Green campaigners say congestion plans don't go far enough

GREEN campaigners have hit out at plans by the council to relieve congestion in Exeter.

They claim the council's plans, which were revealed exclusively in yesterday's Echo, are just tinkering around the edges and will actually put more traffic on the roads.

But the plans, which, if approved, will include a new park and ride at Alphington Spur, have been given a cautious welcome by the Campaign for Better Transport in Devon.

Devon County Council's plans, which are going out to public consultation, also include bus lanes along part of the Alphington corridor and along Bridge Road to the Countess Wear roundabout.

They also include two lanes outbound from Marsh Barton Road to just south of Church Road in Alphington, two outbound lanes from the Acorn roundabout to Exe Bridges and two lanes outbound from School Lane's junction with Topsham Road to the Countess Wear roundabout and to the Matford roundabout.

Maurice Spurway, spokesman for Exeter Friends of the Earth, told the Echo: "These plans will make the situation worse.

"Accommodating traffic by making roads wider is encouraging more traffic and will not solve the real problem which is climate change.

"This is tinkering around the edges and what is needed is a radical approach. We need to reduce traffic by at least 50 per cent and shift quite a lot of people out of cars into public transport, cycling and walking.

"Two years ago, ExTRA which stands for Exeter Traffic Reduction Action, submitted plans to the county council but it felt at the time that the plans were too radical.

"One of the main issues was to introduce workplace parking charges and then to use that money for sustainable transport solutions."

Martyn Goss, spokes- man for the Campaign for Better Transport in Devon, said: "The city needs a good public transport corridor which led to the bus lane being put in Pinhoe Road but it needs to be comprehensive rather than piecemeal. We are moving towards segregation of vehicles. There is no point if you have a bus lane of 300 metres in one place if it just gets snagged up further along.

"It needs to be part of an overall system. We are giving the additional bus lanes a cautious welcome and we do need another park and ride.

"Ironically, we have a report from 1976 about travel in Exeter which was using these same proposals so in that time we have not moved very far."

A Devon County Council spokesman said: "Plans and explanations of the proposals will be displayed at exhibitions, and staff will be on hand for discussions.

"This will enable people to see the complete set of proposals so that they can consider them and let us have their views. Input will be welcomed as part of the process of refining the scheme."