The Gulworthy Cut - A New Threat

July 2004

Having failed to get public support for closing the short-cut from New Bridge to Gulworthy Cottages in February 2004 (link to that story), Devon County Highways is now proposing to close the link to the equally useful back road roughly 500 yards west of the Harvest Home and the Bere Alston road. This will be advertised during the next month or so and there will be a short period for objections as before.

I'll write up the story more fully as soon as I can take the photographs and link in a map of sorts to explain it.
There's a welcome scheme to put in a roundabout at Gulworthy Cross, where there have been fatal accidents, but the case for pinching out the back road has not been made: some of you may think that it does not stand on its own legs and is not a necessary or even desirable part of the roundabout scheme.

The short cut (back road) is a straight line alternative to the tortuous A390 and, although there have been some accidents at the minor crossroads with the Bere Alston road, there haven't been more than three in any three-year period since the early 1990s. It is therefore difficult to see the justification for closing it. Furthermore, you will remember that the closure of the New Bridge cut was only "deferred" in Feb 04:

It is recommended that members consider whether the proposed Prohibition of Motor Vehicles Order is deferred and the site monitored.
It is recommended that the minor road network in the area be reconsidered along with the proposed improvement at Gulworthy Cross.

and that, as the previous advertisement remains valid for 2 years, closure of the New Bridge short-cut could be implemented without further notice, just by bringing it back to HATOC.

If you have a view about this and want to be involved when the notice is published, I've set up a special mailbox so that you can email me from here and I'll let you know by email about updates to the web site, who to write to etc.

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14 Jul 2004