The rat run's back

Highweek village one-way system scrapped

So many people have ignored a new one way system introduced to stop a South Devon village being used as a rat run that it is being scrapped.

Twelve months ago, Pitt Hill Road at Highweek near Newton Abbot was made one way. But that didn't stop rat-runners, so the council's conceded defeat. Worse, other roads have suffered more traffic, presumably from motorist who do obey the signs.

Councillor Jackie Hook says: “It often taken 15 minutes of sitting in that queue before you get to Newton Abbot but going through Highweek takes 10 minutes at the most, so if it is quicker to go through Highweek Village and Coombeshead Road, then people are doing it, irrespective of the one way system as it is a darn sight quicker to go through Hhighweek and the traffic counts have proved it. This hasn’t solved the issue of traffic going through Highweek.”

Packing in the one-way experiment hasn't got universal approval. Councillor Mike Hocking, ward councillor on Teignbridge for the village says that the one way system was put in to discourage people to use it as an easy and convenient route from the A382. He says: “By shutting it, we have increased traffic going through Highweek Village, but the idea was that it is so narrow in places, people find it much harder to negotiate and because it was harder, it discourages them from using it as a run. That was why we did it and in that respect, it has worked. To open Pit Hill road again will only encourage more commuters to use it as their route through the village is now much easier.”

The long-term solution to solve traffic issues in Highweek is for a new link road between the A382 and A383 to be provided as an alternative route for traffic between new housing as part of the Houghton Barton development. Work on that scheme is not expected to begin until 2020.