After years of campaigning by Andy Swain, with support from locals, Ide Parish Council, West Exe School and Alan Connett County Councillor, Devon highways have shifted their position and agreed to a trial closure to protect Balls farm Road.
The closure will be on doctors walk, rather than Balls Farm Road as previously suggested. This will give less protection to Ball farm Road Than closure at the twisted oak, but has the advantage it will stop the separate problem of fast traffic up little Johns cross hill, and also I hope, will be less disruption to the residents. It could halve the traffic on Balls farm Road which will be a huge improvement. We will do surveys to establish if it does.
It will still be illegal to shortcut down Little Johns Cross Hill and up Balls Farm Road, as it always has been. Devon County Council will be monitoring the closure, and I hope residents of the roads and surrounding areas will enjoy the benefit of finally stopping the rat running traffic and having a safe protecting walking and cycling route into exeter from Ide.
Exeter in turn benefits from a significant extension of it’s good quality cycle network into a village outside the A30 barrier.