A green party Councillor is calling for clear and accurate information to be presented to Councillors and the public on the impacts of ending the Active Street Trial (AST) in Heavitree and raised concerns that the Council is misrepresenting results of the ongoing monitoring of traffic, walking and cycling.
The call comes in the wake of a “grossly misleading” summary of data presented in a Devon County Council report [1] to be discussed at a Highways and Traffic Orders Committee (HATOC) meeting on 4th February. The report states: “The data shows a slight increase in vehicular traffic within the area, but also a slight increase in walking and cycling numbers.”
Green councillor Lynn Wetenhall, who is a member of HATOC, said:
“This summary is wholly inadequate as a means of informing Councillors and the public on what the available evidence means. It is a misleading reading of the data. For example, the traffic on Ladysmith Road has increased by 417% since the AST trial – this cannot be described as a ‘slight increase’. [1]
“HATOC members need a technical report, based on the data, which contains a clear summary of the various trends, and what it tells us about changes before, during and after the trial. The information needs to be set out in a way that Councillors and the public can readily understand. We need a robust analysis to clearly determine what impact the AST had on traffic and active travel, comparing before, during and after the trial.
Jack Eade, Green Party candidate for Heavitree and Whipton Barton in the forthcoming County Council elections, added:
“Having spoken to hundreds of residents in Heavitree it is clear what people in the area want most from the County Council is improved transparency and public engagement. Once again, there is a danger that public money will be wasted collecting data that isn’t then presented transparently, properly scrutinised or used to support future actions on creating safer streets for all.”
[1] https://democracy.devon.gov.uk/documents/g5051/Public%20reports%20pack%2004th-Feb-2025%2010.30%20Exeter%20Highways%20and%20Traffic%20Orders%20Committee.pdf?T=10
[2] Monitoring data on traffic, walking and cycling before, during and after the Heavitree AST https://devoncc.sharepoint.com/:x:/s/PublicDocs/Corporate/EYaRLt3nZPVFrUHzAu0emrYBB5HPu2hNl0j1pClaM5zxKg?rtime=CqyE_6tD3Ug