If you are writing to the DfT, please note that their address has changed

The new address is

Department for Transport

Great Minster House

33 Horseferry Road

London

SW1P 4DR

The Picture Postcard Perfect campaign total now stands at a massive

5,061 cards

People from all around Devon and beyond have been signing up to reject plans for the Kingskerswell bypass and calling for alternatives to be positively evaluated. The breakdown of cards signed by area is as follows:

Kingskerswell Area*      924    18.5%

Newton Abbot Area** 1,308   26.1%

Torbay                          1,246   24.9%

Rest of Devon                 903   18.1%

Outside Devon                621   12.4%

Other cards at  DfT        46 (not collected locally, posted directly, therefore not in geographic analysis)

Incomplete address       13 (not in geographic analysis)

Thanks to all who have signed a card, they have been sent to Rt Hon Norman Baker MP

* TQ12 5..(inlcludes Abbotskerswell,Coffinswell, Ipplepen etc)

** TQ12 other than 5

The Picture Postcard Perfect campaign has gathered amazing momentum over the past few weeks. The total number of postcards signed so far, now stands at a whopping

                                        4,461

People from all around Devon and beyond have been signing up to call for alternatives to a bypass to be positively evaluated. The breakdown of cards signed by area is as follows:  Kingskerswell Area* 19.4%, Newton Abbot Area 28.0%, Torbay 22.5%, Rest of Devon 18.5%, Outside Devon 11.7%

Thanks to all who have signed a card, they have been sent to Rt Hon Norman Baker MP and we aim to send lots more! Keep 'em coming!

* TQ12 5..

The Best and Final Funding Bid for the proposed Kingskerswell Bypass has now been submitted by the scheme promoters. You can read the funding bid documents on the scheme website, see our contact page for a link

The scheme cost is now £107.7 million. It is now proposed that part of the cost (£4.7 million) would come from third party contributions i.e development. £500k would come from Teignbridge District Council but the other potential sources are not specified.

The dualling of Hamelin way would now be included again and the traffic light junction at the end of the bypass is still on the plan. More details when we have digested the documents. If you would like to send us your comments on the bid, please use the Contact Us page.

The best and final funding bid for the scheme is due to be published by Friday 9th September 2011. As soon as we have details of where you can read it, we will update this blog. We understand that the decision on funding is due by the end of this year.

Our FAQ page has answers to some Frequently Asked Questions about the Aller Link Rd.

The agenda for the next Teignbridge Council Executive meeting on Sep 6th 2011, reveals that Teignbridge Council are seeking approval to contribute £500k (50%) of the cost of the slip roads, omitted from the scheme at Aller to cut the cost. It is proposed that the New Homes Bonus(NHB) or the Community Infrastructure Levy(CIL) could be used to cover the cost.

What about the new railway bridge at Aller and the upgrades to Hamelin Way, will we get the bill for those next? ..........and nothing could possibly go wrong and push up the cost, could it?

Many very concerned people have asked us about access to Aller Park because the proposed  bypass would close the existing Aller Brake Rd junction to the A380. Our understanding is that the proposed Aller Link Rd would join up with Aller Brake Rd and would be single track, two way with passing places. All vehicles would be permitted along with cyclists and pedestrians. This could possibly be the route used by the local bus which serves Aller Park but that remains unclear. Sounds like that link road could get very crowded, let us hope we never have to find out. More news as we get it.

Say "YES" to Alternatives !

Our Picture Postcard Perfect campaign is still going strong. We have picked up quite a few questions at the signing sessions and we continue to try and find answers, for example check out the cycling and walking update in this blog. We are visiting a variety of locations to engage with as many people as we can. More boxes of signed postcards have been sent to the Department for Transport. Thanks to everyone who has signed a card.

We have been asked many times about cycling and walking should the bypass be built.Here is our understanding so far.

In spite of the much-publicised "green" aspects of the bypass scheme, the provision of improved facilities for walkers and cyclists in the scheme seem minimal.

Along the part of the current A380 through Kingskerswell which would be un-changed by the scheme, improvements are based solely on the projected reduction in traffic, which may not all materialise. Delays predicted by many at the traffic lights at the southern end of the bypass could easily cause traffic to continue using the existing road. It seems likely that speeds will increase on the existing road since there is now no provision in the budget for traffic calming or other safety measures. Little improvement for pedestrians or cyclists there then.

At either end of this section, it appears that cyclists will be required to cross the road in order to use a tunnel at Kerswell Gardens, or a single-track two-way road(shared with pedestrians and vehicles) at Aller Park leading to a path which finally emerges at Penn Inn via Addison Road. Pedestrians wishing to walk from Kingskerswell to the supermarket and other facilities at Penn Inn will be faced with the same diversion.There would be no bus stops between Penn Inn and Aller Junction.

There is a pressing need, whatever happens, for a walking/cycle path away from the road, where people can cycle or walk for recreation to enjoy the countryside, not just to get from A to B.The Kingskerswell Village Plan includes a Countryside Valley Park scheme along the Aller Brook Valley from Penn Inn to Dobbin Arch and onwards to Edginswell with a cycle path, fitness track and scenic walks. The Kingskerswell Alliance believe such a scheme would be an excellent sustainable travel option and we would like to see it form part of a package of alternatives to building a road.

Check out the sustrans website(see useful links) for news about cycling and smarter travel choices, look out for news about National Route 28 and Connect2