Drivers warned as new speed camera goes live

THE new speed camera on Torquay Road in Newton Abbot is now up and operational, with warning signs ‘clearly visible’ to motorists approaching the site.

The camera, close to the junction with Brunel Road, was installed on Tuesday, September 22, with the advisory warning signs going up at the same time.

Motorists travelling towards Newton Abbot will be monitored for both speed and red-light offences, while the camera will enforce speeding offences for those travelling in the direction of Penn Inn.

The camera has been mounted on a street lighting column and painted yellow, in keeping with other safety cameras operated by Devon & Cornwall Police.

Its arrival has been preceded by months of warnings for drivers. Large yellow posters carrying the message ‘Safety Camera Coming Soon’, together with a 30mph roundel, have been displayed on both approaches to the site for the past six months.

Now the camera is in place, the new advisory warning signs are clearly visible to motorists and enforcement is operational, the Mid-Devon Advertiser has been told.

Devon & Cornwall Police says the camera has been introduced as part of efforts to tackle road safety concerns in the area.

There were 16 injury collisions within 100 metres of the site between 2021 and 2025, according to the force.

Adrian Leisk, Head of Road Safety at Devon & Cornwall Police, said speed enforcement was an important part of the Vision Zero South West road safety partnership’s efforts to reduce deaths and serious injuries on the region’s roads.

‘Speed enforcement in areas of harm is a vital element of our strategy’, he said.

Devon County Council, as the highway authority, was consulted over the placement of the camera.

The installation has attracted a mixed response from local residents.

Newton Abbot town councillor Mike Joyce, who is involved with community speed-watch, said he had heard both support and criticism about the decision.

But he rejected suggestions that the camera was intended as a way of raising money through fines.

‘These cameras are not a “cash cow”’, Cllr Joyce said.

He said cameras were installed after data had been collected from a number of sources over a long period to establish whether there was a problem with speeding.

Community speed-watch was one of the sources of information used to identify speeding concerns, he added.

Cllr Joyce said the priority should be preventing serious collisions rather than penalising drivers.

‘Speed limits are there to ensure the safety of all and the limit is the maximum you are required, not advised, to do’, he said.

He said he was sure accidents would continue to happen, but added: ‘What we can do is ensure these accidents are not the result of speed’.

Devon & Cornwall Police has confirmed the camera is now operational and that all enforcement will be carried out in accordance with National Police Chiefs’ Council guidance.