Reopening road to cars poses ‘legal risk’

Letting cars back into an Exeter street which has been a haven for cyclists since the Covid pandemic could leave Devon County Council liable to legal action, it has been claimed.

A public consultation is under way into the future of Dryden Road, which has been closed to vehicles for more than five years.

A community campaign is under way in favour of ‘Option Three’ as set out by the Exeter highways and traffic orders committee (HATOC), which has launched the consultation.

Option Three would allow cars back into the road, with cyclists in a designated lane marked off by a painted line. People in favour of that option say closing Dryden Road has simply moved the congestion and pollution to other nearby roads including Bovemoors Lane, as well as creating a ‘rat run’ through the nearby hospital grounds.

But the Exeter Cycling Campaign says cyclists won’t be safe if Option Three is adopted, and now the Exeter Wheelers Cycling Club has also weighed in.

The club says it favours keeping the Dryden Road layout exactly as it is now, with cars banned.

In a social media post it sets out its formal response, stressing that keeping the current scheme is a valid option. It says Option Three would pose a risk to slower-moving cyclists climbing the hill and increase turning ‘conflicts’ at Barrack Road.

“We support infrastructure that reduces conflict between motor vehicles and cyclists,” it says.

“Option Three represents a regression from current conditions. It risks reducing the route’s suitability to experienced cyclists only.

“Option Three fundamentally undermines the principle of the adopted Exeter Transport Strategy, dismantling Exeter’s developing cycling network.”

The statement also warns that adopting Option three might be an ‘unsafe legal decision’, citing a recent case involving Tower Hamlets in London where the Court of Appeal ruled that the local council acted unlawfully in its decision to remove Low Traffic Neighbourhood schemes in Bethnal Green. 

The council was found to have breached its duty to implement the Mayor of London’s transport strategy.