We’re FURIOUS over a 20mph speed camera – it’s already caught 1,000 drivers

FURIOUS drivers have slammed a region’s first 20mph speed camera as a ‘cash cow’ on a ‘rat run’ – after OVER 1,000 were caught on its first day.

The speed camera was launched for the first time this week on Old Laira Road in Plymouth, and at 20mph is the slowest speed detector in the entire Devon and Cornwall police force area.

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Before its introduction this week, the camera had an eight week testing period that saw a whopping 23,500 road users caught – including over 1,000 in its first day.

Although those drivers avoided prosecution during the test period, the 140 people snapped on the camera’s first official day weren’t so lucky.

Carl White, a café owner whose restaurant is near Old Laira Road, told The Sun Online: “It is an absolute nightmare, the limit is dangerously slow.”

And he added it was “absolutely” a cash cow – adding: “I think they are doing all they can to rob people.”

Because Old Laira Road is downhill, some are feeling it may now be more dangerous than before.

A local delivery driver added: “You can see people looking at their dashboards rather than the road, it’s a bit silly.”

“People are struggling to keep at 20mph.”

Another driver described it as “very difficult to keep to that speed limit for that distance”.

They added: “People are looking at their speedos all the time and not really concentrating on the road.”

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DIVIDING OPINIONS

Old Laira Road has a reputation as a ‘rat run’ that is used to avoid Plymouth’s traffic-packed main routes.

And while some have slammed the camera as a ‘cash cow’, the new speed detector has also been a hit with many who live near the road and believe it will save lives.

Barry Nelms, who lives locally, said: “Any of you that live in one of the roads between Old Laira Road the Embankment can’t help but hear, or possibly see, the cars and motorbikes roaring along the Embankment at speeds well above the speed limit.”

And local resident Al Stewart, who lives next to the detector, said: “We all love it”.

He explained: “The main thing is the noise, everyone on the street loves how much quieter it is.”

Local resident Sandra Warner agreed, feeling the road is now “much calmer, a calmer pace and not so much noise, because people come off the Embankment and use this as a rat run.”

One of the most popular benefits of the camera is that it is close to the nearby school, which many residents hope is a lot safer now.

One local said “it’s a lot better, especially with motor bikes, and it’s a lot safer with people crossing by the school.”

“There is a school at the end of the road and the children need to be safe to cross the road” said another woman who lives nearby.

“I think it is a good idea.”

Devon and Cornwall Police said 48 people were killed on the force’s roads last year, with 793 seriously injured.

Speed is one of the main factors in car accidents, and in a devastating week that has seen 7 people die on the roads in Devon and Cornwall, Old Laira Road’s new camera is drawing extra attention.

“We don’t want to catch 23,500 people – we don’t want to catch anyone. We want people to stick to the speed limit” said Supt Adrian Leisk, Head of Traffic with Devon and Cornwall Police.

The camera was also supported by Devon and Cornwall Police Commissioner Alison Hernandes, who said ‘until road deaths stop I’ll not apologise for backing speed cameras’.

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