Motorway services discussion

[PTR 444]

It can be pretty horrific in summer due to capacity issues in the building, and as it’s off the motorway in an industrial estate so you can get badly stuck in traffic getting in and out which is pretty annoying. As I understand it Devon County Council (and/or others) plan to close both Exeter and Collumpton and build a new set of services directly off the motorway in between. It sounds pretty sensible as it would enable better facilities all round and it would keep the motorway traffic away from the local roads.

I agree, Exeter is a total nightmare in summer months. It’s also the only “proper” MSA for anyone travelling between West Hampshire/Dorset and Cornwall.

Closing Exeter would seem sensible from a traffic management point of view and free up valuable land for development, although relocating the MSA to north of J29 would mean the loss of facilities for traffic coming from Honiton on the A30.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I agree, Exeter is a total nightmare in summer months. It’s also the only “proper” MSA for anyone travelling between West Hampshire/Dorset and Cornwall.

Closing Exeter would seem sensible from a traffic management point of view and free up valuable land for development, although relocating the MSA to north of J29 would mean the loss of facilities for traffic coming from Honiton on the A30.

Perhaps if such a change were to take place there'd be an attempt to route A303/A30 traffic up the A358 to J25 of the M5? That traffic could then use Taunton Deane services and/or the "new" site in Devon, and would avoid the slow section of the 303 through the Blackdown Hills. It would however add further congestion through Ruishton near the Taunton park & ride site, which is bad enough already. J25 has had loads spent on it in the last ten years or so, and adding more traffic doing that move (northbound A358 to southbound M5) would need a further reconfiguring.

 

[Noddy]

I agree, Exeter is a total nightmare in summer months. It’s also the only “proper” MSA for anyone travelling between West Hampshire/Dorset and Cornwall.

Closing Exeter would seem sensible from a traffic management point of view and free up valuable land for development, although relocating the MSA to north of J29 would mean the loss of facilities for traffic coming from Honiton on the A30.

Apparently the initial plan has been chucked out by local councillors but it sounds like this might be more of a temporary stop. Quoting from the Motorway Services website (direct link below)

An early draft of the Greater Exeter Strategic Plan, dated 2020, proposed closing Exeter services. It argued that the area is too congested and that the land is needed for housing. Land next to the M5 close to Poltimore House was recommended as the site for a new, replacement, service area. This proposal was supposedly stopped in October 2024, after numerous councillors opposed the new location, calling it "a disaster". However, East Devon District Council's final report merely said that the new location wasn't needed yet, and that the topic would have to be revisited should Exeter services ever plan to close.

Source:https://motorwayservices.uk/Exeter?action=amp

 

[PTR 444]

Perhaps if such a change were to take place there'd be an attempt to route A303/A30 traffic up the A358 to J25 of the M5? That traffic could then use Taunton Deane services and/or the "new" site in Devon, and would avoid the slow section of the 303 through the Blackdown Hills. It would however add further congestion through Ruishton near the Taunton park & ride site, which is bad enough already. J25 has had loads spent on it in the last ten years or so, and adding more traffic doing that move (northbound A358 to southbound M5) would need a further reconfiguring.

You would still have a gap in service area provision for A35 - A30 traffic coming from Dorset. Perhaps a private developer might see this as an opportunity to develop an MSA-style facility on the A30 somewhere between Honiton and Exeter.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

You would still have a gap in service area provision for A35 - A30 traffic coming from Dorset. Perhaps a private developer might see this as an opportunity to develop an MSA-style facility on the A30 somewhere between Honiton and Exeter.

Though for those journeys, even the existing Exeter services come a little sooner than is ideal. If the M5 continued west towards Plymouth you'd ideally want a service area in the Newton Abbot or Totnes area. As things stand drivers will use Exeter under duress because it's the last full MSA before you leave the motorway network.