Exeter road changes will increase travel times

VIDEO: Drivers unhappy at pro-cycling changes

What's being described as a pilot scheme to prevent vehicles driving on some roads in Exeter is likely to increase travel times for some residents.

One unhappy Whipton homeowner says her regular visits to care for her mother will raise her weekly mileage by 50 per cent.

Exeter councillor Martin Pearce (Labour) has apologised to anyone who feels they haven't been consulted about the changes. A small number of public meetings will be held in the coming days to allay fears and explain the changes, but he is keen to emphasise the plan is just a pilot, which can be changed if it isn't working.

Some people may treat that with a pinch of salt. Temporary one-way routes in Exeter city centre became permanent, even though opinion was roughly evenly split about their impact.

Like most local authorities, Devon has net-zero targets to meet. Exeter has also intimated it would like to become a '15-minute city' in which most everyday activities can be reached by cycling or walking in a quarter of an hour.

Resident Lucy Haigh says of the new scheme, which will divert much traffic into streets around her said: "I think it's devastating...This will affect our community on the most polluted and congested road in Exeter."

This video report is from BBC Spotlight.