Devon County Council (DCC) has opened a consultation as part of its Exeter Bus Service Improvement Plans.
The initiative is funded by central government to enhance bus services across the county, with the goal of reducing bus journey times by up to four minutes in some areas. The proposed changes affect four key locations in Exeter: Fore Street in Heavitree, Heavitree Road, Pinhoe Road, and Honiton Road.
For Fore Street, which hosts numerous local businesses, the new plan would extend the operational hours of the bus lane from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday, with no waiting or loading allowed during these times. Heavitree Road would follow the same schedule. Currently, loading restrictions on Fore Street only apply Monday to Friday between 8am to 9:30am and 4pm to 6:30pm. According to the council, the extended hours will allow buses to bypass congested traffic during the day, addressing frequent delays.
The proposal also includes a reduction in parking on North Street to widen traffic lanes, improving capacity and bus flow at the junction with Fore Street. On Pinhoe Road, restrictions on waiting and loading would extend from 7am to 10am, Monday to Saturday, as opposed to the current Monday to Friday, 8am to 9:15am schedule. Honiton Road would see similar changes, with restrictions extended to include Saturdays.
The Exeter Bus Service Improvement Plan focuses on enhancing key corridors, including the Central Bus Corridor—stretching between Paris Street Roundabout and Middlemoor Roundabout, primarily along Honiton and Heavitree Roads—which accommodates up to 30 buses per hour in each direction, Monday to Saturday. Another major route, the Eastern Bus Corridor, running between Sidwell Street and Pinhoe Sainsbury's, supports up to nine buses per hour. According to DCC, these corridors serve over 800,000 passengers annually.
The consultation runs until the 10th October.
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