A Teignbridge councillor has said traffic lights at Jury's Corner, Kingskerswell, could be switched off for six months to see if traffic flow is improved, writes Nigel Canham. Cllr Gordon Hook made the suggestion on Tuesday when Devon County Council's executive met to discuss revised plans for the £108 million bypass. As expected, a controversial bus lane scheme for Addison Road and Pinewood Road that had been part of the bypass scheme has been scrapped. The revised and cheaper plans – £11 million has been saved thanks to the alterations and revised rules on including VAT in estimates – will now be the subject of a 'major scheme bid' by the council to promote the road to the government. A decision on central funding is expected in the autumn. Cllr Hook welcomed the removal of the bus lane scheme, but said he had questions about other aspects of bypass. The traffic lights at Jury's Corner were an issue 'regularly raised on the doorstep', and something with which he had 'some sympathy'. He described the system as being 'not as cute as it might be' and said a six-month moratorium might prove 'useful'. He also asked if technically-advanced control systems for the lights could improve the situation. Council officer Ian Harrison said the current set-up was the responsibility of the Highways and Transport Order Committee. 'It's because of a change HATOC decided it wanted a couple of years ago,' he said. More advanced lights were 'unlikely' to be of help, he said, but agreed to discuss the matter further. Cllr Hook also raised the subject of blight notices which had been served on properties close to the proposed bypass. He said he hoped for an 'early and clear conclusion' to the issue, which could be achieved by the council announcing what land it would need for the project. Mr Harrison said the county council was still processing the notices. A public exhibition of the revised bypass plan will take place on Saturday, June 17, in St Luke's Church Hall, Newton Abbot. It will be open between 10.30am and 5pm.
