Proposals to solve town centre congestion in Okehampton have been revealed as part of £95-million being spent on transport infrastructure improvements in Devon over the next two years

Cabinet members approved funding of £490,000 to improve traffic flow in Okehampton town centre, possibly by removing traffic signals at key junctions.

Cabinet members gave the nod to the plans as part of £95.192-million of investment on transport infrastructure in the coming years — £47.4-million in 2020/21 and £47.6-million in 2021/22 — with just over half of that to be spent on the North Devon Link Road improvement scheme. Of this total, £90.9-million comes from external sources including grants and developer contributions.

The proposals were approved at a meeting at County Hall, Exeter last Wednesday (April 8) – albeit with some members of the cabinet expressing concerns that the coronavirus crisis was not the time for ambitious plans.

Cllr Andrea Davis, cabinet member for infrastructure, though, said: ‘It is important we look to the future and develop programmes that can be progressed when we return to normality and to help the economy of Devon recover.’

In Okehampton, it is proposed to remove the traffic lights at the junctions of Fore Street with Market Street and George Street, East Street with Mill Road and Exeter Road with Barton Road.

Okehampton has long been plagued by traffic problems at peak times, particularly at school finishing time mid-afternoon.  It is believed that traffic will flow better if the lights are removed and drivers instead give way to traffic themselves. However, this leaves a question mark over how to allow pedestrians to cross safety, where pedestrian crossings are currently incorporated within junctions.

Okehampton county councillor Kevin Ball said a full public consultation would take place as soon as the coronavirus crisis had passed.

‘This proposal is something that we have been working on with Devon County Council highways for some time,’ he said. 'We have liaised with both Okehampton Town Council and Okehampton Hamlets Parish Council and will be having a full public consultation as soon as possible when I look forward to the community’s input.’

One man who regularly uses the Mill Road junction to attend Saturday matches at the town’s football pitch said: ‘That junction would definitely be better without traffic lights controlling the traffic.’

The county council is also spending £130,000 to ‘accelerate’ the Bere Alston to Tavistock rail-line reinstatement, with this money hopefully to come from the Department for Transport.

At the same cabinet meeting, the county council also approved more long-term transport plans until 2030. These include the link road between Exeter Road and Crediton Road through the Meldon Fields estate at a cost of £3-million, largely funded by developer contributions.