Speed camera rage erupts over border
One of the two new speed cameras installed along the stretch of the A390 which passes through St Ann’s Chapel and Drakewalls – over the Tamar from Tavistock – has been vandalised by having its wires cut – putting it out of action.The speed camera was installed earlier this year after a nine-year battle to improve road safety for pedestrians, such as those walking to and from the nearby schools, on the busy road through the community. The incident which has been reported to Devon and Cornwall Police[1] is thought to have taken place during the morning of Thursday, November 30. Moreover, since the initial vandalism, the camera has also been defaced with graffiti reading ‘Greed’.
This follows several other acts of vandalism of speed cameras occurring across Cornwall, such as wires being cut or entire cameras being chopped down apparently in reaction to police catching more speeding drivers with the new cameras.The speed cameras which are situated at Drakewalls and St Ann’s Chapel were installed after an arduous battle of nearly ten years to improve pedestrian safety following repeated incidents of speeding, including one in which a pedestrian was killed by a motorist speeding through Drakewalls in September 2021, and continuous damage to parked vehicles.Following the recent incident of vandalism, Calstock Parish Councillor John Wells who was integral in securing the speed cameras said: “The vandalism is pointless because all it does is cost money to repair.
The cameras are here to stay.”
References
- ^ Devon and Cornwall Police (www.okehampton-today.co.uk)