New cameras will be installed at accident hotspots

More speed cameras have been installed at accident hotspots across Devon and some existing ones have been upgraded.

The county council has acted in areas where data suggests higher numbers of road accidents and traffic accidents.

They are also used to catch drivers who don’t stop at red lights.

Five of the newer security cameras are in Exeter, two of which are on Bridge Road and one on Alphington Road. Another pair were recently installed on Topsham Road at the junction with Barrack Road and another at the Burnthouse Lane junction.

The Topsham Road/Burnthouse Lane camera was installed to monitor red light breaches, while the Barrack Road camera is a new location following a review of what a council spokesman described as “collision frequency”.

Some of the new cameras on Bridge Road near Countess Wear were recently reported by a community Facebook group called Spotted Alphington UK.

One member of the group noted that the cameras had “popped up in some places.” [in Exeter] which are often heavily overloaded.”

“There is also another set of traffic lights in Exeter where if you had to stop at a red light it is almost impossible to exceed the speed limit within its area when it turns green,” the person said.

That could be wishful thinking. It is known that a motorist was fined twice within two days of the cameras being turned on.

Improved cameras have also been installed on Exeter Road in Okehampton and Exmouth, Ashburton Road in Totnes and Clovelly Road in Bideford in recent months.

Another camera installation is currently planned for this financial year on the A379 near the Newcourt Way junction in Exeter, on a section of Old Rydon Lane down to Ikea.

The upgrades are being carried out by Devon and Cornwall Vision Zero South West, a collaboration between Devon County Council and Devon and Cornwall Police.

Adrian Leisk, head of road safety at the police, chairs the Road Safety Partnership’s enforcement committee.

“Speed ​​is a major factor in serious and fatal accidents,” he said.

“It gives drivers less time to react and significantly increases the chance of being killed or seriously injured in a crash.

“The role of speed enforcement is to protect road users and keep people safe by ensuring that motorists adhere to speed limits.

“Security cameras are always installed in collaboration with local authorities and partner agencies, and locations are selected based on collision history or locations where a community has raised significant concerns.”