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2 weeks ago | 
exeterobserver.org | Exeter Observer |Martin Redfern |Peter Cleasby
COMMENTCombined county authority throws public accountability overboard as future regional strategic governance body ratifies constitution at inaugural meeting but fails to explain why so many staff needed to deliver so little at such colossal cost. Martin Redfern with Peter CleasbyDemocracy doesn't work when people don't know who is deciding what on whose behalf and what the costs and consequences of those decisions will be.
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Nov 13, 2024 | 
exeterobserver.org | Exeter Observer |Peter Cleasby
COMMENTDraft 2025-40 Devon & Torbay Local Transport Plan lacks serious measures to address congestion and enable shift to public transport as local government reorganisation threatens derailment. Peter CleasbyEvery local transport authority in England is required by law both to “develop policies for the promotion and encouragement of safe, integrated, efficient and economic transport” and to implement those policies.
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Jul 31, 2024 | 
exeterobserver.org | Peter Cleasby
Exeter city centre is host to myriad traffic restrictions, many of which exist as a consequence of the closure of the High Street to almost all vehicles apart from local buses. These restrictions – some of which date from the 1960s – are implemented through Traffic Regulation Orders made by Devon County Council in its role as local highways authority.
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May 29, 2024 | 
exeterobserver.org | Peter Cleasby
Invest in local news that mattersHelp us grow so we can deliver all the independent journalism Exeter needs. £3,000 invested£25,000 target 12% raisedThree weeks left 4 investors50% tax relief — claim back half your investment and keep all your sharesTwo-thirds of Access for All money to go to Conservative seats as low-key Department for Transport announcement finds its way into constituency-level news stories and political PR across the country.
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Mar 20, 2024 | 
exeterobserver.org | Peter Cleasby
National railway accessibility policies fail to deliver local transport network access as Exeter St Thomas station improvement funding bid decision awaited. Public transportPeter CleasbyThere is no shortage of legislation, licensing requirements, contractual obligations, policies and support schemes incentivising those who run Britain’s railways to enable people with mobility impairments to travel freely across the network.
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Feb 29, 2024 | 
exeterobserver.org | Peter Cleasby
Exeter-based Stagecoach Devon Ltd, which trades as Stagecoach South West, has posted a six-fold increase in operating losses for the year ending April 2023. Its financial results, published this month, show a £6.83 million pre-tax loss on operations compared with a loss of £966,000 during the previous year. The company is part of Stagecoach Group Limited, which operates bus services through a network of area-branded service divisions and subsidiary companies.
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Jan 11, 2024 | 
exeterobserver.org | Peter Cleasby
Five years ago next month Exeter City Council’s then-chief executive Karime Hassan unveiled his “Vision for a Transformational Housing Delivery Programme”, which was to build 11,000 new homes in the city over the following twenty years. “Liveable Exeter”, as the development scheme was called, was to create a “compact global city of linked neighbourhoods” on eight mostly brownfield sites, the largest of which would see 5,500 homes replacing most of Marsh Barton industrial estate.
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Jan 8, 2024 | 
devonlive.com | Peter Cleasby
Stagecoach’s aim is to keep communities connected, safely and reliably, offering a value-for-money comfortable service. However, this comes with its own challenges. Significant timetable changes in April and September 2022 were necessary “hard resets” to adapt to evolving demands while keeping the business running seamlessly.
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Nov 29, 2023 | 
exeterobserver.org | Peter Cleasby
A major nationwide study of bus services provision has found that Exeter bus services have been cut by nearly 42% since 2010 while services in neighbouring East Devon have increased. The University of Leeds Institute for Transport Studies and Friends of the Earth collaborated on an an analysis of all local and national bus timetable data to understand services provision changes over a fifteen year period.
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Jul 14, 2023 | 
exeterobserver.org | Peter Cleasby
You don’t have to wait long at a High Street bus stop before someone will pass comment on the state of Exeter’s bus services, with Stagecoach South West, the area’s principal bus operator, cast as chief villain. The reality is more complex. The key factors influencing the quality of service we experience on our streets are well beyond the reach of Stagecoach, or any other bus operator.
