Up to 20 cameras to be installed in 20mph scheme

UP to 20 speed cameras could be installed in a proposed 20mph zone in the centre of Plymouth, it has been revealed. Plymouth City Council has given more details of the proposal to restrict speeds in a huge area of Stoke and north Stonehouse bordered by Saltash Road, Western Approach and Union Street to as far as Stonehouse Bridge, and the main railway line from Cornwall to the station.

- WILLIAM TELFORD

In answers to a series of questions from The Herald, the authority said the cameras will record average speeds and not be static speed detectors. It said it would cost about £155,000 to install the cameras, which won’t record bikes or scooters, and some may be needed inside the zone.

It stressed the proposed area, which covers 98 streets, was chosen because there had been safety concerns, with one fatal collision on the roads in the past five years. The council has stressed it is not a money-making scheme, with any cash from fines going to the Government.

More than 5,000 residents have been sent letters, and details of the proposed 20mph zone have been posted on lampposts, in the Stoke and north Stonehouse area. Residents are being asked to give their views on the plan, which centres on a new pedestrian and cycle crossing on Mill Bridge, linking Stonehouse Creek to Victoria Park.

The councils said the proposals aim to reduce speed on the approach to the proposed crossing down Eldad Hill, where there have been requests for 20mph limits due to the high speeds, the volume of traffic and narrow footpath.

Here are the council’s answers to The Herald’s questions about the proposed 20mph zone:

Q: What is the justification for the scale of the proposed 20mph zone?