Exeter will not get 12-hour dedicated bus lanes
A committee has backed plans to have dedicated bus lanes on weekday morning and evening rush hours instead
Last updated 13th Nov 2024
Campaigners say they’re disappointed Exeter’s voted not to have 12-hour bus lanes - following concerns from traders about access to their businesses.
Instead the city will only have dedicated bus lanes during the morning and evening rush hours on weekdays.
The updated proposal, which was agreed at a meeting yesterday, follows a consultation and two years of work by county council officers who liaised with groups like Stagecoach. The changes will see bus lane operation times from 7am – 10am and 4pm – 7pm in places like Heavitree's Fore Street with 'increased bus priority' along the Exeter Central and Eastern corridors' like Pinhoe Road.
Ed Pickering is an active travel campaigner in the city who says starting the afternoon restrictions at 4pm doesn’t help ease congestion outside school gates in the afternoons.
He warned: "The maths is clear, bus lanes are six times more efficient at moving people than car lanes and so so we have to allocate our city space accordingly.
"As the council is never tired of pointing out, this is an old city and the streets are not flexible and cannot be widened and so we have to make do with the space we've got."
Mr Pickering, who is also a member of the Exeter Cycling Campaign, added: "Obviously the bus lane hours have been extended but by a very, very small amount and arguably at times of the day when it's not useful.
"The school run has been ignored as the bus lanes hours of operation are going to start at 4pm."
Currently the routes carry around 80,000 passengers a year and a report estimated the overall bus network changes would cost around £1.5 million and include 'bus detection technological upgrades, cameras and variable message signing'.
Phil Bialyk , the leader of Exeter City Council was on the County Council highways and traffic committee which made the decision - and said he would like to see the changes reviewed and was open to a 12-hour bus lane in future.
He said: "I don't think we're ready for that yet. I've often said that I think that as car users, cyclists, pedestrians we've got to live together in this city. It's an old historic city and we've got to learn to understand each others problems."
Mr Bialyk said he was worried a 12-hour bus lane, from 7am until 7pm, would have caused tensions across the city - with some traders struggling to access shops for things like deliveries.
He added: "The 12-hours would have created a lot of division and a lot of concerns and I do understand the concerns of the businesses - I think we've got to look better at what the solutions are.
"I'm not sure what the solutions are, if there's other alternatives we need to look at it - and that's where I think a little bit more work needs to be done."
The 2024 Devon Bus passenger suggests 35% of trips are made for work, with 19 per cent for education and 8 per cent for medical appointments. A report to Devon County Council warned: "These journeys are likely to be amongst the most time sensitive, with delays impacting confidence in bus travel, leading to people turning to other modes of transport."
Analysis of over 800 buses, using the bus lane using official data from the Government’s Bus Open Data Service by campaign group Exeter Streets for People, suggests when the bus lane is not in operation, the average speed of 25% buses is less than 6mph on Fore St and 'not much faster than walking'.
Spokesperson Lorna Devenish said: “The data strongly suggests the benefit of extended bus lane operating hours for the full 12 hours originally proposed. They highlight that the amended proposed extension has limited benefits as it does not focus on the hours of the day at which buses are slowest.
“A bus lane which starts at 4pm will not benefit children and families travelling home from school by bus. Looking at the data leads directly to the conclusion that the bus lane must be enforced for 12 hours a day to make a real impact on bus journey times, reliability, and encouraging people to switch from cars to buses. Why would you take a bus if it’s stuck in the same traffic as the cars?
A report to Devon County Council states: "It is also proposed to improve the road markings of existing bus lanes to make it clearer to all road users. Combined with the introduction of zero emission buses in 2025, improvements to these corridors should make travelling by bus a higher quality, more attractive option to members of the public, particularly new bus users.
"Devon County Council is also seeking powers to enforce moving traffic offences. This will allow the council the power to enforce bus lane compliance with the use of cameras. It is anticipated that camera enforcement will begin in 2025 once powers have been granted and cameras procured."
The full report can be found here