Campaigners lobbying on both sides of a controversial road closure in Exeter are preparing for the final phase of their battle.
Formal Traffic Regulation Orders (TRO) on the re-opening of Dryden Road are being published this week after councillors decided to let cars back in.
Consultation has begun on the new design for Dryden Road which includes new cycle lanes, a crossing, speed humps and a 20mph limit. Last month members of the Exeter highways and traffic orders committee (HATOC) voted by nine to four to spend half a million pounds on the project.
The road has been closed to cars since the Covid pandemic when it was designated as a traffic-free route in and out of the city. Cyclists and other supporters said the closure had made the road safer and cleaner, but opponents said congestion and pollution had merely been moved elsewhere, and a rat-run had been created through the nearby hospital grounds.
Campaigner Ian Frankum said: “This gives a final opportunity for those wishing to see Dryden Road reopened to show their support for the TRO, and for any objections to be considered.”
After the 21-day consultation all responses will be analysed and developed into a report to a meeting of the HATOC in January. Work to re-open the road could begin in April.
Mr Frankum went on: “After the public consultation which had over 3,000 responses, the vast majority in favour of reopening the road, some have asked how many more times do we need to repeat this simple message to our council, but this legal stage is crucial.”
He said volunteers were delivering leaflets to local homes and a social media campaign was also under way, and added: “It really is a final opportunity for those supporting the re-opening to finally have their voices heard.”
However, cyclists who maintain that Dryden Road should be kept clear of traffic have also stepped up their campaign.
The Exeter Cycling Campaign points to county council predictions that 1,500 more vehicles every day will use a busy route to and from local schools.
“Councillors have agreed a plan that will make the road unsafe and unwelcoming for less confident or experienced people, such as children trying to get to school,” it says.
The cycle group also points out that the route had been promoted by Exeter City Council as part of its action to tackle air pollution and by Devon County Council as a key route for safe cycling.
The campaign’s current newsletter goes on: “In the five years since Dryden Road was filtered, collisions for all road users on Dryden Road, Barrack Road and Bovemoors Lane have been reduced by 50 per cent. What a great success – fewer broken bones, fewer people afraid to cross the road and fewer hold-ups due to collisions.
“Despite all this, councillors have voted to approve the plan and spend half a million pounds as a result of local traffic concerns caused by parked cars on Bovemoors Lane that could be solved for a fraction of the cost.”
The cycling campaign has raised more than £5,000 for legal support with its objections through online crowdfunding
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