Average speed cameras are to be installed on the A380 / South Devon Highway between Newton Abbot and Torquay. The speed cameras will enforce a 50mph limit on the new dual carriageway that by-passes Kingerskerswell, after surveys revealed that the speed limit is being ignored by drivers.
Devon County Council has agreed to spend £285,000 on the new average camera system and this will be accompanied by signs warning drivers of its installation. In order to ensure the 50mph speed limit, Devon County Council will also be increasing the size of the speed limit warning signs in order to alert drivers.
The installation comes after local councillors and their constituents, living close by to the South Devon Highway, complained of an increased risk of accidents, extra noise and air pollution caused by vehicles exceeding the speed limit.The cameras are due to be installed and working before Christmas.
The South Devon Highway is a very busy route for coach tour traffic travelling to and from the holiday resorts of Torquay and Paignton, and heavily used by coach parties heading out of Torquay and Paignton to places like Exeter and Newton Abbot.
Councillor Alistair Dewhirst, Devon County Councillor for Ipplepen and The Kerswells, said: “The South Devon Highway has affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in South Devon, and many for the better, but some people’s lives have been severely blighted by noise and pollution from the road.”
