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.
In answers to a series of questions from PlymouthLive, 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.
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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 PlymouthLive’s questions about the proposed 20mph zone:
Q: What is the justification for the scale of the proposed 20mph zone?
A: There has been a long-standing need for a safe crossing on Mill Bridge into Victoria Park. Until now this has been prevented by restricted visibility and the need for drivers to have enough time and space to react to someone crossing.
The introduction of an enforced 20mph zone would allow us to provide a safe crossing while also retaining vehicle access, parking for residents and visitors and two bus stops along Mill Bridge. A number of the adjoining service and side roads have been included in the proposed 20mph zone as many are narrow residential roads where it can be unsafe to travel any faster.
We welcome all views from residents on the proposed crossing on Mill Bridge and the extent of the proposed 20mph zone and encourage people to give their feedback in the consultation.
Q: How many road traffic accidents have occurred in the area in the past two years?
A: Road casualty collisions are reported by the police and validated by the Department for Transport on an annual basis. Between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2023, the police have reported one fatal, nine serious and 48 slight-injury collisions on roads within the area covered by the proposed 20mph zone. There was also a collision on July 10 this year which Plymouth Live covered.
Q: How many average speed cameras will need to be installed to cover this large area?
A: Up to 20 cameras may be required.
Q: The locations may not have been decided yet, but would there need to be cameras at every road entering and exiting the zone?
A: Potentially. Some drivers are known to prefer to use alternative routes to avoid the main enforcement corridors, even though this would take far longer.
Q: Will there need to be average speed cameras inside the zone?
A: Where routes split there may be a requirement to place cameras within the zone.
Q: Will the cameras also function as static speed cameras?
A: No.
Q: How will journeys totally inside the zone be enforced?
A: There may be cameras placed within the zone. However, most of the roads within the zone are already unsuitable for speeds above 20mph. The police will still be able to enforce within the zone.
Q: What happens to money raised from fines? Does it go to Plymouth City Council or another body?
A: Plymouth City Council does not receive any income from enforcement cameras, which are operated by the police. The fines and penalties imposed depend on the level of the offence.
Dependant on individual circ*mstances drivers detected driving at speeds significantly higher than the posted speed will receive a fine and points on their licence. Income from these fines is collected by central government.
Drivers detected offending at lower speeds may be offered a fine and an educational course avoiding points on their licence. The fine is paid to the police and any income left over after funding the costs of the courses and maintenance of the camera system will be diverted to road safety initiatives supported by the police.
Q: What is the projected cost of installing this scheme and where would that money come from?
A: The projected cost of the camera element of the scheme is £155,000. Funding would be jointly provided by a Department for Transport grant and the council.
Q: Will the cameras be able to record vehicles such as cycles or electric scooters if ridden in excess of 20mph?
A: Not currently as these vehicles do not have registration plates.
The proposed 20mph zone includes the area covered by an existing 20mph zone at the High Street Academy and Millbay Primary Academy. But it also encompasses dozens of residential streets including:
Adelaide Lane, Adelaide Place, Adelaide Street Ope, Alice Lane, Alice Street, Anstis Street, Archer Place, Archer Terrace, Arundel Crescent, Ashley Place, Battery Street, Bayswater Road, Belmont Street, Boon’s Place, Cambridge Lane West, Cathedral Street, Cecil Cotts, Cecil Street, Claremont Street, Clarence Place, Crawford Road, Dairy Lane, De La Hay Avenue, Downton Close, Edgcumbe Avenue, Eldad Hill, Essex Street, Eton Avenue, Eton Place, Eton Street, Fellowes Place, Fellowes Place Lane South, Fellows Lane, Fitzroy Road, Flora Cottages, Flora Court, Flora Street, Francis Street, Frederick Street East, Frederick Street West, Gloucester Place, Halfpenny Court, Harwell Street, Hastings Street, Hastings Terrace, Haystone Place, Hetling Close, High Street, Hotham Place, Ilbert Street, King Street, Manor Gardens, Manor Street, Melbourne Cottages, Melbourne Place, Melbourne Street, Mill Bridge, Molesworth Road, Neswick Street, North Road West, Ocean City Place, Octagon Street, Oxford Place, Oxford Street, Palmerston Street, Paradise Road, Patna Place, Peel Street, Penrose Street, Penrose Street West, Prynne Close, Quarry Cotts, Queen’s Gate, Rendle Street, Rutger Place, St Barnabas Terrace, St Mary Street, Staddon Terrace Lane, Stoke Road, Stuart Road, Sydney Street, Union Place, Valletort Lane, Valletort Place, Valletort Road, Victoria Avenue, Wantage Gardens, Waterloo Close, Well Gardens, Wilton Road, Wilton Street, Wingfield Way, Wolsdon Place, Wolsdon Street, Wyndham Lane, Wyndham Mews, Wyndham Square, Wyndham Street East.
You can find out more about the proposals by visiting a stand in Victoria Park between 10am and 4pm on Saturday, July 20. You can also view the proposals on the Council’s website (opens PDF) .
Anyone wanting to give their views should write to: Service Director for Street Services, Plymouth City Council, Ballard House, West Hoe Road, Plymouth, PL1 3BJ, or email trafficmanagementinbox@plymouth.gov.uk, quoting reference: Amd.2024.2137323 Mill Bridge Crossing Scheme. The deadline for comments is Friday 2 August 2024.
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