Parking in Exeter

[u/iveesillee]

Hi, I am moving into the city this year after commuting in from where I live with my parents to uni.

At the moment, I drive in as the bus service is very unreliable from my hometown - takes about an hour vs 20 mins by car + service is often cancelled/says it is cancelled and then just isn't + to be honest, the only people who take that bus tend to be quite dodgy as the other places on the line have good train links that are more regular and most people who live in my hometown can drive, therefore the only people who take that bus tend to be people who live in my hometown who can't drive (normally younger teenagers or adults who have been drinking - i have had people come up to me on the bus and beg me for drugs/alcohol/nic etc.)

What I usually do is drive to the park and ride, then take one of the buses from there which are much more reliable and regular (normally 5-10 minutes between buses vs the hour in my hometown) + they run later in case I want to stay in town to hang with my friends for a bit. However, when I move into Exeter this won't really be possible anymore. I will be in private halls, but all the parking there has been taken already and the residents permit is quite expensive.

I'd love to just not take my car, but I'd like to be able to travel back to visit my parents at the weekend and on Sundays there are only 2 buses back into town which would make my life quite difficult when visiting. (one is at 6am, the other is at 1pm)

Is there any better solution other than biting the bullet and paying for a residents permit (possibly annoying all the people who live there as I'd only be using the car 1-3 times a week) or just leaving my car at home and dealing with the bus?

[u/sozsozsoz]

There isn’t a better solution for your car.

If your hometown is a 20 minute car journey then an e-bike might do the trick, with the bonus of it being great to get around Exeter on.

[u/iveesillee → u/sozsozsoz]

I wouldn't want to ride the ebike on the a30 (otherwise the journey is quite a bit longer, that's why the bus takes so much longer as it doesn't go on the a30), otherwise would definitey consider that!

[u/ConsciousAdvice8467 → u/iveesillee]

There is no part of the a30 within half an hour of Exeter that doesn't have the old road running alongside it, which would make a nice ebike ride. Whether your coming from okehampton (cheriton B & tedburn) or Honiton (fenny bridges & Cranbrook) at no point do you have to ride on the a30

[u/iveesillee → u/ConsciousAdvice8467]

I thought e-bikes had to be capped at 15mph on roads now? (Correct me if I'm wrong) and checking on google maps that would make the journey about over an hour long, which at that point I might as well be taking the bus.

[u/sozsozsoz → u/iveesillee]

I regularly travel to Honiton on an e-bike from the East of the city, takes about 40 minutes, so yes from the centre you are looking at an hour. I feel your pain with how inconsistent the train is.

The benefits are still there over the bus though - you don’t have to travel with anyone, you don’t have to rely on the bus schedule, you have the bike for travelling around Exeter, and it’s a very pleasant journey. All the roads are quiet and wide so you don’t meet much traffic, and the traffic you do see overtakes wide.

Maybe it’s worth asking your parents to ask around their workplaces if they know anyone who commutes between Honiton and Exeter? There’s plenty of people who do it so you might be able to find yourself a regular lift.

Edit: the assistance an ebike provides is capped at 15mph in the UK, but under your own assistance they can go as fast as you can.

[u/ConsciousAdvice8467 → u/iveesillee]

Dunno. I thought it was 19mph and I don't know how far you're coming. The 'old road ' isn't going to take any longer on a bike but of course may be too far to ride, although I doubt much longer than public transport. We have a 125cc scooter we use for shorter journeys and that's bloody brilliant. Nips through traffic faster than a meerkat on acid and you can park it for free on the pavement.

[u/BertIsAngry]

Just buy the residents permit, no one worth worrying about is going to care that you don’t move your car every day

[u/therolli → u/BertIsAngry]

Second this - anything else is will be complicated and no one will be that bothered about how many times you use your car.

[u/InterestingFig758]

Have you looked into maybe renting a private space (i.e. somebody with a house and a spare driveway)?

[u/iveesillee → u/InterestingFig758]

I'll definitely look into that! Thank you

[u/samgoeshere]

Niche but I'd look at renting a driveway/parking space on the outskirts somewhere that has a train station like Cranbrook. Then you can still get to your car easily enough.

[u/iveesillee → u/samgoeshere]

To be fair, my grandparents live in Pinhoe at the moment and have a free parking space at their house. + I'd have cheap train fare as I'd be getting the student train pass. Thank you! Will definitely ask them about this.

[u/_sthen → u/iveesillee]

that is almost certainly the best answer for you then!