Local Transport Plan 4 2025 to 2040

Foreword

Councillor David Thomas

Chair of the Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority

Introduction

Transport and connectivity have a vital role in helping make Devon and Torbay the best place to grow up, live happily and healthily, and prosper.

A reliable, sustainable, safe and connected transport system can help improve the quality of life for Devon and Torbay’s residents and create a fairer and healthier society. It supports economic growth and productivity. It enables more equitable access to jobs, education and services. It provides opportunities for physical activity, social interaction and access to the beautiful coast and countryside of Devon and Torbay.

Transport is the largest contributor to UK carbon emissions and the new Local Transport Plan (LTP) draws upon the analysis, consultation feedback and targets in the Devon Carbon Plan, including the ambition to reach net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest.

How we travel is also changing, with increased use of online access influencing how we shop, work and access services. As our climate and the way people travel changes we need to adapt our transport system to ensure infrastructure remains resilient and will support our needs now and in future.

A vision-led approach

Our approach is to ensure transport policy and investment support the priorities for creating a better Devon and Torbay. Our Vision is that:

 Transport will facilitate sustainable growth and support reaching net zero carbon by 2050 at the latest. Well-integrated, accessible and inclusive transport will improve travel choice and benefit the health and wellbeing of everyone.

Illustrated in Figure 1, there are six objectives that underpin this vision.

• Decarbonisation Reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050, and a 50% reduction against 2010 levels by 2030, by reducing the need to travel, increasing digital access and shifting trips to sustainable transport and fuels.
• Reliability and resilience Protecting and enhancing the reliability, resilience and safety of the local transport network and the strategic road and rail links that connect Devon and Torbay to the rest of the country.
• Easier travel Increasing bus and rail patronage by providing well-integrated, inclusive and reliable transport options for residents and visitors in both rural and urban communities.
• Unlocking development Supporting delivery of clean growth and regeneration by improving transport choices and use of technology to ensure new housing and employment developments are well connected.
• Greater places for people Enhancing the attractiveness and safety of the built, natural and historic environment by improving air quality, public realm and reducing the number of people harmed on our roads.
• The place to be naturally active Enabling people to be more active with improved public health outcomes by expanding the multi-use trail network, delivering a network of quiet lanes and improving facilities and safety in urban areas.

A place-based strategy

Devon and Torbay’s population of just under a million people is spread across the city of Exeter, the
urban area of Torbay, large market towns, coastal settlements and large rural areas. Across these
there are two National Parks, two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, a UNESCO Global Geopark, five
National Landscapes and a network of designated sites for habitats and species.

The vision and objectives apply to the whole of Devon and Torbay. However, we also recognise that
transport needs and solutions vary across urban, rural and coastal areas.

We have therefore created four place-based strategies within the LTP. These address the distinct
needs in these areas and recognises that some objective will be more important in certain places

Exeter

Exeter is the largest settlement and economic centre in Devon (population 130,000). It serves one of the largest geographic travel to work areas in England and is a major hub for education, leisure, culture and retail. The city has an historic, constrained and at times congested road network. It offers a range of travel options, with frequent public transport (bus and rail) and has high levels of walking and cycling contributing towards the majority of Exeter residents not driving to get to work.

Also considered within the Exeter strategy is the East of Exeter area that falls within East Devon. This is a fast-growing area of economic and residential development that includes the new town of Cranbrook and the Exeter and East Devon Enterprise Zone.

Torbay

Torbay encompasses the coastal towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham and surrounding villages (with a combined population of 140,000). With direct rail links and an attractive seaside location, Torbay experiences seasonal fluctuations in population and economy. Most travel is within the Bay and while many of these trips are over short distances that could be walked, wheeled or cycled, the majority are made by car.

Growth areas

Growth areas are larger market towns that are identified in District Council Local Plans as areas for significant new economic and residential development. The levels of development will be large enough to
support new transport, education and community facilities. These areas have maturing walking, wheeling and cycling networks and frequent public transport connections. The Growth areas, with a combined population of approximately 130,000 people are:

• Barnstaple, Bideford and Northam
• Newton Abbot and Kingsteignton Garden Community
• Plymouth Urban Fringe
• Tiverton, Cullompton and Heart of Mid Devon

Rural Devon and market and coastal towns

Over half of the population of Devon live in rural areas or in the market and coastal towns. These areas have attractive landscapes that contribute to a good quality of life. The longer distances to schools, work or shops means walking, wheeling and cycling may not always be a viable option. Residents are more reliant on the car and often rely on nearby market and coastal towns for key facilities, reducing the need for people to travel further afield to access services. These towns also provide hubs for more frequent public transport.

Local transport plans

The Devon and Torbay LTP is a statutory document which sets out the strategy and action plans for delivering a high quality transport network across the Combined County Authority.

We have developed this LTP, which covers the years 2025 to 2040, by considering national, sub-national and local policy as well as strategy work already carried out in recent years. This includes:

• National policies, the regional Peninsula Transport Strategy and local strategies, such as Council Corporate or Strategic Plans and Local Plans.
• Neighbouring authorities’ plans, including Cornwall, Dorset, Plymouth and Somerset.
• The adopted Devon Carbon Plan, drawing upon its extensive engagement and evidence supported by the public and key stakeholders.
• A wide-ranging evidence base including transport trends, travel patterns and socioeconomic data.
• Modal strategies including Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs), Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) and Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Strategies.

Changes to transport could impact on many aspects of the environment and the LTP4 has been subject to a Strategic Environmental Assessment and a Habitats Regulation Assessment.

The Combined County Authority (CCA) is responsible for producing a Devon and Torbay area-wide LTP and overseeing delivery of transport schemes across its geography. This also reflects the functional geography of the area and the reality that many people travel across the local authority boundaries to access their daily needs.

A track record of delivery

Alongside our strategy, this LTP includes action plans that highlight a set of projects and interventions that support our objectives across different places in Devon and Torbay.

We have made significant progress in delivering a range of transport projects and services identified in the previous LTP3 2011-2026. This includes delivery of walking and cycling, bus, rail and highway schemes.

The schemes listed within the accompanying action plans are a priority and will form the basis of a pipeline of projects to be designed and delivered.

Many of these schemes are drawn from existing strategies, i.e. LCWIPs / BSIP and have had a level of public consultation and support. Further engagement with communities and stakeholders on many of the projects will still be needed to understand the level of support and consider the social, environmental and economic impacts of schemes. We will improve ‘whole-system engagement’ through a variety of methods and ensure that transport related infrastructure (i.e. physical elements we build) and non-infrastructure measures (e.g. behaviour change) are integrated as far as possible. This approach will strengthen the delivery of the LTPs six objectives.

Delivery is dependent on receiving funding from external sources and may therefore be subject to change based on future circumstances. We will however continue to develop these priority projects and work proactively with partners to capitalise on future opportunities, ensuring we are best placed to continually improve transport in Devon and Torbay and support the LTP objectives.

Connecting Devon and Torbay

The priority for connecting Devon and Torbay is to enhance our strategic road, rail, air and digital connectivity so that the area remains an attractive place for business and tourism.

Targeted investment on our strategic road and rail corridors is required to ensure the network is resilient to the impacts of climate change and seasonal travel demands, and able to support movements of goods and people not only within Devon and Torbay but with the rest of the country and internationally. We will also seek enhancements that increase comfort, reduce journey times, support regeneration and boost low carbon travel.

3.1 Road

Most travel within Devon and Torbay is made on the road network including trips by car, bus, coach and freight movements. Parts of Devon’s road network are particularly important economic arteries transporting goods and connecting communities to the national road network.

These strategically important road corridors include:

• M5, A30, A303, A38 and A35 on the Strategic Road Network (managed by National Highways)
• A361, A376, A379 (Exeter), A380, A382, A385 and A3022 on the Major Road Network.

The M5 is the only section of motorway in Devon and into the South West peninsula. Whilst the M5 typically does not experience the levels of congestion seen elsewhere on the national network, there are times when seasonal traffic volumes, including demand for the motorway services, can lead to delays and unreliable journey times. The A30/A303 provides the second strategic highway route between London and the South West. Improvements along the whole route would cut journey times and further enhance resilience on this strategically important route.

The section of the M5 between junction 29 (junction with the A30) and junction 31 (where it splits into the A38 and A30) is the gateway into the South West.

It is a critical connector for the South West economy. The capacity on this section has the potential to constrain housing growth within four of Devon’s eight districts. We will work with National Highways to identify deliverable interventions to improve resilience of the gateway. Our focus will be on improving travel choices and supporting the use of technology to improve vehicle flow, air quality and reduce noise levels.

The Major Road Network (MRN) routes also play an important role in the connectivity of many of our larger settlements. The A380 provides the main highway route into Torbay. An upgraded route around Kingskerswell providing a dual carriageway route into Torbay was delivered in 2015.

Case study: South Devon Highway (A380)

The A380 through the village of Kingskerswell was one of the busiest sections of single carriageway in the country, carrying approximately 35,000 vehicles every day. The route had a poor safety record, extensive congestion and unreliable journey times affecting drivers and bus routes. The road also caused poor air quality and safety risks for residents in the village of Kingskerswell.

The 5.5km dual carriageway South Devon Highway was delivered in 2015 and has transformed connections between Torbay, Newton Abbot and beyond. A more reliable, resilient route has cut journey times and increased opportunities for people to access work, education, retail and leisure opportunities, and major healthcare facilities.

A 50mph speed limit was introduced, which has helped minimise carbon emissions and substantially improve the safety performance of the route. The new road has also transformed the old route through Kingskerswell, removing air quality exceedances impacting on residents and improving walking, wheeling and cycling links through the village.

Future development proposals will increase demand on the MRN routes and appropriate improvements to their operation and sustainable travel facilities will be sought so that our communities, visitors and freight remain well connected to national networks.

The A382 corridor scheme, including active travel improvements remains a priority for supporting increased demand from growth on the north and west of Newton Abbot.

The A361 North Devon Link Road connects northern Devon and northern Cornwall to the rest of the country. A multi-million-pound project that included improved overtaking opportunities and upgrades to eight junctions and active travel crossings was officially opened in 2024. The changes have improved safety, journey time reliability and connectivity to and within northern Devon.

The A379 Bridge Road is a crucial route for commuters and visitors entering Exeter and is an important diversionary and overflow route for the M5 between junction 30-31. The bridges that cross the River Exe are in need of replacement and upgrade to balance a range of movements including high volumes of traffic, people walking, wheeling and cycling on the Exe Estuary Trail and waterborne traffic using the Exeter canal.

Changes to the speed limits of the roads with the heaviest traffic have the potential to improve road safety, journey time reliability and provide immediate reductions in carbon emissions. A 50mph speed limit is in operation between Newton Abbot and Torquay on the A380 South Devon Highway and we will explore reduced speed limits on some of the other major local routes.

Bus and coach

Bus is the most used form of public transport across Devon and Torbay, with a combined 25 million passenger trips during 2023-24. Bus usage was 15% higher before the pandemic but is recovering. Further growth is anticipated, helped by increased funding through BSIPs, national fare caps and close working relationships between bus operators and the councils.

The level of bus provision across the area varies. Services tend to radiate through the areas of greatest population where higher frequency services can be provided, such as Exeter, Torbay, Barnstaple and Newton Abbot. In these locations, upgrades to vehicles, stop infrastructure and journey times have the greatest potential to make bus travel attractive and grow patronage. Bus services can be more limited in rural areas, but still play an important role in connecting people to services, other settlements and providing access to more frequent public transport networks.

Several coach operators provide regular, long-distance services from Devon and Torbay to destinations across the country. Coaches offer a reasonably priced and convenient long distance travel option for many people and operators are reporting recovery beyond pre-pandemic levels.

Bus and coach services are delivered by private operators. Improved partnership working between Devon and Torbay’s bus and coach operators will be essential to improve services. As part of the Devolution proposals for Devon and Torbay, a single Enhanced Partnership (EP) will be developed for the CCA. The EP is a partnership between the local transport authority and bus operators aimed
at improving bus services. This work is guided by BSIPs, setting out the strategy for delivering more
reliable bus services and better connecting our communities.

The aspiration is to transform the attractiveness in bus provision and provide a high-quality alternative to car travel. Integrated ticketing and consistent branding for buses across Devon and Torbay would help simplify journeys and improve the value and quality of the public transport offer to passengers and increase the use of buses across administrative boundaries.

Devon and Torbay has secured £13 million of funding through the Department for Transport’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme to accelerate the roll out of electric buses on routes in Torbay, Newton Abbot, Exeter, Cranbrook, Barnstaple, Bideford and Westward Ho!. Once established, there will be plans to expand the network electric buses.

Progress is also being made on bus priority measures identified in our BSIPs in Exeter, Newton Abbot and Barnstaple. In Torbay key bus corridors such as the A380 and A379 will be prioritised, with a focus on signalised junctions. Complementary improvements to bus stations and key stops will make travel by bus easier, more inclusive and better integrated with other modes. To support connections to Torbay, services and facilities around the East of Exeter will be enhanced, linking Torbay to key employment sites, and both Exeter and Bristol airports.

Journeys need to be seamless, convenient and cost effective so that passengers have a positive experience of interchanging between cycle, bus and rail. Peninsula Transport Sub National Transport Body’s (STB) are exploring integrated bus and rail ticketing options that could be developed for its area including Devon and Torbay. We will support this and also deliver conveniently located, secure cycle parking to enhance integrated travel.

We will work with Peninsula Transport and coach partners to promote and enhance coach travel. Reflecting the identified actions in the Peninsula Coach Action Plan, we will undertake an audit of larger coach stops (including Exeter, Torquay and Barnstaple), and implement identified actions to improve stop and parking facilities and ensure the availability of right-hand boarding and alighting.

Rail

With 16.5 million passenger entries and exits from stations in Devon and Torbay each year, rail usage in Devon and Torbay is 50% higher than in 2010 and above pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. Passenger journeys have grown for leisure and education purposes and further boosted by the delivery of new stations, service enhancements, the Dartmoor Line reopening and working in partnership with the rail industry (Network Rail/ Train Operating Companies) and community rail partnerships.

The Peninsula Rail Task Force (PRTF) is a subgroup of the Peninsula Transport. It identified three priorities for improving the railway in the South West: better journey times, greater resilience and increased capacity and comfort for passengers.

Four phases to enhance the resilience of the coastal section of rail line from Teignmouth to Dawlish have now been completed. Completion of the remaining vulnerable section between Teignmouth and Holcombe is vital to safeguard rail access to communities to the west of Exeter.

Network Rail, supported by local Councils and the PRTF, are developing a business case for track infrastructure upgrades on the Exeter to Waterloo line. This will improve reliability of services on long distance trains, constrained by limited passing places and will deliver half hourly frequency trains between Exeter and towns in East Devon.

Better rolling stock and infrastructure upgrades to provide half hourly frequency and faster services on the North Devon Line are a priority for our Devon Metro aspirations. These are vital to improve connectivity for northern Devon and addressing overcrowding on a line which has seen passenger numbers quadruple since 2000.

Beyond that, working in partnership with the rail industry and local groups, we will support ongoing feasibility work for the potential extension of the North Devon Line to Bideford. We also have an aspiration to reinstate the rail line between Tavistock and Plymouth via Bere Alston. Over several years, Devon County Council has acquired approximately 85% of the railway land. The scheme would reduce
congestion on the A386 corridor, improve access to jobs (including Devonport dockyard), education, Dartmoor and the Tamar Valley National Landscape.

There are limited further opportunities to significantly reduce rail journey times on long distance travel between the South West and London due to the high infrastructure costs and constraints. Enhancing mobile connectivity on trains could however make journeys more productive and more enjoyable. This is a priority for the region and Devon and Torbay continue to work in partnership with Peninsula Transport and the rail industry to explore funding opportunities.

New high-speed trains have increased capacity and comfort for travel to London. An upgrade of trains on Cross Country services would improve comfort for passengers to Bristol and the North. A modernised rolling stock on local services in Devon and Torbay will also help to further improve passenger experience. The rail industry’s transition away from diesel rolling stock will help to make trains more attractive and further reduce the impact of travel on the environment.

We will continue to work with the rail industry to encourage more long-distance services into the region, including additional fast services from Torbay to Exeter and to other parts of the country as set out in the Network Rail Peninsula Rail Corridor Strategic Study. Improving access for residents, day and overnight visitors will help to promote sustainable tourism travel and support regeneration in Torquay and Paignton.

Options to provide additional services will need to be cognisant of platform capacity constraints at Exeter St David’s and Newton Abbot. Improvements at the Red Cow crossing will also need to be considered. Changes to where some services currently terminate could help to address this and provide wider benefits.

For example, extending services from London Waterloo that currently end at Exeter to instead terminate at Okehampton or Barnstaple would also:

• Enhance strategic rail connectivity to the northern and western parts of Devon.
• Improve public transport options to the National Parks and northern coast.
• Provide more residents with direct links to London, Salisbury and other interchanges.

Improvements to journey times, service frequencies and longer operating hours on the branch lines in Devon and Torbay will complement enhancements to the mainline rail services. We will also advocate for
improvements to improve the integration between cycle, bus and train. These enhancements will play a critical part in increasing travel choice, encouraging a shift away from the car and helping to alleviate pressure on the local and strategic road networks.

Air, sea ports and freight

Exeter Airport connects residents and businesses to national and international destinations. Approximately 430,000 passengers used Exeter Airport during 2023. Passenger numbers have been increasing, although remain below pre-pandemic use of a million passengers a year in 2019.

In recent years, we have enhanced the airport access road, improved bus services and upgraded Long Lane. We will continue to work with partners and work to:

• Enhance sustainable access to Exeter Airport.
• Facilitate growth at the adjacent Airport Business Park.
• Support increased employment opportunities that are within a short distance of the new homes to the East of Exeter.

There are no direct rail or bus services from Torbay to Exeter Airport or the growing employment opportunities in the East of Exeter area.

We will investigate ways to expand the bus or coach network to provide a regular, direct link from Torbay to Exeter Airport, the East of Exeter and destinations beyond, such as Bristol Airport.

There are many ports across Devon and Torbay. Brixham is the largest fishing market in England, with over £60 million of fish sold in Teignmouth Port is a major exporter of ball clay. There are also freight, military and passenger ferry operations in Plymouth, which also interact with transport networks in Devon. We are working with partners to support the Appledore Clean Maritime Innovation Centre and deliver the transport infrastructure needed for the Plymouth and South Devon Freeport. These include a new spine road, a pedestrian cycle bridge over the A38 and junction upgrades.

Freight is crucial in serving our communities and sustaining businesses throughout the South West. Freight movements, including heavy and light goods vehicles, have also grown significantly in recent years and accounts for a significant amount of carbon emissions across the area.

The Western Gateway and Peninsula Transport STB have jointly launched a freight strategy for the South West. Aligned with the national Future of Freight Plan, this regional strategy seeks to enhance the resilience of supply chains, engage with the freight community to understand current issues and explore opportunities for sustainable freight movements across the region.

Devon and Torbay will continue to work with Peninsula Transport STB and the freight and logistics sectors to identify opportunities to improve the efficiency, and reduce the negative impacts, of freight
movements including:

• A network of alternative fuel stations to support the decarbonisation of goods vehicles.
• Improving facilities for lorry drivers.
• Transitioning freight to sustainable modes, including last-mile delivery.
• Supporting suitable proposals to increase opportunities for moving freight by rail.

Rail freight movements are currently limited, with line infrastructure constraints limiting the potential for containerised movements which now makes up the bulk of rail freight traffic. There are also limited freight terminals, with those that do exist (i.e. Exeter riverside) in urban areas where increasing freight movements may not align with aspirations to provide greater places for people.

Digital connectivity

Growing digital access to services is perhaps the largest change to society and travel demand. An increase in online shopping over the last two decades has reduced individual trips, albeit led to a greater proportion of Light Goods Vehicles on our roads. There have also been reductions in travel with more people working from home, accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic, and online banking which have all contributed to reductions in travel movements for many households.

The Connecting Devon and Somerset rural broadband programme promotes high speed internet access and improved digital accessibility across Devon. We will continue to work with partners to seek enhancements to Broadband connectivity in Devon and Torbay and promote opportunities to increase digital access and online services.

Key elements of the strategy for connecting Devon and Torbay:

Reliability and resilience:

• Completion of the South West resilience works on the railway between Dawlish and Teignmouth.
• Enhancements on the Exeter to London Waterloo Line to improve journey times, increase diversionary capacity and service frequency to stations in East Devon.
• Work with the rail industry to enhance the North Devon Line to address overcrowding and improved connectivity between northern Devon and Exeter, and explore feasibility of the North Devon Line extension to Bideford.
• Work with the rail industry to reinstate rail services from Plymouth to Tavistock via Bere Alston.
• Protect and enhance the resilience of M5 J29 to J31/A38 Splatford Split.
• Enhanced motorway service station capacity by the Strategic Road Network gateway into the South West at M5 J29 to J31.
• Review speed limits on major A roads and identify opportunities for different speed limits on busiest roads.

Decarbonisation:

• Improve digital access and online services, with particular focus on areas with poor mobile or broadband connections.
• Support the delivery of EV charging and alternative fuel stations across the Major Road Network and Strategic Road Network.
• Support suitable opportunities to increase rail freight.
• Support the transition to zero emission buses and decarbonisation of railways.

Easier travel:

• Lobby for enhanced mobile connectivity on trains and improved rail rolling stock.
• Extension of existing London Waterloo to Exeter service further into Devon.
• Seek additional long distance rail services to and from Devon and Torbay.
• Work with providers to increase public transport operating hours.
• Lobby for increasing bike storage and capacity on rail network.
• Improve access to Exeter airport by sustainable modes.
• Improve lorry parking facilities on key routes.
• Protect and enhance integration between bus and rail services.
• Simplify fare structure and improve integrated ticketing for public transport.

Unlock development

• Work with partners to deliver infrastructure to support the Plymouth and South Devon Freeport and Appledore Clean Maritime Innovation Centre.

Exeter

Our strategy for Exeter will build upon the 2020 Exeter Transport Strategy. That strategy focuses on three main aims:

• Improve the quality of life and sustainable travel in Exeter.
• Enable easier travel into the city from outside Exeter’s boundaries.
• Using technology to make sustainable travel easier, encourage mode shift and help the city’s transport networks operate more efficiently.

Background

The city of Exeter is built on an historic highway network that is constrained by limited road crossings of the River Exe. It is therefore not generally possible to build extra physical highway capacity within the city. Instead, the strategy for Exeter focuses on improving sustainable travel choices and making the city a more attractive place to live, work and visit.

The city’s growth in recent years has led to increasing travel demand.

Between 2000 and 2020, the number of jobs in the city increased from 60,000 to 100,000. Over the same period the population of the city grew by just under 25,000 people. The growth in jobs in Exeter has been filled by labour from outside the city and as a result the city now as one of the largest geographical Travel to Work Areas (TTWA) in the country.

Despite this, traffic levels on key routes into the city have not increased. Data suggests that traffic conditions are unchanged in the morning peak hour. However, travel demand through the day has increased and congestion has risen in the afternoon peak hours. This reflects the growth in the appeal of the city for shopping and wider trends of increasing leisure travel and less commuting. Post-16 students at Exeter College who travel into the city have contributed to a significant daily demand on public transport services. Exeter residents represent the largest part of Exeter’s labour pool. While a significant portion of car travel starts within the city, Exeter residents benefit from more travel choices and the majority of Exeter residents travel to work by sustainable modes.

Travel behaviour differs significantly for commuters living outside the city where cars are the dominant travel choice. From towns around Exeter, a high proportion of trips into the city are made by public transport. For those in villages and rural areas where public transport is more limited, car travel is dominant and accounts for over 90% of work trips into the city.

Greater places for people

Exeter’s city centre will continue to be a destination for its historic, cultural and entertainment offer. Cultural attractions such as the Cathedral and new Leisure Centre provide different reasons to visit Exeter and will be integral to the continued vibrancy and success of the city. The function of the city centre is likely to need to evolve due to changes in retail spending and digital access.

Attractive urban realms can further enhance the appeal and vitality of the city centre. Reducing the dominance of vehicles in the city centre and core walking areas will help transform streets into attractive spaces for people with a place rather than movement function. This will help to improve the health and wellbeing of residents, the evolution of the city centre and support investment.

We will make changes to access and road layouts where they can make streets safer, support local businesses or education hubs. So far, this approach has been seen with:

• The reduction of city centre through traffic, supporting the arrival of John Lewis.
• The additional pavement space being used by hospitality businesses on Magdalen Road.
• The benefit of passing walkers, wheelers and cyclists to local businesses along the Exe Estuary Trail.

Changes will also help to provide cleaner air and more pleasant environment for residents of the city. Going forward, the priority for further changes includes Exeter Quayside, the route from Exeter St Davids to Exeter College to Queen Street, Cowick Street to the City Centre, Barnfield Road and Sidwell Street.

Our continued investment to improve walking, wheeling and cycling facilities will encourage the shift from short distance car journeys towards sustainable modes. This will improve the physical and mental health and wellbeing for residents. This investment represents the most achievable way of reducing short distance car trips from within Exeter and supports the ambitions of the Exeter Local Plan and Liveable Exeter Placemaking Charter, which has active streets as a prominent theme.

Case study: Magdalen road enhancements

A temporary one-way system, contraflow cycle lane and more space for pedestrians was introduced on Magdalen Road under the Emergency Active Travel Fund in 2020. Public consultation showed strong support for reducing through traffic, but also the importance of retaining ‘pop and shop’ parking.

A permanent one-way scheme was completed in 2023 with widened pavements on one side and improved cycle facilities to create a higher quality walking, wheeling and cycling environment. The one-way also improved air quality by removing traffic queuing at the traffic lights. Access for vehicles and car parking has been retained, but changes to the balance of users of the street has enhanced the sense of place. Pavement cafes and outside seating have also increased the space for businesses and helped to provide a more vibrant street.

Unlocking development

The December 2024 draft of Exeter City Council’s Local Plan outlines the proposals for new development in Exeter to 2041. The plan has a focus on urban brownfield development, including at Water Lane, and intensifying development around the city centre. In addition, there is likely to be further
development to the south west and the ‘East of Exeter’ areas bordering the city.

Exeter’s proposals are focused upon locations that are within walking, wheeling and cycling distance of services and well served by public transport. The edge of city centre proposals include reducing the space given to vehicles to free up space for development and improved public realm. This complements the strategy to reduce dominance of vehicles in the central parts of the city as well as enhancing the sense of place and environment for pedestrians. Developments around the East Gate/Bus Station and St Davids station will also enhance the sense of arrival into the city.

The distribution of jobs and housing in and around Exeter is changing. There are now the same number of jobs in Sowton as the city centre. The majority of new homes have occurred on the eastern and south western boundary. The area of East Devon adjacent to the M5 is also a fast-growing area. It includes the Exeter and East Devon Enterprise Zone which covers the Science Park, the Power Park, the SkyPark and Cranbrook town centre. The East of Exeter also offers a range of employment sites off the A3052 and A30.

Many people travel between the East of Exeter area and the city every day. This connection is more challenging to serve with high quality public transport than areas within the centre of Exeter. The highway routes can experience congestion in peak periods and there is limited scope to increase vehicle capacity to cross the M5 or on routes into the city. Nevertheless, bus priority coupled with enhanced frequencies
on the A3052/A376 and A30/Honiton Road corridors would provide an attractive bus service.

This would support people commuting as well as offering new and existing residents in the East of Exeter area more sustainable travel options. Bus improvements will be supplemented by enhanced bus/rail interchange.

Many of the employment sites in East Devon and south west Exeter are within a cyclable distance of the city, especially with the growing use of e-bikes. High quality cycle routes and green lanes from new developments that link into the city’s cycle network will need to be delivered at the earliest stages of development to lock in sustainable travel habits for new residents.

The Greater Exeter Study explores potential schemes that will help to support the delivery of forthcoming Local Plan development in and around Exeter. The approach reflects the vision in the Exeter Transport Strategy, with a focus on improving sustainable travel options rather than providing highway capacity. The specific proposals and phasing of infrastructure to support sustainable development will be finalised alongside Local Plans in the wider Exeter area.

Easier travel

The aspiration is to have a consistent standard of rail and interurban bus routes, along with strategic cycle trails, between key settlements and Exeter that will provide a ‘connected city region network’. Alongside improvements to infrastructure, better information and in the longer-term integrated ticketing will help to make it easier for people to travel by sustainable modes into Exeter and reduce reliance on cars.

Public transport usage, particularly by bus, is high for Exeter residents and most radial routes benefit from frequent bus services. There are, however, journey time and reliability issues with both buses and trains which can reduce the attractiveness of public transport.

Bus services

We will use Devon’s BSIP funding to implement bus priority measures on those corridors with the most frequent services to help make buses travelling into the city quicker and more attractive. These corridors include Cowick Street, Heavitree Road, and Pinhoe Road.

Enhancements to Heavitree Road and Polsloe Road will also reduce pollution, improve air quality and support our target to remove all air quality exceedances in the city.

Our ambition beyond the BSIP is to further enhance bus journey times on the Honiton Road and Sidmouth Road corridors. We want to provide an express public transport corridor that will make buses an attractive and convenient travel option from new developments on the edge of the city.

Our aim is to enhance bus frequency on key interurban routes and upgrade facilities at bus stops including 15-minute or better bus services from Cranbrook, Crediton, Cullompton and Newton Abbot, and along the A3052. This would offer residents a convenient ‘turn-up and-go’ service where the shorter wait time between buses means passengers may no longer need to consult a timetable.

Rail services

Exeter has an extensive rail network with eleven stations across the city including Cranbrook offering frequent services to numerous market towns, coastal communities and villages. The rail network has benefitted from significant investment in recent years, including:

• The opening of new stations at Newcourt, Cranbrook and Marsh Barton.
• New services to Okehampton that has doubled the frequency of trains between Crediton and Exeter.
• Improvements to Pinhoe and Exeter Central stations.

The ‘Devon Metro’ rail network will be made more attractive by improving connectivity between Exeter and surrounding towns. The aspirations include:

• At least half hourly frequency between Exeter and East Devon towns.
• A half hourly frequency between Exeter and Barnstaple.
• A 15-minute rail frequency between Exeter Central and Digby & Sowton stations delivered by extending the Barnstaple service route across Exeter.
• Improved interchanges at existing stations, including linking rail and bus service frequencies at Digby & Sowton station.
• Exploring the potential for new stations, such as Monkerton (to be explored in conjunction with frequency improvements to Digby & Sowton)
• New stations at Okehampton Interchange and Cullompton.

We will also work with partners to improve the accessibility of stations, such as step free access to Exeter St Thomas and Polsloe Bridge, when funding becomes available.

Park and ride services

Exeter’s park and ride sites can provide a realistic sustainable travel option for those trips from rural areas that can’t be feasibly served by traditional public transport services. Use of the park and ride service has reduced since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, park and ride sites also serve as multimodal interchanges for other sustainable forms of travel such as cycling and electric vehicle charging facilities. They also serve as useful cross-city connections, i.e. Honiton Road Park and Ride (at Sowton Industrial Estate) extending to Marsh Barton and vice versa.

A new park and ride strategy aimed at reinvigorating the role of park and ride will be developed through the Enhanced Partnership and ensuring that it complements the city’s overall growth ambitions and demand management / parking strategy for Exeter.

Decarbonisation

The transition to a carbon neutral transport system requires acceleration. An assessment of measures in the Exeter Transport Strategy 2020-2030 identified the interventions which provide the greatest carbon savings as:

• Reducing the need to travel.
• Electrification of vehicles.
• Sustainable travel enhancements achieved by vehicle capacity reduction.

A range of measures that will help to reduce carbon emissions including trialling new alternative highway layouts and access arrangements will be encouraged. The priority for such measures will be those that could:

• Enhance the city centre environment for pedestrians.
• Support local businesses.
• Improve public transport.
• Are locally supported proposals to improve road safety and active travel.

We will work with the private sector and academic institution partners to develop innovative solutions and to secure funding for new initiatives. We will also share data with partners to support innovation that will
encourage mode shift through behaviour change and / or improve the operation and management of the highway network.

We will support the upgrade of buses to improve on-board facilities and shift to zero emission vehicles. We will prioritise zero emission buses on those routes with the worst air quality. Our initial priority for funding from our successful ZEBRA bid will be to improve services from Cranbrook that run along Heavitree Road, and the service between the Matford and Sowton park and ride sites.

Central to decarbonising transport is increasing electric shared mobility. We will relaunch an on-street cycle-hire and car club hire with new operators. Over time we will transition these to zero emission vehicles, enhancing the integrated transport offer within the city.

Key elements of the strategy for Exeter

Greater places for people.

Measure that help support a vibrant city centre:

• Reduce dominance of cars in the city centre and core walking areas linked to improving the public realm, supporting inward investment and the redevelopment of the city centre.
• Review citywide parking provision and charges including off street, on-street and park and ride to support modal shift and wider redevelopment aims of the city centre.
• Upgrade Exeter St David’s station gateway and interchange.

Removal of all air quality exceedances in the city through:

• Delivery of zero emission buses on services running along corridors with highest levels of air pollution and Bus Service Improvement Plan priority measures and service enhancements.
• Use of technological advancements to adapt and optimise operation of the highway network.
• Measures as set out under the other objectives below.

The place to be naturally active

Supporting Active Exeter’s goals and target for 50% of trips to be made by foot or cycle:

• Enhance key pedestrian corridors, including new river and main road crossings and improved access to transport interchanges.
• Quieter and safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists in residential areas.
• Green lanes supporting active travel from villages to the edge of the city.
• Comprehensive city-wide cycle network as set out in Exeter Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan, delivering safe routes that can be used and enjoyed by all.
• Improve access to cycles, including city-wide cycle hire scheme and greater access to storage facilities.
• Employer, school and residential travel planning programmes to encourage sustainable travel choices.

Unlock development

• Deliver infrastructure to unlock Exeter Local Plan sites and sustainable development in East of Exeter area.
• Bus priority on A3052/A376 towards M5 Junction 30.
• Strategic active travel routes to Cranbrook and along the A3052 corridor.
• Deliver car club and cycle hire schemes, where viable, to support new development policy requirements in Exeter.

Easier travel

Creating a connected city region:

• Enhance bus services between Exeter and surrounding towns to provide 15-minute frequency from Cranbrook, Crediton, Cullompton and Newton Abbot.
• ‘Devon Metro’ with at least half hourly frequency on all rail lines into Exeter with new stations at Cullompton, Okehampton Interchange and exploring potential at Monkerton.
• Enhanced bus to rail interchange at Digby & Sowton station.
• New strategic walking, wheeling and cycling trails connecting surrounding towns to Exeter.

Attractive urban bus networks:

• Measures to enhance bus priority on key corridors, including Cowick Street, Exe Bridges, Pinhoe Road and Heavitree Road.
• Attractive modern low emission buses, improved bus stop infrastructure and visual and audio information systems to enhance passenger experience.
• Park and ride or park and change sites on main corridors and increase cross-city services to improve linkages to employment on the edges of the city.
• Enhance bus frequency on routes across the city.

Decarbonisation

Transition to lower emission fuels:

• Support roll-out of electric vehicle infrastructure to support increased uptake of low emission vehicles.
• Provide electric shared mobility, electric vehicle charging facilities and investigate potential for energy generation on park and ride sites.
• Decarbonisation of the public transport fleet.

Innovation and invention

• Allow trials and testing of new measures and/or highway changes to accelerate processes for decarbonising the transport network.
• Data sharing and collaborative working to support partners and innovators to develop new solutions to decarbonising transport.

Torbay

Improvements to transport will support Torbay to be healthy, happy and prosperous. These include a focus on improvements to help regenerate the town centres and improving travel choices throughout Torbay.

Major investment in Edginswell railway station and zero emission buses will be supported by longer operating hours, faster services, more accessible infrastructure and better bus stop facilities to provide a step change in the quality of public transport services and infrastructure. Improvements to walking, wheeling and cycling facilities and roll out of shared mobility will further enhance transport choice and make sustainable travel easier and more attractive for residents and visitors across Torbay and beyond.

Introduction

Torbay is situated on the South Devon coast and benefits from a mild climate, sheltered bay and a fantastic seaside setting making it an attractive place to live and work. The 140,000 population live in the coastal towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham, plus some surrounding villages.

Torquay
Torquay is the largest town in Torbay, with a population of just under 70,000. The town provides leisure and life style by the sea and has a town centre with a mix of retail, hospitality, and service industries. The Torquay Gateway area around Shiphay in the north west of the town includes several of Torbay’s largest employers such as Torbay Hospital and a range of retail and
business parks.

Paignton
Paignton is a town of 50,000 people in the middle of Torbay. The centre is 5km south of Torquay, though the urban areas connect the two towns. To the west of Paignton, there has been significant recent growth with further planned which will support Paignton to continue to be a centre for enterprise, ‘tech by the Bay’ and entrepreneurship. South Devon College on the edge of Paignton is regionally significant, providing a range of further and higher education courses. There are several business parks, industrial estates, and range of retail offerings to the west of the town, off the A3022 Brixham Road, that serve both residents of Torbay and parts of the South Hams.

Brixham
Brixham is the most southerly town, situated approximately six kilometres south of Paignton. It is also the smallest town, with a population of approximately 17,000. It has a long maritime history and contains England’s largest value fish market, small industry and creative enterprises as well as many built and natural assets which make it a popular visitor destination. Across Torbay, tourism is a significant part of the economy. This leads to seasonal fluctuations in the population with an increase of up to 50% in the summer. Reflecting this, Torbay has a predominantly low-wage economy with the average personal income less than half of the UK average. Torbay is ranked as the most deprived upper-tier local authority in the South West and has significant disparity both across the area and within each of the towns.

The A380 and recently upgraded South Devon Highway provides dual carriageway access to Torquay and onto Paignton. The A3022 provides single carriageway access from Paignton to Brixham and is suceptible to congestion, particularly as the A379 and A3022 converge at Windy Corner.

The Riviera Line has local rail services between Paignton and Exeter twice an hour and connects Torbay to Newton Abbot and Exeter. There are also some direct long-distance rail services to Paignton from London, Bristol and North of England. There are frequent bus services between all three towns, and north to Newton Abbot. While Brixham benefits from regular bus services, transport flows tend to be heavy in peak hours. There is also no rail station in the town, with Paignton providing the nearest access to the rail network.

The majority of travel is self-contained within Torbay. Three quarters of residents work within the area, with the proportion working within the town they live in ranging from 40% in Brixham to over 60% in Torquay. Within Torbay, significant movements include those between Torquay town centre, Shiphay and Chelston, and between Paignton town centre and Kings Ash. The main destinations for travel further afield include Newton Abbot, Exeter and Totnes.

Despite a significant number of short trips within Torbay, and high population densities typical of urban areas, Torbay has higher levels of car usage than many rural areas across Devon. This is particularly the case for trips of between 3 to 7km, a distance that could be made by cycle or bus. Local engagement with the community consistently shows that people would make this choice with the right facilities and/or services. Our investment will focus on improving travel choice, supporting regeneration and improving health and wellbeing.

Greater places for people

We want to improve the quality of Torbay’s town centres, providing greater places for people and helping them to remain competitive against changing retail habits. Alongside larger projects benefitting the wider
community, we will also deliver improvements identified in the three town centre plans and updated masterplan work, support regeneration and ensure the towns are better connected to other areas.

The Town Centre Masterplans for Torquay, Paignton and Brixham each propose several interventions to improve the attractiveness and safety of Torbay’s built environment.

Pedestrian facilities will be enhanced upon arrival and within town centres to improve access, safety and sense of place. This includes the Abbey Gates enhancements in Torquay, the redevelopment around the bus and rail station and surrounding brownfield sites in Paignton, and enhancements to the key point of arrival into Brixham. Alongside this, we will explore the potential for seasonal changes to road space within the towns where practical to improve the public realm and provide more space for businesses.

The bus and railway stations in Paignton are close to each other, offering convenient interchange possibilities. Since Paignton is the most southerly rail station within the bay, it is the gateway for many residents, resulting in Paignton having the highest percentage of residents who travel out of Tor bay for work. To enhance rail experience in Paignton, we will:

• Work with the rail industry to enhance the concourse and station facilities.
• Work with rail and bus operators to improve the connectivity and ticketing opportunities.
• Make it easier for people to access longer distance travel networks from Brixham.

In Brixham we will improve the functionality of the town centre bus stops area by creating more space for bus parking without blocking traffic on the road. We will also improve access to key points of interest such as the Harbour and town centre for commercial vehicles and tourists.

Enhanced directional signage upon entry, exit and within town centres will improve wayfinding and sense of welcome for both commercial vehicles and visitors by car and on foot, enhancing the quality of the place with appropriate movements.

Decarbonisation

To significantly reduce carbon emissions from transport we need to give people better transport choices that enable a reduction in car use. This can be delivered through a shift to more digital access to services, more sustainable means of travel and cleaner methods of propulsion.

Torbay Council’s EV Strategy outlines how the council aims to help deliver a comprehensive charging network for Torbay. It identifies future charge point demand in Torbay, and the subsequent actions needed. This includes introducing charge points across homes, workplaces and destinations such as supermarkets and leisure centres.

Our priorities include delivery of on-street, car park and rapid charge points through partnership working and grant funds, such as the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) funding. This will provide a variety of charging speeds in a significantly expanded network of chargers.

We will also promote the sharing of existing private charge points, known as peer-to-peer charging, and consider the opportunities for pavement channels to support residents without off-street parking to be able to access an electric vehicle.

Torbay Council have recently been awarded £7.1 million of ZEBRA funding towards the roll out of zero emission buses throughout Torbay. This is being supplemented by £18 million of investment by the bus operator. The total investment of £25 million represents the largest investment in transport in Torbay since the South Devon Highway was built. This investment, alongside enhancements delivered through new contracts for the supported bus network, will modernise Torbay’s bus fleet which will make it more attractive and help encourage people to shift more of their journeys to public transport.

Easier travel

Public transport can play a vital role in Torbay’s local and regional connectivity for local residents and visitors. It also helps to provide more people better and more equitable access to transport and help tackle issues of isolation, health inequalities and transport-related social exclusion.

Improved bus provision will enhance travel within Torbay (particularly towards the Torquay Gateway area and the west of Paignton) as well as between destinations outside of the Bay such as Newton Abbot, Heathfield Industrial Estate and Totnes. Further afield, we will look to improve transport links to key employment destinations such as Plymouth and Exeter (particularly the East of Exeter).

A new railway station at Edginswell, in the Torquay Gateway area, is a priority to improve travel opportunities to Torbay Hospital and connectivity for people living in existing and new residential areas, particularly towards Newton Abbot, Teignmouth and Exeter. The station is part of the wider Devon Metro rail proposals, unlocking travel to a range of destinations across Torbay, Devon and further afield.

In addition, we will work with train operators to increase the number of direct services to Torbay and reduce travel times to Exeter, Bristol, Plymouth and London. We will also work with partners to enhance access and facilities at the three existing railway stations in Torbay.

While mainline rail services end at Paignton, the infrastructure continues southwards with an area of sidings and a heritage railway operating as far as Kingswear in Devon. While there are no immediate plans to bring this line into use for regular service use, we would support longer term proposals that might enable the Kingswear line to reconnect in some part to the national rail network. This could begin with connecting Goodrington, a short distance south of Paignton, to the network for local services.

With no rail service south of Paignton, Brixham residents and visitors rely on bus connections to complete their journeys. We will enhance this connectivity with improvements to the facilities, particularly in Paignton, but we can also do more with ticketing options and ensuring Brixham has a place on the National Rail database to demonstrate the availability of the connections.

There are no direct rail or bus services from Torbay to Exeter Airport or the growing employment opportunities in the East of Exeter area. We will investigate ways to expand the bus or coach network to provide a regular, direct link from Torbay to Exeter Airport, the East of Exeter and connections to destinations beyond, such as Bristol Airport. This improvement will support tourism, and access to employment for Torbay residents, as well as offering new opportunities to work in Exeter and live in Torbay.

Torbay Council’s BSIP sets out a range of measures to improve the attractiveness and connectivity of bus services throughout Torbay. Priorities include:

• Investment in newer vehicles.
• Developing a network of at least 15-minute frequencies along key corridors, including services 13 (Brixham – Torbay Hospital) and 22 (South Devon College – St Marychurch).
• Improved technology at signalised junctions to give buses priority on key corridors.
• Increasing frequency and accessibility of services across the community.

The aims include to improve and extend evening and night services. This is critical for providing sustainable travel choices for people whose jobs start and end outside of the typical working hours, and for supporting nighttime economies, offering safe and reliable travel later at night.

We will review access to bus stops and improve safety by delivering a rolling programme of bus stop enhancements to improve:

• Access by foot and cycle.
• Lighting.
• Waiting facilities, including shelters and build outs.
• Real time information for passengers at the busiest stops.

In addition to improving the attractiveness of internal bus travel, we will investigate the feasibility of a Park and Ride or Park and Change to improve access to the town centres and/or Hospital for people travelling from nearby towns such as Totnes and Dartmouth.

We will explore the potential for on-street micromobility, such as electric cycle hire, to increase travel choices to town centres and the hospital and provide an alternative for trips that are either too far or too steep of a gradient to walk. A network of shared cars would also give people ad-hoc access to a vehicle,
providing a cost-effective alternative to car ownership, increasing travel choices and over time enabling transition to zero emission vehicles.

These facilities will help to give people better and more equitable access to transport and help tackle issues of isolation, health inequalities and transport-related social exclusion.

The place to be naturally active

Across Torbay, people make a significant number of short distance trips. Many of these are of a distance that can be walked, wheeled or cycled. Improving facilities for pedestrians and cyclists can provide new and safe travel options to work or school, improve wellbeing and productivity, and increase access to the natural environment. This complements the vision set out in the Torbay on the Move strategy to support and encourage residents to be more active.

Torbay’s LCWIP identifies the priorities for active travel across Torbay. Our aspiration is for five major strategic trails for walking, wheeling and cycling, collectively branded as ‘Bay Trails’. These are:

• Hospital Trail
• Torquay Town Trail
• Beaches Trail (north)
• Beaches Trail (south)
• Zoo Trail.

Together the five Bay Trails would include the provision of over 27km of attractive strategic trails across Torbay that are suitable for all ages and abilities, revolutionising the cycling experience across Brixham, Paignton and Torquay. They would complement investment on other corridors such as the Western Corridor, links through the Clennon Valley, connections between Torquay and Marldon and routes between Torquay town centre and St Marychurch. The Bay Trails would also connect Torbay with a network of multi-use trails throughout Devon, such as the proposed South Devon Cycle Way and onto the existing Stover and Wray Valley trails, and proposed Teign Estuary trail. These would provide a new
sustainable travel and tourism attraction, boosting local business and supporting the vision for Torbay as a premiere tourism resort in the UK.

In addition, the LCWIP identifies core walking zones within a five-minute walking distance of major trip generators in Torbay. Core walking zones identified include those close to town centres, within neighbourhoods and around key employment, education and growth areas. Improvements will be further developed within the town centres in conjunction with plans for regeneration and also throughout the rest of Torbay to key connections identified alongside communities.

We will develop a pipeline of schemes so that Torbay is best placed to secure external investment for new facilities. Our initial priority will be pedestrian and cycle crossings and, where appropriate, lower traffic streets near the town centres. We will investigate lower speed limits, including 20mph speed limit
zones. We will also investigate networks of one-way streets, contraflow cycling or both, particularly where there is limited space to make changes to road layouts. In time these schemes will be complemented by new sections of segregated cycleway.

Unlocking development

We will give greater priority to active travel and public transport improvements that can enhance travel for oth new and existing residents of Torbay. This includes in town centres and growth areas identified in Torbay’s Local Plan 2011-2030 and its update through to 2040 As the update to the Torbay Local Plan is developed, we will renew local policy and design standards to reflect the priorities in this LTP.

We will require electric charging and cycle parking facilities to be provided as part of new development. We will also secure improvements to existing sustainable transport facilities as part of the planning process with an identified vision for new development that comes forward. These improvements to walking, wheeling and cycling and bus stop facilities and services will help to ensure safe and suitable access to new development is provided for all users.

By providing the enhancements to rail and long-distance bus services, particularly with reduced journey times and frequent connections to Exeter, transport can also be a catalyst in supporting regeneration opportunities in the town centres of Paignton and Torquay.

We will support the sustainable redevelopment of Torbay Hospital and new employment and residential developments in the Torquay Gateway area through schemes such as Edginswell railway station and bus service improvements. Active travel improvements as part of the Hospital trail and connections towards Kingskerswell will also help to achieve sustainable travel targets for new developments.

We will expect development proposals, particularly those on the outskirts of Torquay and Paignton, to mitigate their impact on the operation of the Major Road Network. This includes sections of the A380, A385 and A3022 on the ring road. We will expect this mitigation to include enhancing the active travel infrastructure along the ring road and to consider support for further development of the bus network. This will encourage more short distance trips to be made sustainably and free up capacity.

Reliability and resilience

The importance of the Riviera Line is recognised in the Connecting Devon and Torbay section, but for Torbay to provide equitable opportunities for residents, key public transport infrastructure and services have to remain reliable and resilient. After the severe flooding of 2014 and subsequent disruption, it is essential that the railway routes into Torbay continue to be protected and upgraded.

The South Devon Highway (A380) was completed in 2015. It provides a dual carriageway road that has enabled reliable and faster journeys into and out of Torbay. It also has a 50mph speed limit to reduce emissions and contribute towards a safer and more resilient route.

As part of the work highlighted in LTP 3, capacity at Tweenaways cross has been improved, one of the key junctions on the ring road and Major Road Network. We will identify proposals to improve bus service connections, active travel provision and vehicle performance on the Major Road Network that can promote healthy travel and support economic development in both Paignton and Brixham.

A clear and unobstructed route to Brixham Harbour for commercial vehicles is essential for it to retain and develop its status as one of the UK’s primary fishing centres.

We will look to improve key access points into the town centre, ensuring parking facilities are appropriate, clear routes are provided, and public realm and pedestrian space is enhanced.

Continuing to improve road safety and reduce the number of people injured on the highway network is a priority. We will seek a continuous programme of improvements to safety and reducing the likelihood of injury through all changes implemented on Torbay’s highway network.

To assist, we will explore:

• Targeted changes at locations where they are most needed, such as those with a history of serious or fatal collisions.
• Physical infrastructure changes at locations where improvements also benefit public transport, walking, wheeling, and cycling facilities, and/or respond to community concerns.
• Trialling layout and access changes in locations where they could improve safety.

A mixture of encouragement, enforcement, and engineering, alongside evaluation will also be used to further improve the safety of all road users. This includes working with Emergency Services Partners through Vision Zero South West.

Key elements of the strategy for Torbay

Greater places for people

• Delivery of town centre public realm improvements and regeneration opportunities across Torbay.
• Improve wayfinding to improve entry, exit and within the town centres.
• Paignton and Preston Promenade coastal flood protection scheme.
• Upgrade public transport gateways in Torbay’s town centres.

Decarbonisation

• Transition to lower and zero emission buses across Torbay.
• Increasing travel choice to help reduce traffic movements across Torbay.
• Deliver a network of electric vehicle charging points, providing more variety of charging speeds in a wider variety of locations.
• Promote peer-to-peer charging and pavement channel opportunities.

Easier travel

Improving travel choice:

• New railway station at Edginswell to create new opportunities for travel to and from Torbay Hospital and other nearby destinations.
• New bus/coach services from Torbay to East of Exeter.
• Enhance integration of bus and rail services.
• Network of shared travel choices (bike hire/car club) across Torbay.

Attractive public transport:

• Attractive modern vehicles.
• Higher frequency bus services between town centres and major employment, education and health facilities.
• Faster bus journey times, including priority at traffic signals and reduced impact of on-street parking on bus service reliability.
• Extend operating hours of bus services, including evening services and night services through the week.

Access to public transport:

• Improve bus stop infrastructure and information systems, including wayfinding between bus and rail services.
• Improved accessibility for all passengers at railway stations.
• Ticket and fare simplification.

The place to be naturally active

Strategic cycle network:

• Deliver South Devon Cycle Way and connect Torbay into the existing traffic free, multi-use trail network in Devon.
• Deliver strategic cycle routes within Torbay, including Hospital Trail, Torquay Town Trail and northern sections of the Beaches Trail.
• Develop proposals for the Zoo Trail and southern sections of Beaches Trail, with connections to the Western Corridor.

Improving access for pedestrians and cycles:

• Improve pedestrian and cycle crossings to town and neighbourhood centres to support road safety, higher quality walking routes and delivery of the strategic cycle network.
• Improve attractiveness and safety of walking, wheeling and cycling routes to schools.
• Create quieter and safer streets for residents, pedestrians and cyclists.

Unlock development

• Ensure suitable access to and/or improvements to local bus stop facilities.
• Highway layout and junction alterations to provide safe access to new development for all users.
• Provide high quality pedestrian and cycle access, including delivery of sections of LCWIP routes.
• Require travel planning for school expansions and all major developments.
• Require active travel infrastructure, secure cycle parking and electric vehicle charging infrastructure on and connecting to development sites.

Reliability

• Identify proposals to improve active travel provision and vehicle performance on the Major Road Network.
• Protect and enhance access to Brixham Harbour.
• Coastal route protection and alternative routes investigation.

Growth areas

Our plan focusses on providing infrastructure to unlock Local Plan sites, prioritising walking, wheeling and cycling facilities and improving the quality of public transport. This will maximise the opportunities for
new and existing residents to make short journeys sustainably.

Background

Four growth areas across Devon have been identified. These are locations where thousands of new homes and/or new communities are proposed. These growth areas, which are typically focused on larger
settlements or sub-regional centres, include:

• Barnstaple, Bideford and Northam.
• Plymouth Urban Fringe.
• Tiverton, Cullompton and Heart of Mid Devon.
• Newton Abbot and Kingsteignton Garden Community.

The following sections describe the scale of previously identified development in existing or emerging Local Plans; however, following the release of the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework, there is potential for housing targets in these areas to be increased.

The large level of development in these growth areas mean they will:

• Support new education and community facilities within the development.
• Increase demand for local services.
• Require new transport infrastructure to provide access and unlock sites.
• Require sustainable travel choices to ensure safe and suitable access and/or mitigate the impact of new development.

Despite benefitting from public transport networks and some dedicated cycling infrastructure, some of the growth areas have the highest levels of car use within the county. In part this reflects a higher number of trips over distances that are too great to walk, and where cycling and public transport can play
a greater role. As such, the growth areas are locations where providing and promoting attractive sustainable transport choices can have a significant impact on minimising the impact of short distance private car trips.

The four growth areas have a combined population that is similar to Exeter (approximately 130,000 people).

Barnstaple, Bideford and Northam

Barnstaple is the largest urban centre in the north of Devon. It is the main service centre for a large rural hinterland, particularly coastal communities to the north and rural settlements including those in Exmoor National Park.

Bideford is the administrative centre of Torridge and one of the largest towns in Devon. It is also close to Northam, Westward Ho! and Appledore. Bideford serves as the main service centre for a large, predominantly rural, area to the west of the town and some settlements to the south along the A386.

This growth area represents the second largest population area in Devon, with over 10,000 homes in the plan period until 2031. There is significant development and investment in these towns, including large residential development and the modernisation of the port in Appledore, which will support job creation and net zero-driven growth. They draw in people from a wide area for services, and significant numbers of people travel within and between these towns.

Plymouth urban fringe

There are several Devon towns and villages within the port city of Plymouth’s travel to work area, including Tavistock and Ivybridge which rely heavily on Plymouth for employment, education and leisure services.

There are also several Plymouth and South Devon Joint Local Plan major development urban extensions on the periphery of Plymouth which sit within Devon.

These include mixed use development at Sherford and Woolwell (together circa 7,000 homes), as well as an extension to the existing strategic employment at Langage which includes the Plymouth and South
Devon Freeport.

These major growth areas will generate significant trips focused on Plymouth with multi modal transport plans needing to be developed jointly between Devon County Council and Plymouth City Council to
encourage active travel, public transport use and measures to minimise the impacts on the A38 Strategic Road Network.

Tiverton, Cullompton and the Heart of Mid Devon

This growth area covers the expanding towns of Tiverton and Cullompton, the corridors between them, and the settlements of Willand and Sampford Peverell.

Tiverton and Cullompton have very different travel patterns. Tiverton is the administrative centre of Mid Devon, and a relatively high number of residents work and go to school in the town itself. By comparison, Cullompton has high levels of commuting out of the town, particularly towards Exeter. This means that,
although the population of Tiverton is twice that of Cullompton, both towns have a similar number of people commuting towards Exeter.

Tiverton and Cullompton’s growth includes almost 8,000 homes (80% of Mid Devon total) in the plan period to 2033. Culm Garden Village to the east of Cullompton is one of the largest areas of new development across Devon and Torbay, with potential to deliver up to 5,000 homes (extending beyond the current Local Plan period). The garden village will increase travel demand but will also support more
shops and services within Cullompton and provide new transport infrastructure.

Newton Abbot and Kingsteignton Garden Community

The market town of Newton Abbot and the neighbouring settlement of Kingsteignton are the main growth areas for Teignbridge with circa 6,000 homes in the plan period until 2040.

Despite high levels of self-containment, there is a higher proportion of car trips in Newton Abbot and Kingsteignton compared with other settlements of similar size across Devon. Many of these trips are made over distances that could be walked, wheeled, cycled or made by bus. This means the Newton Abbot and Kingsteignton Garden Community is an area where improved bus services and cycling facilities could have significant uptake and there are opportunities to secure substantial developer funding to support these improvements from the significant housing growth planned within these communities.

Unlocking development

We have identified several schemes to unlock strategic allocations for housing and jobs in each of the identified growth areas. These will support the current and future needs of residents.

Barnstaple, Bideford and Northam

In the Barnstaple, Bideford and Northam area to enable growth and to support increased walking, wheeling and cycling and strengthened public transport corridors, we will explore improvements to:

• Pedestrian links across the River Taw from Seven Brethren to Barnstaple town centre.
• Expansion of high-quality strategic cycle network including new routes, links to the Tarka Trail, major destinations, provision on new roads and improved crossing facilities.
• Improving frequency, journey times and vehicles on core bus routes.
• The A39, including suitable access and the A39 to B3233 Tews Lane Link.
• A361 Larkbear access road.
• The Clovelly Road corridor.

Plymouth urban fringe

We will create a strong link between Plymouth city centre, Plympton and Sherford by:

• Enhancing public transport provision.
• A new access to the A38.
• New pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.

At Woolwell we will provide attractive sustainable travel choices by:

• Supporting high quality walking, wheeling and cycling routes within the development.
• Improving bus services.
• Improving the A386 connection to the city centre.

The Plymouth and South Devon Freeport will build upon the region’s unique national capabilities in marine, defence and space industries. Developed in partnership with private sector and local authorities, the Freeport aims to boost the economy through physical, economic and social regeneration, with objectives to:

• Deliver an increase in trade throughput and pilot short sea shipping.
• Reduce freight transport emissions.
• Improve regional connectivity.

To boost active travel for commuters travelling between the Freeport development at Langage Business Park and Sherford new community, a new pedestrian and cycle bridge will be delivered across the A38 Deep Lane bridge with pedestrian crossing facilities at the Deep Lane south junction. A new spine road will be delivered to unlock Freeport sites at Langage Business Park, while also enabling a modal filter at the south of the site to complement the bridge and active travel route between the Langage site and Sherford.

Tiverton, Cullompton and the Heart of Mid Devon

New development in Tiverton is focused along the A361 to the east. This linear form of development is more easily served by enhanced bus services and cycle routes.

We will create new sustainable travel and leisure opportunities by improving active travel routes both towards Tiverton to the west and towards Tiverton Parkway railway station, Willand and Cullompton to the east. Good quality walking and cycle links within new developments and connecting into Exeternal
active travel networks will be negotiated through the planning processes.

The new junction onto the A361 will mitigate the impact of travel from new developments on sensitive and constrained environments on Blundells Road and the village of Halberton.

The Culm Garden Village development to the east of the motorway will significantly increase the population of Cullompton. To reduce the impact on the transport network we will:

• Support new local education, retail and leisure facilities so a higher proportion of trips stay within the town, reducing the need for longer distance travel.
• Enhance active travel routes across the area.
• Support delivery of Cullompton railway station.
• Improve bus frequency and new bus routes to offer attractive new opportunities.
• Increase digital access and connectivity over the build out period.
• Progress a town centre relief road and mitigate impacts at M5 Junction 28.

Newton Abbot and Kingsteignton Garden Community

To accommodate the increasing travel demand in the Newton Abbot and Kingsteignton Garden Community and support growth on the west of Newton Abbot we will continue delivering and complete:

• Enhanced active travel links within Newton Abbot.
• The Teign Estuary Trail from Newton Abbot to Teignmouth.
• A382 Phase 3 between Forches Cross and A38 Drumbridges.
• Wolborough Link Road.
• Jetty Marsh Phase 2.

The Jetty Marsh extension will also help to re-route traffic away from the town centre, creating opportunities for better routes for buses and to enhance the environment for active travel.

Easier travel

The growth areas are locations where buses can play a much greater role in reducing emissions and contributing towards modal shift as there are good quality existing high frequency routes that can be enhanced further. We will increase bus use by improving bus service reliability and offering an enhanced passenger experience, delivered through:

• Bus priority infrastructure and technology measures and removal of pinch points.
• 15-minute service frequency on core corridors.
• A brand-new fleet of zero emission buses.
• Upgrades to bus stop infrastructure real time information systems.
• Improving integration between bus services and the rail network.

An Enhanced Partnership, developed alongside the Devon BSIP, sets out in further detail the measures to improve the attractiveness of bus services across the four growth areas.

As the largest population centres, the four growth areas also have the greatest potential outside of Exeter for establishing shared mobility schemes. These would provide people with on-demand access to car club vehicles or bike hire schemes, if viable. We will support the proposals for shared vehicles, and mobility hubs with new facilities, in existing town centres within the growth areas.

Barnstaple, Bideford and Northam

Barnstaple is the hub of the bus network in northern Devon. There are frequent services linking lfracombe and Braunton along the A39 corridor. Frequent services also connect communities between Barnstaple and Bideford, including Fremington, Yelland, Instow, Westward Ho!, Appledore and Northam.
Improving bus frequencies to provide a reliable core high frequency network in northern Devon will help to play a significant role in making bus travel more attractive. We will support this by making buses faster and more reliable, with bus priority measures at Gratton Way, the Braunton Road signals in Barnstaple and along the Barnstaple Southwest corridor.

Use of the North Devon Line from Barnstaple to Exeter has increased by 400% in the last 20 years, and many trains now leave Barnstaple full and with passengers standing. Working with the rail industry we will prioritise making the case for enhancing services on the North Devon Line to provide a half hourly frequency and journey times to Exeter of under an hour. This would provide fast, attractive and frequent
services to Exeter, with greater capacity for communities along the line and connections to longer distance rail services. We will also work with partners and support ongoing feasibility work for the potential extension of the North Devon Line to Bideford.

We will make improvements at Barnstaple railway station. These will include access and forecourt changes to make it easier for people to change between bus and rail services. The station will become a hub that connects a range of urban and rural bus services across north Devon and Torridge with the rail network. These improvements will also make it safer and more accessible for people to continue their
journey towards the town on foot or by cycle.

Plymouth urban fringe

Plympton rail station is an aspiration of the Plymouth Metro proposals. The rail station would improve travel choice for nearby residential and commercial development in the Plymouth Urban Fringe and would complement the recent growth in patronage at Ivybridge station.

Alongside new development at Sherford, a new Park & Ride would improve public transport access to key employment sites in the north of the city, including Derriford Hospital. Further bus routes will also be needed as new development areas continue to grow.

Tiverton, Cullompton and the Heart of Mid Devon

We will increase travel choices in this growth area so that people can rely less on their cars for certain journeys in and around Mid Devon. These will include:

• Turn up and go bus frequencies of 15 minutes or better to new development at Tiverton and Culm Garden Village.
• Access to and stop facilities for express coach services.
• Subject to funding, longer distance express bus services could also improve access to rail services at Tiverton Parkway.

Newton Abbot and Kingsteignton Garden Community

The majority of the bus network in Teignbridge radiates through Newton Abbot, with regular services north to Exeter and south to Torbay. With the growing employment opportunities in the East of Exeter area, we will investigate ways to expand the bus or coach network to provide a regular, direct link from Torbay to Exeter Airport via Newton Abbot.

Service frequencies to Newton Abbot from nearby surrounding settlements are less frequent and will be improved, whilst infrastructure improvements will also be made at Newton Abbot’s Sherborne Road bus station to improve access, multi-modal interchange and wayfinding. Reliability will be improved with advanced technology including bus priority detection and signal upgrades on core bus corridors.

Newton Abbot railway station is one of the busiest stations in Devon and is conveniently located for the town centre to its west. However, access to the adjacent Brunel Industrial Estate to the east is indirect. We will work with partners to create a new access to Newton Abbot railway station from the east, which could include a bridge over the railway line. This will improve access and connectivity to the station and town from both the Industrial Estate and the Buckland area.

We will also work with partners to improve platform capacity to support additional services arriving and departing from Newton Abbot station.

The proposed Edginswell railway station in Torbay is an important part of the Devon Metro network. The station would provide a new sustainable travel choice, helping to encourage modal shift and relieve pressure on the busy A380 and across Newton Abbot’s local road network.

The Teignbridge Local Plan continues to safeguard the use of the Heathfield Branch Line as a movement corridor between Newton Abbot and Heathfield. While there are no immediate plans to bring the line into use, we will engage with the rail industry and third-party promoters to explore opportunities for passenger or freight movements to return in future.

Case study: Delivering new railway stations in Devon

Devon has delivered three new railway stations in the last ten years as part of the Devon Metro proposal to improve sustainable access across the county. Devon County Council also played a key role in supporting the reopening of the Dartmoor Line between Exeter, Crediton and Okehampton in 2021.

• Newcourt station on the Exmouth to Paignton Line opened in June 2015. It is in the centre of a new development area with up to 3,500 homes, employment land, IKEA and the Sandy Park stadium. Journey times from Exeter city centre are under 10 minutes.
• Cranbrook station on the Exeter to London Waterloo mainline opened in December 2015. It provides an hourly service to Exeter and London. The journey time to Exeter is less than 10 minutes. The station was delivered at an early stage of the new community and contributed to Cranbrook being one of the fastest growing settlements in the country. The station has ample cycle and car parking providing a hub for multi-modal journeys for people living across East Devon.
• Marsh Barton station opened in July 2023. The station is served by local trains on Paignton to Exmouth Line which also serve interchanges with mainline services at Exeter Central and Exeter St David’s. The station enables more people to access one of Exeter’s largest industrial estates, County Hall and the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital from parts of Teignbridge and Torbay. It also provides step-free access to the Riverside Valley park and award-winning Exe Estuary trail.

Greater places for people

We will improve the pedestrian public realm in the growth areas. These transport improvements will support the growing population of the area and demand for services. They will also improve the sense of
place and contribute towards the economy of vibrant town centres by encouraging people to stay longer and increase their spend.

Barnstaple, Bideford and Northam

Changes we introduced to Barnstaple town centre during the COVID-19 pandemic have increased pedestrianisation in the town centre. We will support further changes to help improve the walking, wheeling and cycling environment in Barnstaple and Bideford. This includes expanding the area of pedestrianised streets where it aligns with local ambitions such as the Barnstaple Spatial Vision and Future High Streets Fund proposals.

Tiverton, Cullompton and the Heart of Mid Devon

In Tiverton we will support changes to the highway layout and access where it encourages the vibrancy and regeneration of the town centre.

In Cullompton we have recently enhanced the Higher Bullring. Widened pavements and improved cycle facilities have created a stronger sense of place with a higher quality walking, wheeling and cycling environment and a more flexible and functional space to help local businesses.

We will explore further improving the quality of the environment for pedestrians in the town centre by significantly reducing through traffic. This can be achieved through the delivery of the town centre relief road enabling a lower traffic environment with better air quality, supporting improved access for active travel and more reliable bus services on a high frequency corridor.

Newton Abbot and Kingsteignton Garden Community

The pedestrian environment in Newton Abbot town centre has recently been enhanced on Queen Street with widened footways, improved crossing facilities and reduced vehicle speeds, whilst the National Cycle Network 2 running parallel has also been improved. We will further improve the pedestrian environment and sense of place in Newton Abbot town centre through:

• Upgrading the route between the railway station and town centre.
• Improving junctions in the town centre, such as Highweek Street.
• Development of a transport hub next to Market Street that would support regeneration of the town centre and provide a focal point for a multi-modal interchange.

Decarbonisation

The transition to lower emission fuels and new technologies, alongside increasing digital access and more sustainable active travel options, will assist the decarbonisation of transport across all the growth areas. In some locations, this will include road space dedicated to sustainable travel options only.

We have an opportunity to ensure EV charging is built in and a central part of new development in all the growth areas. The areas are also hubs of population that will provide concentrated demand for electric vehicles. We will support people’s uptake of EVs in growth areas through:

• Delivering an increased number of EV charging points both on and off the streets.
• Promoting the sharing of existing charge points, known as peer-to-peer charging.

We will work with operators to bring in zero emission buses. This will begin with:

• Barnstaple, including town services and the routes to Ilfracombe, Braunton and Bideford
• Services on the 12 route through Newton Abbot and Kingskerswell to Torbay.

The Plymouth and South Devon Freeport has a strategic priority to deliver net zero emissions ahead of 2050. The plan to decarbonise the Freeport includes a 10MW Green Hydrogen Electrolyser that can provide low carbon energy for shipping and larger road vehicles.

The Appledore Clean Maritime Innovation Centre can provide a hub for green hydrogen production. Along with modernising the port infrastructure, this will boost growth in the north of the county and support decarbonisation activity across the Bristol Channel and Celtic Sea.

The place to be naturally active

We will make sustainable transport central to new development within the growth areas. We will deliver infrastructure that improves access and facilities for walking, wheeling and cycling, encouraging people to choose active travel options. We will focus on:

• Ensuring safe and suitable facilities for walking, wheeling and cycling are provided within, to and from new developments.
• Priority sections of the multi-use trail network.
• Measures that encourage safer and sustainable travel to school.
• The routes identified in LCWIPs as being the highest priority.
• Improving crossing facilities and delivering 20mph zones where locally supported.

These will unlock the potential for short-distance car trips to be made by cycle and provide infrastructure that capitalises on the growing use of e-cycles.

To complement the new routes, we will increase cycle parking across the growth areas and remove some of the physical barriers on the existing routes to ensure trails are inclusive and accessible to all. New infrastructure will also be supported by training and promotion. This will include continuing to deliver cycle confidence sessions for all ages and abilities, promotion of the routes and facilities available to residents and residential travel planning in major developments.

New approaches to mobility that further increase the attractiveness of alternative modes of transport and reduce reliance on the car for certain journeys will also be supported.

Barnstaple, Bideford and Northam

The Barnstaple with Bideford and Northam LCWIP identifies and prioritises active travel improvements in northern Devon. These include the Kenwith Valley route between Bideford and Westward Ho!, and high-quality links between the North Devon District Hospital, Barnstaple town centre and the railway station across the historic Longbridge.

The area also benefits from the Tarka Trail, providing a flagship traffic free multi-use trail that connects communities along the Taw and Torridge Estuaries. We will deliver the missing sections to complete the route to Ilfracombe and support improvements to increase use of the Tarka Trail.

Plymouth urban fringe

A new pedestrian and cycle bridge over the A38 at Deep Lane will provide part of an attractive route between the new town of Sherford and the Langage Industrial Estate. It will improve links to the communities of Plympton, Chaddlewood, Elburton and Plymstock, and connect to Route 2 of the National Cycle Network.

Tiverton, Cullompton and the Heart of Mid Devon

We will facilitate and help deliver a Heart of Mid Devon active travel network linking Tiverton, Willand, Cullompton, Tiverton Parkway and, where feasible, adjacent villages. A local strategic multi-use trail network will be complemented by enhancements to the walking, wheeling and cycling network in Tiverton. This would include filling gaps in the existing network, quiet lanes and improving links between the town centre and the outskirts.

Newton Abbot and Kingsteignton Garden Community

We will deliver the active travel improvements identified in the Heart of Teignbridge LCWIP. These will improve access around Newton Abbot town centre, creating higher quality connections to major development areas west and south of the town.

We will also develop and deliver proposals for the Teign Estuary Trail, prioritising the Newton Abbot to Teignmouth section. This trail offers short, medium or long-distance walking, wheeling and cycling options. These will appeal to the widest range of people of all ages and abilities and complement the existing off-road trails in the Newton Abbot area.

A strategic cycling route between Newton Abbot, Kingskerswell and Torbay will enhance the physically active travel choices for the significant number of relatively short-distance interurban movements being made between the communities.

Case study: Teign Estuary Trail

The Teign Estuary Trail will be a high quality off road multi-use trail between Newton Abbot and Teignmouth.

We opened the first section between Town Quay, Newton Abbot and Kingsteignton in March. This was followed by the section eastwards linking Newton Abbot Racecourse to the Passage House Inn in Kingsteignton in 2018. These sections provide valuable active travel connections to the town. We are working with partners on delivering the next section of the trail. This would run alongside the rail line between Kingsteignton and Teignmouth on favourable gradients, offering fantastic views of the estuary.

Once all sections are complete, the trail will provide an attractive and accessible way to travel. It will link with other existing multi-use trails including the Stover Way, the Wray Valley Trail, the proposed South Devon Cycle Way through Kingskerswell to Torbay and eventually connect to the wider Exe Estuary Trail. With rail stations along the route offering options for a range of distance trips for people walking, cycling or wheeling, our aim is for the Teign Estuary Trail to become a flagship route like the award-winning Exe Estuary Trail. It has the potential to deliver significant numbers of active travel journeys and have a positive contribution to the local economy.

Key elements of the strategy for the growth areas

Unlock development

Unlock strategic development through the delivery of:

• Expansion of high-quality strategic cycle network, including improved crossings, new routes, links to major destinations and provision on new roads.
• Improvements to the A39/A361 North Devon Link Road, local vehicle links to unlock sites and new bus and cycle routes to support a range of travel choices.
• Enhanced bus services, attractive walking, wheeling and cycling links and strategic intervention around M5 J28 to unlock development at Tiverton and Culm Garden Village.
• New access to the A38, Langage Spine Road and a new pedestrian and cycle bridge at A38 Deep Lane junction to unlock the Plymouth and South Devon Freeport.
• Completion of planned highway links in Newton Abbot and Kingsteignton Garden Community including Houghton Barton Link Road, A382 Phase 3 (Forches Cross to A38 Drumbridges), Wolborough Link Road and Jetty Marsh Phase 2.

Easier travel

• Improve the attractiveness of public transport by increasing service frequency, convenience of interchange and quality of public transport vehicles.
• Faster journey times and half hourly rail frequency from Barnstaple to Exeter.
• Explore feasibility of extending the North Devon Line to Bideford.
• New railway station at Cullompton.
• Ensure attractive bus service provision, and where feasible integrated with the rail network, to serve new development in the growth areas.
• Bus priority including use of technology / signal upgrades and removal of key pinch points to improve journey times and reliability.
• Trial of shared modes including car club vehicles in the largest urban areas.
• Improved access and stop facilities for express coach services.

Greater places for people

Contribute towards vibrant town centres through:

• Enhancing Newton Abbot town centre and enhancements to sustainable travel at junctions.
• Expanding low traffic and pedestrianised areas in Barnstaple town centre.
• Reducing dominance of vehicles and improving public realm in Cullompton, Cullompton Relief Road and Tiverton town centre enhancements.

Decarbonisation

• Support the transition to lower emission fuels through increasing the number of Electric Vehicle charging points.
• Support peer-to-peer charging.
• Provide information to reduce barriers and improve awareness of charging options.
• Support new technologies, including the and the Plymouth and South Devon Freeport.
• Work with operators to reduce carbon emission from public transport vehicles and roll out of electric buses on high pollution routes.

The place to be naturally active

• Expansion and improvement of the multi-use trail network, including completion of Tarka Trail, delivery of Teign Estuary Trail and the Newton Abbot to Torbay cycle route.
• Delivery of local area active travel enhancements identified in the Heart of Teignbridge and Barnstaple, Bideford and Northam LCWIPs.
• Provide cycle confidence sessions, promotion of active travel facilities and benefits to existing residents and as part of new development travel plans.
• Delivery of priority schemes in Mid Devon LCWIP including links between settlements.

Rural Devon and market and coastal towns

Our priorities for rural Devon and market and coastal towns are improving opportunities to travel by public transport by strengthening connections to key bus corridors and rail hubs. Recognising peoples’ reliance on their cars, infrastructure will be delivered to support a shift to zero emission vehicles. Healthy travel will also be promoted by growing the network of safe routes for people walking, wheeling, cycling and riding horses.

Rural communities and economies deliver significant benefits to Devon and the wider region. The outstanding countryside and coast play a key role in the economy, supporting thousands of jobs directly, through rural supply chains and as a driver for the tourism sector. The countryside and coast also provide vast areas for recreation, leisure and high-quality local produce. These create an attractive place for people to live, work and visit, and contribute positively to their health, wellbeing and quality of life.

Devon’s larger market and coastal towns provide facilities and services for a large urban population as well as their surrounding rural areas. These towns are also public transport hubs for many rural communities. Improving public transport services in these towns can enable new travel opportunities. We will develop ‘hub and ride’ facilities where several modes of transport come together, such as a railway station with bus connections, cycle options and EV charging. These ‘hub and ride’ sites would improve facilities for both local residents and surrounding rural areas.

Background

Over half of Devon County Council’s population of 800,000 live in rural areas. These range from people living in settlements close to large urban areas to those in more remote, sparsely populated villages and hamlets in upland or coastal areas. For some people, access to their nearest services is in another authority area.

Employment in Devon’s rural areas and market towns is varied, with small and medium enterprises in a range of sectors geographically dispersed across the county. These are often supported by a wider network of businesses, for example agriculture is linked with other sectors including animal health,
construction, distribution and energy. There are also major differences between the better connected areas to the south and east of Devon, where several market and coastal towns benefit from high quality, direct roads and strong rail/bus corridors, and the more sparsely populated areas of Torridge, South
Hams and West Devon, which are less well connected.

Devon is a popular tourist location with attractive rural and coastal areas which results in a significant seasonal influx of visitors that are vital to the local economy. This seasonal population peak creates additional pressure and reduced reliability of the road and public transport networks. Access to public transport may also vary throughout the year as some services do not run outside the tourist season.

Rural Devon

Devon’s rural areas have a strong sense of place and community supported by a rich heritage of agricultural and maritime traditions. Connectivity can be a challenge with remoteness and indirect routes meaning people experiencing long average journey times to access key services. Many journeys for
work, school or accessing healthcare are too far to walk, wheel or cycle.

In the most remote locations, particularly those on the coast and in the National Parks, there are often limited public transport options. This means physical access can be challenging and/or expensive for those who do not have a private vehicle. For those who do rely on their car, fuel costs can be high for accessing their daily needs because of the distances involved.

We recognise the variety of transport challenges faced by different rural settlements across Devon and the potential implications in terms of social isolation, particularly for those who depend more on public transport such as young, elderly and disabled people. We will follow the approach set out in Peninsula
Transport’s South West Rural Mobility strategy including exploring bundles of interventions to improve travel choices in rural areas. Innovative approaches will be piloted to better connect rural communities and increase quality of life for residents.

Market and coastal towns

The market and coastal towns of Devon are a rich heritage of historic urban centres located in stunning coastline locations or set inland surrounded by outstanding countryside, such as those within the Dartmoor and Exmoor National Parks or Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. They provide a variety of services to their rural hinterlands as well as being home to many of Devon’s residents.

Some market and coastal towns, such as Crediton and Exmouth, have high frequency public transport choices to Devon’s major centres like Exeter, Newton Abbot or Barnstaple. Others, such as Kingsbridge and Holsworthy, are more remote. These remote towns can have higher levels of self-containment, with more walking, wheeling and cycling journeys within them. However, residents have less frequent, irregular public transport access to Devon’s largest settlements and so are more reliant on their private car to access jobs, leisure opportunities, healthcare and retail facilities.

Many market and coastal towns act as centres for everyday needs and more occasional services for the surrounding rural areas, reducing the need for people to travel further afield.

For example, Kingsbridge contains employment, healthcare, education and retail amenities that make it the service centre for a range of communities across the South Hams. Some market and coastal towns with a rail station and/or regular bus services can also serve as a hub for longer distance connections
by public transport. Improving access to these hubs and improving journey times and reliability on services from these market towns can make public transport a more attractive choice for people living in surrounding rural areas.

Decarbonisation

Reaching net zero carbon is a greater challenge in rural areas because the lower-carbon alternative choices may not be practical (i.e. walking, wheeling or cycling), or provide the frequency (public transport
services) to make them a convenient or attractive option.

Improvements and the promotion of digital accessibility in rural areas will be supported. These will enable people to more easily access online services and help reduce the need to travel for some journey purposes including shopping and increasing peoples’ ability to work from home.

Many journeys from rural areas will still need to be made by private car but there are opportunities to convert some end-to-end trips to more sustainable modes by intercepting them at key public transport
interchanges. These ‘hub and ride’ sites, such as the new Okehampton Interchange, will enable people to switch to lower carbon travel options for part of their journeys and minimise the vehicle kilometres driven and associated carbon emissions. Such hubs can connect into the national rail network and increase the range of destinations that can be reached sustainably.

We will deliver Electric Vehicle (EV) charge points in settlements across Devon and promote peer-to-peer charging to support the transition to EVs and in readiness for the proposed phasing out of the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030. Initial priority will see the delivery of up to 2,000 new EV chargers using £7m of LEVI funding secured by Devon County Council.

The EV charging strategy provides more detail including a hierarchy indicating how EV charging points will be delivered in Devon through a mixture of private and public investment.

• Residential charging on drives
• Residential charging using pavement gullies
• Residential charging hub using nearby public car parks
• Destination charging using key local charging such as shops and workplaces
• On street charging with suitable pavement width or parking demand to allow build and predicated on suitable technology being possible.

While affordability for many residents can be a barrier to purchasing zero emission vehicles, increasing the availability of EV charge points will encourage this transition where possible.

The decarbonisation of public transport vehicles is more challenging in our rural areas. The mileage covered on many cross-county bus routes means that they are not suitable for current battery powered vehicles. The infrastructure needed to roll out electric buses in urban areas could provide the foundations
of a charging network that enables electric buses on some rural routes.

We will work with rail operators to develop and test proposals for low carbon railways. Devon has several rail branch lines connecting rural communities with market and coastal towns. These provide an opportunity to test emerging battery technology that could be an affordable alternative to comparatively expensive overhead electric lines solution.

We will work with organisations such as the National Parks, District Councils and major leisure destinations to encourage more people to consider alternative modes of travel for leisure. In 2022 travel for leisure accounted for 31% of all trips in England and was the most common reason for a trip by car. This figure is expected to be even higher for Devon. People are more likely to plan leisure travel in advance and so there is a greater opportunity to encourage people to travel sustainably and take advantage of the growing number of integrated public transport connections.

Greater places for people

We will work towards improving access to rural villages and local towns, including parking facilities, EV charging and cycling parking. These local centres bring communities together and provide services and
employment that reduce the need for people to travel long distances.

Town squares and similar public spaces can help support the vitality of town centres and host seasonal and community events that enrich people’s sense of place. We will focus on improving these spaces where we can also improve road safety, noise levels, air quality or access to local active travel networks.

We will work with partners to improve seafront destinations for pedestrians and cyclists.

We will also seek to enhance vehicle parking provision so that coastal destinations continue to evolve and be increasingly attractive places for residents, visitors and businesses.

Two thirds of road accidents in the county occur on rural roads. We will encourage safer travel by improving road infrastructure. This will include signage or speed limit changes and helping to reduce severance in communities that are bisected by busy roads. We will make physical changes, i.e. upgrading junction layouts or providing improved crossing facilities where there is evidence of a cluster
of collisions. This includes enhancing the A361 from Ilfracombe to Barnstaple with funding we have secured through the Safer Roads Fund.

The place to be naturally active

Devon has an extensive network of walking, wheeling and cycling routes, with over 5,000 km of public rights of way that includes footpaths, bridleways (permitting cycling) and byways. These provide connectivity between settlements and links with our outstanding natural environment. They play an important role in supporting active travel, particularly walking within National Parks and along the coasts. Our Rights of Way Improvements Plan (RoWIP) sets out the priorities for maintaining and improving these routes. An updated RoWIP will be produced in the short term and will be periodically updated to reflect funding and changes to policy and priorities.

In many rural areas there can be a lack of dedicated walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure. Without facilities such as footpaths and suitable lighting, people can feel unsafe, affecting their decision to consider active travel for short journeys.

Creating new infrastructure in rural areas can be expensive and take time whilst the numbers of people likely to benefit from such routes may be limited. This means such investment may not always represent good value for money.

Therefore, we will encourage locally proposed changes to increase the network of low traffic routes that people feel safe walking, wheeling, cycling and horse-riding on (see case study below). These changes can be trialled to test their impact before making a permanent decision and can be delivered at a relatively low cost. They will give communities greater opportunity to influence changes that could make a difference in their area.

There has been significant investment in a growing off-road multi use trail network including the Exe Estuary Trail (Dawlish to Exmouth via Exeter), the Granite Way (Okehampton to Lydford) and the Wray Valley Trail (Bovey Tracey to Moretonhampstead). We will continue to expand this network of routes
to provide attractive and accessible trails that support and promote healthy and active lives for people of all ages and abilities. The Devon Countywide LCWIP will identify the priority trails to guide future investment, design and delivery. We will also identify where new walking and cycling infrastructure can provide safer routes to schools.

Larger market and coastal towns are likely to be a focus for new development. The planning process and contributions by developers will be integral to boosting walking, wheeling and cycling facilities. We will work with local planning authorities and communities to ensure priority walking, wheeling and cycling routes and infrastructure are included in future Local Plan Infrastructure Delivery Plans

Case study: Doctors Walk and Balls Farm Road, Exeter

Devon invited communities to propose changes to support active travel through the Emergency Active Travel Fund in 2020. A local parish council proposed reducing traffic on the lane from the village of Ide, on the edge of Exeter, towards West Exe School and routes into the city. This was implemented by Devon County Council in September 2020.

The change significantly reduced traffic volumes on Doctors Walk and Balls Farm Road to create a quiet ‘green lane’. There was a 50% reduction in vehicular traffic and a 65% increase in pedestrians following the changes. After overwhelmingly positive feedback and subsequent public consultation, the changes that provided over a kilometre of attractive lane for active travel were made permanent in 2022.

Case study: Multi-use trail network

Multi-use trails are high quality shared routes for people walking, wheeling and cycling, often segregated from vehicles. In Devon and Torbay, these include routes passing through outstanding natural landscapes including rivers and estuaries, woodland, open countryside and National Park moorland.

In recent years we have expanded and improved the multi-use trail network through significant investment, including sections of the Coast to Coast National Cycle Network. Flagship routes like the Exe Estuary Trail, the Tarka Trail and the Granite Way connect several of our towns and rural communities, enabling people of all ages and abilities to be active and enjoy our outstanding natural environment. These routes encourage sustainable tourism and contribute significantly to our local economy.

We will continue to expand the multi-use trail network, connecting more of our communities. These will deliver high quality walking, wheeling and cycling routes, with equestrian access explored and consulted upon for individual routes.

Easier travel

Bus is the most used form of public transport in Devon and plays an important role in ensuring rural communities remain connected for their education, work, health, recreation and retail needs.

Bus use in rural areas is however restricted by several factors, including limited-service frequency and indirect bus routes. Bus passenger numbers dipped during the COVID-19 pandemic and although recovering, is still below pre-pandemic levels on most services. Costs to run services have also increased. The rising costs has meant the funding to support the bus network has effectively reduced in recent years. This has meant that some rural services have become financially unsustainable and commercial services across rural areas have also declined.

Improvements to rural bus services remain an aspiration for the county, with the BSIP identifying the following priorities:

• Minimum service levels to settlements of 500 people.
• New cross-county services.
• Extending operating hours.

However, additional rural services will only likely be achievable with significant additional revenue funding.

Devon is also served by a network of voluntary community transport organisations that enable isolated, disabled or elderly populations to access shops and services. This community transport is particularly important for people in rural communities who may not have suitable public transport available to them.

Where there is demand, we will continue to support existing community transport operators and Fare cars. We will also explore opportunities to empower local communities to increase provision.

Several branch rail lines, including the Riviera (between Paignton and Exmouth), North Devon and Tamar Valley Lines form part of the Devon Metro network that connect towns and rural communities to the rail network. The Exeter to Waterloo mainline also serves several smaller communities in the county.

We will continue to work with rail partners and stakeholders to enhance the Devon Metro rail network, for example seeking earlier and later trains. We will also improve facilities at key stations to provide public
transport interchange hubs for accessing the rail network. The priority will be those stations where trains cross (making it easier to coordinate buses with train times in both directions) or where a car park can be
provided to enable people travelling from a wider rural catchment to link with rail services, e.g. at Okehampton and Umberleigh.

With our partners we will deliver the new Okehampton Interchange railway station at Okehampton Business Park, close to the A30. The proposal includes a car park, improved walking, wheeling and cycling links and local bus services will also be integrated with the new rail station. This will make it easier for people living in the east of the town, and a wide rural catchment including Dartmoor, West Devon and North Cornwall to access sustainable travel options.

The reopening of the Dartmoor Line from Exeter to Okehampton has been hugely successful, with more than double the passenger numbers originally forecast. The line provides an attractive service to residents of Okehampton and surrounding rural areas and has enabled more people to explore Dartmoor. There has also been a large increase in passengers at Crediton which, when combined with the North Devon Line services, now benefits from a half hourly service to Exeter.

There remains an aspiration to further connect more communities to the rail network, including restoring rail services to Tavistock. New stations such as Monkerton, Edginswell, Cullompton and Plympton will also increase the number of people able to easily access the rail network.

Towns served by semi frequent bus services, a railway station or both, act as hubs for the surrounding area to connect to other areas in Devon and beyond. Improving the journey times and / or service frequency on these routes from market towns also makes public transport more attractive for people living in the surrounding rural areas. We will work with operators to seek opportunities to enhance these services. We will introduce secure cycle parking at bus stops on higher frequency corridors to increase options for people to connect with core bus service routes.

Recent improvements to the connections between bus services and railway stations, including at Okehampton, Totnes and Barnstaple, have made travel by public transport easier. Providing attractive, door-to-door public transport choices has unlocked new travel opportunities for residents and communities in rural areas who may not have access to a car. We will seek to retain these connections and will explore more options to provide convenient bus/rail connections that help make travel easier for residents.

Exmouth is the largest town in Devon. It benefits from the multi-use Exe Estuary Trail and a regular rail service to Exeter on the Avocet Line. However, with the beach to the south and the River Exe to the west, it has a limited hinterland. This means many Exmouth residents travel to Exeter for work or study. We will extend Dinan Way which will enable new, more direct bus routes, connecting more parts of Exmouth to the A376, and to the sustainable corridors along the river. It will also reduce through-traffic in the town centre which will improve the environment for pedestrians.

Devon has two coastlines, with multiple rivers creating tidal estuaries. This means watercourses can often form a barrier between otherwise geographically close communities. There are several privately operated estuarial and river ferry services, such as the Dartmouth to Kingswear ferry, which provide connections between these communities.

Whilst none of these services are operated by Devon County Council, they provide vital connections for communities within the county and can form part of a set of trips made without a private car.

New forms of mobility offer a range of further opportunities to make it easier for communities to connect. Car clubs can offer an effective solution for local businesses and visitors to the area, having temporary access to a car for journeys that need to be made by car. It can reduce the need for car ownership and
encourage use of alternative modes for more locally made journeys. E-bikes reduce the impact of Devon’s steep topography, not only making it easier to cycle longer distances, but also covering a much larger area.

Drawing on the approaches and principles highlighted in the Peninsula Transport South West Rural Mobility Strategy we will explore how such schemes can best be delivered in rural areas. The initial priority will be the provision of car club vehicles in larger market and coastal towns.

Case study: Totnes and Rural Community ‘Bob the Bus’

The Totnes community bus was piloted in 1997 as a shuttle service to take people up the very steep Fore Street and High Street to the top of the town. Following a successful first summer, local council funding was offered for a second summer, provided it was matched by local funding. An all-year-round service started in 2000 and a full-time coordinator was hired. The service has become known as ‘Bob the Bus’.

The Totnes and Rural Community Bus now serves nine rural areas in the region, and 38 residents drive for the service on a volunteer basis. In 2022, the community raised sufficient funds to purchase a new bus, and now ‘Bob the Bus’ is one of the most successful community bus groups in the country.

Case study: Kingsbridge to Totnes ‘bus branch line’

The 164 is an hourly bus service between Kingsbridge and Totnes. It not only provides a direct connection between the two settlements but is also timed to meet Great Western Railway London services and selected Cross Country trains at Totnes station. This provides a convenient interchange for onward journeys towards Penzance or London Paddington.

The Devon BSIP has provided funding to support the 164 service as part of a number of bus / rail interchange improvements. These have created a ‘bus branch line’ network that includes:

• Rail link 118 between Okehampton and Tavistock.
• Rail link 310 between Barnstaple, Lynton and Lynmouth.
• Rail link 301 between Barnstaple, Ilfracombe and Combe Martin.

These services improve the convenience and attractiveness of door-to-door journeys by public transport. They have boosted passenger numbers and opened up new travel opportunities.

Key elements of the strategy for rural Devon and market and coastal towns

Decarbonisation

Transition to lower emission fuels:

• Work with stakeholders to deliver improvements to EV charging infrastructure in our rural areas including at key tourism destinations.
• Promote peer-to-peer charging networks.
• Work with transport service providers to decarbonise rural transport fleets, including branch lines in the South West to be a test bed for low carbon railways.

Digital services:

• Improve digital access and online services across Devon’s rural areas, with particular focus on areas with poor mobile/broadband connections.
• Further increase the availability of online council services and work with public sector partners to increase their online service delivery.

Greater places for people

Enhance local centres:

• Enhance cycle and vehicular parking facilities in rural centres.
• Introduce 20mph speed limit in settlements where locally supported.
• Work with public sector organisations to identify and implement opportunities to deliver more community services within rural settlements.
• Work with district councils and partners to support sustainable development.

Destination Devon:

• Support enhanced pedestrian, cycling and vehicular parking facilities at seafront destinations.
• Enhance town centre environments.
• Support opportunities for temporary highway closures for local events in rural villages.
• Work with organisations to promote sustainable leisure travel.

The place to be naturally active

• Continue expansion of the multi-use trail network, creating a safe and attractive environment for pedestrians, cyclists and, where appropriate, horse riders.
• Identify local priorities for improving walking, wheeling, cycling and horse riding and trial changes to expand network of green lanes.
• Improve access to cycling through continued delivery of Cycle Confidence sessions and removal of barriers on the National Cycle Network.
• Continue to remove stiles, barriers and restrictive infrastructure on Rights of Way.
• Implement improvements set out in the Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP).
• Deliver improvements to safety in rural areas, including changes to speed limits and locally supported changes to reduce noise and/or improve active travel.

Easier travel

Developing the Devon metro:

• Deliver Okehampton Interchange railway station.
• Half hourly rail frequency on East Devon section of Exeter to Waterloo Line.
• Work collaboratively with rail industry partners to reinstate rail services from Plymouth to Tavistock via Bere Alston.

New opportunities:

• Extension of the London Waterloo to Exeter St David’s service further into Devon.
• Work with the rail, bus, and coach industry to deliver ‘hub and ride’ improvements where rural residents can access longer-distance transport services.
• Expand and improve rail, bus service and cycle integration at key hubs.
• Deliver the Dinan Way extension in Exmouth to improve connectivity for all modes.

Collaborative working:

• Continue to work with organisations to support and broaden the community transport services they provide.
• Work with communities to support them to deliver community-led access and transport solutions tailored to their specific needs.

Shared modes:

• Support mobility hubs and integrating sustainable travel choices at larger market and coastal towns.
• Work with the car club industry and communities to identify and deliver sustainable modes of provision in rural areas feeding into a shared modes strategy.
• Work with district councils and partners to ensure new rural developments embed decarbonised, active, public transport and shared transport into new developments.

Asset management and road safety

A reliable and resilient network is vital to the economy and people’s quality of life, enabling access to employment, education, healthcare and social activities. The management of the network is central to making travel safe, convenient and reliable but must be balanced against challenging funding constraints.

Alongside the Combined County Authority, Devon and Torbay councils remain the respective highway authorities for each area.

Devon and Torbay will continue to prioritise the maintenance of A and B roads and reduce carbon emissions from the maintenance and use of the transport network. The councils will continue to improve road safety, with an aim of halving the number of people killed and seriously injured on the highway by 2030 (based on 2016-2018 levels). This includes reducing speed limits on some routes to reduce collisions, which will in turn improve resilience and journey time reliability.

Highway maintenance

Collectively Devon and Torbay maintain around 13,000km of highway, 5,000km of public rights of way and an extensive off-road trail network including the South West Coast Path and England Coast Path. There are also a range of other highway assets that are maintained by the councils.

A reliable and resilient network is important to support the economy, provide safe and efficient travel and make Devon and Torbay fairer and better places for people. The authorities have statutory network management duties under the Traffic Management Act and although the network is an asset, it is expensive to maintain. In recent years there has been insufficient funding to meet all its maintenance needs and, as a result, a growing maintenance backlog.

Resources have been focused on maintaining highway safety across the network and keeping the most strategic A and B routes and busiest active travel corridors in good condition. A and B classified roads
typically have the highest vehicle flows and are the routes most used by both commercial and public transport vehicles. The efficient operation and standard of these routes play an important part in keeping the network moving and supporting the economy.

Priorities for maintenance, which will be periodically updated through our Highways Infrastructure and Transport Asset Management Plans, include:

• Maintenance of A and B roads.
• Maintenance of other important urban roads, particularly in Exeter and Torbay.
• Maintenance of active travel routes and safety of vulnerable road users.
• Using preventative treatments on other roads that are still in a condition to benefit from it.

Network management

The highway network includes a range of equipment that plays an important role in personal and vehicle safety and encouraging sustainable travel. This includes traffic signals, lighting and facilities for public transport. The councils will:

• Continue to update the streetlighting network to improve efficiency and reduce emissions.
• Use experience from the trial of street light dimming to develop new policies.
• Improve the safety and attractiveness of active travel routes and facilities.
• Upgrade and renew older traffic signals.
• Review traffic signal timings to make them more responsive to changing travel patterns, active travel demand and improve traffic flow.

Innovation is also central to improving how the highway network is managed and operated within our funding constraints. The councils will:

• Investigate new approaches using technology to better monitor the network.
• Continue to coordinate third-party and statutory undertaker activity.
• Better align network enhancements with maintenance work to reduce disruption.
• Use the Network Operations Control Centre to explore opportunities to improve proactive management of the network, communicate with and improve experiences for users.
• Explore changes to speed limits to improve safety and reduce emissions.
• Understand the impact of different materials and methods through the Materials Laboratory.

Examples of improved alignment include delivering bus service improvement measures that also improve traffic management or active travel facilities as part of upgrade of traffic signals.

The councils will also evolve and improve how projects and new streets are designed to reflect best practice.

This includes considering Healthy Streets principles, Active Travel England design tools in projects, and updating residential design guidance. This will help in ensuring that new estate roads include facilities within developments and connections to existing routes that are safe and suitable for all users.

How any surplus from on-street parking revenue will be used will need reviewing to reflect the objectives of our new LTP. As per Section 55 of the Traffic Regulations Act, any surplus from on-street parking must be ringfenced and can be used for subsidising bus services, maintaining public transport facilities and road safety initiatives.

Active travel

There is a growing network of walking, wheeling and cycling routes where usage continues to increase, boosting the health and wellbeing of both residents and visitors. For example, usage of the Exe Estuary Trail has more than doubled since 2011. We also have a number of LCWIPs that set out our aspirations to increase facilities for people walking, wheeling and cycling.

A bigger network with more use does, however, mean there is more to maintain. Devon has increased the funding dedicated to renewing and maintaining trails and has begun winter treatment of the most used cycle routes in Exeter.

Changes have also been made to some of the highway network to provide quieter lanes that enable active travel by connecting edge of Exeter villages and communities into the city’s cycle network. This includes Balls Farm Road near Ide, Langaton Lane on the eastern edge of Exeter and Rydon Lane linking Woodbury into the Exe Estuary Trail. We will continue to explore and trial options to do this where it aligns with this plan’s objectives and is supported by local communities.

Every trip by cycle begins and ends with a parked cycle, and we deliver a range of secure cycle parking spaces across our area to support those who wish to travel by bike.

Case study: Exeter cycleway and footpath winter treatment trial

Since 2021, Devon County Council has been trialling winter treatment to ‘de-ice’ over 22 km of cycleways and footpaths around Exeter. Routes with more than 1,000 daily cycle trips, along with linking paths to onward routes, are treated to prevent ice forming when temperatures drop.

The trial has made Exeter’s walking, wheeling and cycle network safer and more attractive in winter, supporting healthy lifestyles all year round.

Environmental impacts

The Devon Carbon Plan (which covers Devon, Plymouth and Torbay) has targets to:

• Reduce emissions to net zero by 2050 at the latest.
• Achieve a 50% reduction by 2030 (compared to 2010 levels).

To help achieve this, the councils have developed a range of new approaches to reduce the carbon footprint of highway maintenance, streetlighting and construction.

The initial priority has been to understand and benchmark what carbon is used in maintenance operations. Working with partners, we are developing a carbon accounting and reporting system and a
highways service decarbonisation strategy. This has enabled us to target the most carbon intensive operations. Supply chains for highway maintenance are one of the biggest emitters of carbon and we will produce a Low Carbon Procurement Strategy to help reduce emissions.

We will develop a Carbon Design Toolkit that will enable the carbon profile of different options to be considered in the development of new schemes, so that carbon becomes at least as important as cost and quality. Learning from the A382 Live Labs 2 project, where opportunities to reduce carbon in design and construction have been implemented, will also improve future approaches.

Where viable, we will look to enhance biodiversity in accordance with the Devon Nature Recovery Strategy through improved landscape maintenance along roads, railways, and paths. This could include planting on highway verges or roundabouts and, where appropriate, trees to improve street scene and support biodiversity net gain.

The transition to electric vehicles will also play a part in reducing emissions. Devon and Torbay have EV Charging Strategies that outline how access to charging will be increased by supporting the development of a comprehensive charging network that meets the demands of residents, businesses and visitors in rural and urban areas. The strategies recognise that the types of solution will vary across the different areas across Devon and Torbay.

Torbay (£7m) and Devon (£5.3m) have also been successful in securing funding to support the provision of zero emission buses in Torbay (also serving routes to Newton Abbot and Totnes), Exeter, Cranbrook, North Devon and Torridge. The funding complements a larger investment in electric buses by the bus operator, Stagecoach. It will not only help reduce emissions, noise and improve air quality, but also improve the image and attractiveness of bus travel.

Road safety

The number of people injured on roads in Devon and Torbay has decreased by approximately a third in the last decade, primarily driven by a reduction in slight (minor) injury collisions. However, the number of people killed or seriously injured has remained largely unchanged over this period.

Vision Zero South West is a collaboration between transport authorities, health and emergency service organisations. It aims to cut road deaths and serious injuries by 50% by 2030 (from 2016-2018 numbers) and to zero by 2040. In addition to enhanced enforcement activity carried out by the Police, the focus of
the partnership is to:

• Encourage behaviour change to reduce risk on our roads (particularly for young drivers, older drivers, business drivers and motorcyclists).
• Improve safety for vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders.

The councils will work with Vision Zero South West to educate and promote safe driving behaviour and support road safety initiatives within schools and the wider community.

In line with the Vision Zero South West ambition, there will be continued investment in improvements to ensure that every route and every mode is available to everybody, free from the risk of fear or harm. We will also target improving safety in locations where multiple collisions have occurred and those areas with
the highest concentration of vulnerable road users. For example, we will deliver a package of speed enforcement measures alongside improvements to pedestrian and cycle crossings and facilities on the A361 (Barnstaple to Ilfracombe) using the Government’s Safer Roads Fund.

Bolder measures will be needed to help bring down the risk of serious injury. We will explore reducing speed limits on some routes, particularly those with the highest levels of traffic and/or worst collision performance. We will increase the number of areas with 20mph speed limits, particularly around schools and in villages and town centres where justified and locally supported. We recognise that how safe people feel can also be a barrier to travel. We will explore what new approaches would help to provide more information and how we can consider this information in the design and prioritisation of projects and maintenance.

Case study: Department for Transport’s Safer Roads Fund on the A3123

Over £4 million was secured from the Department for Transport’s Safer Roads Fund to improve safety on rural A roads, including the A3121 in the South Hams and the A3123 in North Devon.

The improvements to the A3123 included upgrading the Lynton Cross crossroads junction (left) to a roundabout (right). The reduction in speeds and improved safety for turning has reduced collisions and these sites no longer meet cluster site criteria in the latest collision data.

Key elements of the strategy for Asset Management and Road Safety

Reliability and resilience

• Continue to prioritise maintenance of A and B classified routes.
• Continue bridge assessment and strengthening program, prioritising A and B roads.
• Upgrade and enhance traffic signals.
• Delivery of casualty severance reduction program to tackle collision hotspots.
• Speed limit review and consider reduced speed limits on busiest A roads.
• Support development of single parking ticketing system.
• Review spending and priorities for the on-street Parking Account.

Greater places for people

• 20mph speed limit in settlements where locally supported, particularly around schools.
• Implement ‘School Streets’ where appropriate to continue to develop safer walking, wheeling and cycling options for school children.
• Use of Healthy Streets principles and Active Travel England tools in scheme design.
• Update residential design guides.
• Complement new infrastructure with engagement and behaviour change measures.
• Continued collaborative working with partners through Vision Zero South West.

The place to be naturally active

• Increase funding for maintenance of active travel routes.
• Winter treatment of the most used active travel routes.

Decarbonisation

• Develop a Low Carbon Procurement Strategy.
• Develop a Carbon Design Toolkit to help elevate the importance of carbon alongside cost and quality during scheme development.
• Continuing update of streetlighting network.
• Support roll-out of comprehensive Electric Vehicle Charging Network.
• Support the transition to zero emission buses.

Connecting Devon and Torbay action plan