Exeter's Queen Street made one-way

Measures claimed to be temporary

The road layout of Exeter's Queen Street has changed, in a move Devon County Council describes as temporary,

The council says it's part of measures to encourage safe walking and cycling during the pandemic as part of the government’s Active Travel Fund.

Queen Street is now one-way (eastbound) between Paul Street and Northernhay Street where it has been narrowed to a single lane of traffic.

The new layout creates more space for pedestrians on the narrowest section, enabling social distancing on one of the highest areas of footfall in the city. Iron Bridge has also been made one-way westbound from Paul Street to South of Dinham Road.

Temporary signals have been installed in Northernhay Street and the junction of Queen Street / Paul Street to enable two-way access for buses, taxis and cyclists. Although now one-way for motorists, cyclists can go in both directions on Iron Bridge.

Service vehicles can still access Upper Paul Street and Queen Street South, but vehicle access from Paul Street is no longer allowed.

The temporary scheme was initially planned for January, but was deferred following the announcement of the current national lockdown. Although schools are not expected to return until next month, the new layout has been introduced while traffic levels are lower to give people chance to get used to the changes before students return to Exeter College and travel demand increases.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council cabinet member for highway management, said: “Social distancing is likely to continue even when lockdown restrictions start to ease, so the extra space will be needed for pedestrians on Queen Street, particularly when students return to the college. We recognise that the proposed changes to the road layout may cause some inconvenience to traffic, but it's vital that we prevent pedestrians from overcrowding in Queen Street as health and safety is paramount.”

A public consultation was held in November on a number of road layout proposals after concerns were raised over the lack of space for the amount of people walking in Queen Street.

A decision to proceed with the scheme was made by the Exeter Highways and Traffic Order Committee, within which included a review of the temporary measures at its July meeting.