Cycle lanes scrapped from Exeter's Queen Street redesign

Plans to redesign Queen Street in Exeter have been changed due to cost concerns.

Devon County Council agreed that plans for cycle lanes would be removed from the project due to "significant increases" in the cost of materials.

It comes after councillors last year agreed to spend £250,000 on building a layout that would encourage more cycling and walking.

But councillors said the project needed to be revised to remain in budget.

As part of the changes, the dedicated cycle lanes planned for the part of Queen Street nearest to the city centre will be scrapped, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

A widened new footpath opposite the Royal Albert Memorial Museum will also now only be 11ft (3.4m) - about 20in (0.5m) less than previously planned.

This is to allow the road to revert to having two lanes again, but private motor vehicles will still be unable to go west towards the clock tower.

The county council said having two lanes using the existing signalised junction of Paul Street and Queen Street, instead of the shuttle signal arrangement in place for the temporary scheme, would reduce the time west-bound buses, taxis and cycles would have to wait for a green light.

Iron Bridge will remain one-way eastbound, except for cycles, under the revised plan, while cycles will be the only vehicles allowed to enter Queen Street from Paul Street and Upper Paul Street.

Widening sections of footway along Queen Street was first introduced as a temporary measure in 2021 to create more space for pedestrians and aid social distancing.

But a four-week consultation on whether to keep them in place took place in 2022.

Of the 600 public responses received, they were broadly spilt 50-50, although improving the area for pedestrians was largely welcomed and the majority of local organisations were in favour, including Exeter College.

The council has previously said traffic levels have gone up by 25% on Queen Street and 35% on the Iron Bridge since the changes were introduced.

The number of people cycling on Queen Street and Iron Bridge has also gone up.

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