make Newtown more accessible for people walking, wheeling and cycling and a more attractive, safer and healthier place for residents and people traveling through Newtown.
“The scheme aims to make everyone feel safer and more welcome and able to enjoy cleaner air and attractive, convenient routes linking to key destinations.”
And, she says, the opportunities and benefits of the scheme significantly outweigh the  negative impacts of removing parking spaces and restricting vehicles in Russell Street. 
Work could begin by April next year.