Hundreds of motorists have been caught by Cornwall’s only red light camera, new figures reveal. The camera in Truro has captured almost 600 red light jumpers. And we can now reveal that the province is about to get another one.
A recent Freedom of Information (FoI) request responded to by Devon and Cornwall Police revealed that there are currently four locations in the two counties where red light cameras are in place. Police confirmed that in recent years a number of people had been caught running red lights, but this was only because red light cameras (RLCs) had spotted them and not because they were spotted by a sharp-eyed and conveniently placed person. cop.
CornwallLive asked the force’s Freedom of Information team why the response contained only four sets of data – and was told it was because there were only four of these types of cameras. Three are in Plymouth and one is on Tregolls Road in Truro – the only one in the entire county, but this was about to change.
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According to the Road Safety Team, the red light camera on Tregolls Road in Truro collected a whopping 575 red light runners since it went live in April 2022. The location also has a speed camera that has caught more than 3,000 motorists in one month alone – June 2022.
Meanwhile, Alma Road in Plymouth saw 149 violations take place under the keen eye of the red light camera that was installed (or rather upgraded) in October 2020. The camera is one of the city’s busiest, triggering a total of 18,838 speed cameras between 2016 and 2018. The nearby Mannamead Road red light camera, which only went live in February 2020, has caught just 36 motorists ignoring the signals.
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In response to more questions from CornwallLive about the cameras, Vision Zero South West (VZSW), working with local authorities in the two counties and national highways, has confirmed that it has begun investment to replace some of the outdated static speed and to modernize red light cameras in Devon and Cornwall.
A spokesperson for the VZSW said the organization recognized that camera systems were not always popular, but were “sometimes necessary to improve road speed and red light compliance”.
The spokesperson said: “The cameras are considered successful when the number of offenses is low and compliance on the road is high, such as with the Tregolls system, where recent statistics show 99.79 per cent eastbound speed compliance and westbound 99.71 percent.
“The historic cameras that detected red light violations used old technology that required induction loops in the road surface. It was clear that repeated repairs were necessary as heavy vehicles over time destroyed the sensitive induction loops and they were also often damaged due to constant road maintenance Repairs and replacement required replacing the road surface, which is expensive and also causes disruption to local traffic and frustration among communities during the roadworks.
The spokesperson said the force area currently has five “new era operational red light and speed cameras” that do not require induction loops, including Tregolls Road in Truro, Plymouth Road at Cott Hill, Mannamead Road and Alma Road in Plymouth.
They added, pointing out the differing information in the Freedom of Information response: “In response to the history of collisions, another red light camera has been installed in Edgecumbe Road, St Austell, and will be switched on shortly. The goal of the VZSW is to prevent people from dying. or get seriously injured on our roads. It is well known that speeding and jumping red lights is a key factor in causing collisions and exacerbating injuries, and that it can be avoided.
“The number of CCTV systems detecting red light and speeding offenses in Devon and Cornwall is low, but I would like to remind any motorist tempted to jump a red light that any member of the community can record the incident on a dashcam and that the police will handle these incidents when reported to Operation Snap. In addition, police officers have reported that 1,661 drivers have witnessed a red light violation in the past five years.
“VZSW asks all motorists to adhere to speed limits and obey traffic lights, which will help make our roads safer.”
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Regarding the improved cameras, former police commissioner Adrian Leisk, now head of road safety for Vision Zero South West, previously explained: “We know that speed cameras work to reduce speeding and that speed is a contributing factor to many collisions.
“Traveling too fast not only gives drivers less time to react, it also increases the risk of injury in the event of a collision. Cameras like these not only allow us to prosecute those who run red lights or drive at dangerous speeds, but most importantly we can refer the vast majority to driver training.
“This is being offered as an alternative to prosecution as we know it changes behavior and reduces the risk of an offender subsequently being involved in a collision. Enabling sustainable behavioral change is at the core of our approach to monitoring and enforcing risky driving behavior. .
“Across our county of Devon and Cornwall we use over 80 active speed cameras, including a combination of traditional cameras and average speed detection systems.
“We also have twelve dedicated Speed Detection Officers (SDOs) who can operate at mobile locations across the region, as well as a network of more than 600 Community Speed Watch volunteers who work tirelessly to keep their communities safe.”