FAQ's

Devon County Council is exploring changes to Dryden Road, Bovemoors Lane and the surrounding area to create safer, more attractive routes for walking and cycling, while also addressing concerns about local traffic levels.

The project aims to balance local traffic needs with the creation of safe, attractive walking and cycling routes. It also supports the E9 strategic cycle corridor, which connects key destinations across Exeter, including the city centre, County Hall, the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, Pynes Hil and Sowton.

The proposals aim to:

• Improve safety and accessibility for people walking and cycling.
• Respond to local concerns about traffic impacts.
• Strengthen the wider active travel network, helping people choose healthier, more sustainable travel options.
  

Yes. The consultation seeks views on four potential new pedestrian crossing points, including options for zebra crossings or pedestrian islands on Haldon View Terrace and Bovemoors Lane.

Local feedback has highlighted the need for safer, more convenient crossing points. The proposed locations aim to improve access to facilities, bus stops and walking routes.

Under Option 1, existing parking on Dryden Road would need to be removed to allow two-way bus movement and space for the bus gate.

Options 2 and 3 do not explicitly propose parking removal, but changes to kerb lines or footway widths may influence parking arrangements in later design stages.

All three options aim to improve cycling safety and comfort.

• Option 1 maintains the current low-traffic environment for cycling.
• Option 2 introduces a dedicated contraflow cycle lane.
• Option 3 provides two-way cycle lanes.
  

Emergency services will continue to have access under all options. In Option 1, the bus gate would explicitly allow emergency vehicles to pass through.

Option 1 is specifically designed to support reliable bus movement by introducing a bus gate and space for buses to wait safely when traffic is approaching.

Options 2 and 3 maintain general traffic access but may require further assessment of bus operations during detailed design.

No. All three road layout options and the four pedestrian crossing locations are early-stage concepts. They are intended to gather feedback before any detailed design work takes place.

During the COVID‑19 pandemic, national funding supported temporary measures to encourage active travel. One of these was restricting motor vehicle access on Dryden Road between Well Oak Park and Kipling Drive to improve safety for people cycling on the E9 route.

Devon County Council previously introduced a temporary restriction on motor vehicles along Dryden Road during the COVID-19 pandemic to support safer walking and cycling. In 2022, following consultation, this closure was made permanent. After implementation, however, concerns were raised about increased traffic on nearby roads. As a result, the Exeter Highways and Traffic Orders Committee (HATOC) has agreed to undertake a new consultation to review the impacts and explore alternative options.

Local councillors on the Exeter Highways and Traffic Orders Committee (HATOC) requested a new review in October 2025 after concerns were raised about how traffic had changed following earlier road closures

We are publishing information online, holding in person events and making materials available in a range of formats on request. We will provide sufficient information in a range of accessible formats to allow consultees to make an informed response to the consultation. We are hosting all information online and are running two in-person drop-in information sessions, one during the daytime and one in the early evening.

Posters and communication material will include a phone number that people can ring to get help or more information if they don’t have online access.

A stakeholder mapping exercise was completed in advance of the consultation period to identify the key audiences that will be directly contacted about this consultation. Postcards will be dropped to around 1,667 residential and business addresses encompassing a 200m ‘buffer’ along the corridors and around the crossings. We are asking all stakeholders to share social media posts highlighting the consultation and will be putting posters up in community areas and on buses to promote the consultation as widely as possible.

The Council will review all feedback, assess traffic and safety impacts, and develop recommendations for HATOC to consider at a future meeting.