Plan to turn huge chunk of Plymouth into 20mph speed camera zone

A huge chunk of Plymouth city centre could be turned into a 20mph zone enforced by average speed cameras. Plymouth City Council^[1] has written to thousands of residents to tell them it wants to make dozens of streets in Stonehouse^[2] and Stoke^[3] 20mph with cameras watching motorists’ every move.

What the letter doesn’t say, but council documents do, is the vast extent of the proposed zone, which would be bordered by Saltash^[4] Road, Western Approach, Union and Union Street^[5] as far as Stonehouse Bridge, and the main railway line. The zone would include Stuart Road, parts of Molesworth Road and Valletort Road, Wilton Street, North Road West, King Street, High Street, Octagon Street, Eldad Hill and Stoke Road, and all the streets leading off them.

Council documents call them a “proposed 20mph zone” and said it will be “enforced using average speed cameras – exact locations of average speed cameras to be confirmed”. The documents say the roads are to be “traffic calmed” with signs saying when drivers are entering the zone.

A public consultation on the plans will take place in Victoria Park, on Saturday, July 20, between 10am and 4pm. The plans are also online^[6]. The deadline for comments is August 2.

In 2022, the council introduced average speed cameras in Old Laira Road, Lipson, which turned out to be hugely controversial. Even before enforcement action was taken, it was revealed that during a test period cameras detected more than 1,100 speeding drivers in the first 24 hours alone.^[7][8]

The total number detected during the test period up to May 2022 reached a staggering 23,500. More than 16,000 speed tickets were given in less than a year. Anyone driving at anything over 20mph was in danger of a £100 fine and three points on their licence – or even going to court.

The newly proposed 20mph zone would include all these roads:

Adelaide Lane, Adelaide Place, Adelaide Street Ope, Alice Lane, Alice Street, Anstis Street, Archer Place, Archer Terrace, Arundel Crescent, Ashley Place, Battery Street, Bayswater Road, Belmont Street, Boon’s Place, Cambridge Lane West, Cathedral Street, Cecil Cotts, Cecil Street, Claremont Street, Clarence Place, Crawford Road, Dairy Lane, De La Hay Avenue, Downton Close, Edgcumbe Avenue, Eldad Hill, Essex Street, Eton Avenue, Eton Place, Eton Street, Fellowes Place, Fellowes Place Lane South, Fellows Lane, Fitzroy Road, Flora Cottages, Flora Court, Flora Street, Francis Street, Frederick Street East, Frederick Street West, Gloucester Place, Halfpenny Court, Harwell Street, Hastings Street, Hastings Terrace, Haystone Place, Hetling Close, High Street, Hotham Place, Ilbert Street, King Street, Manor Gardens, Manor Street, Melbourne Cottages, Melbourne Place, Melbourne Street, Mill Bridge, Molesworth Road, Neswick Street, North Road West, Ocean City Place, Octagon Street, Oxford Place, Oxford Street, Palmerston Street, Paradise Road, Patna Place, Peel Street, Penrose Street, Penrose Street West, Prynne Close, Quarry Cotts, Queen’s Gate, Rendle Street, Rutger Place, St Barnabas Terrace, St Mary Street, Staddon Terrace Lane, Stoke Road, Stuart Road, Sydney Street, Union Place, Valletort Lane, Valletort Place, Valletort Road, Victoria Avenue, Wantage Gardens, Waterloo Close, Well Gardens, Wilton Road, Wilton Street, Wingfield Way, Wolsdon Place, Wolsdon Street, Wyndham Lane, Wyndham Mews, Wyndham Square, Wyndham Street East.

The streets in green are proposed for the 20mph zone (Image: Plymouth Highways)

The council said the proposed scheme is designed to “benefit both pedestrians and cyclists, including people with disabilities”. It said: “The scheme aims to deliver major health benefits providing an opportunity for the residents of Plymouth to walk and cycle more safely. The proposal aims to encourage modal shift, reducing congestion on our roads and lowering the amount of carbon emissions from traffic.”

The letter to residents said there is a need for “a new zebra and a parallel cycle crossing on Mill Bridge” and therefore “a new 20mph Speed Limit Zone, enforced by average speed cameras”.

It said: “Lower speeds are needed around the proposed crossing due to limited forward visibility on the approach from Eldad Hill and require enforcement to ensure that drivers do not approach the crossing at too high a speed.

“Requests for the introduction of a 20mph speed limit on Eldad Hill are regularly received due to the volume of traffic and narrowness of the footpath and road. The proposals would also include the area covered by the existing 20mph Zone at the High Street and Millbay^[9] Primary Academy. Recent public engagement in the surrounding areas has supported the extension of a 20mph Zone.”

In 2023, Plymouth Tories accused the Labour administration of declaring “war on motorists”.^[10] The Conservative Group on the council said a consultation on plans to start enforcing “moving traffic offences” could be the start of “attacks on the motorist” with Cllr Lee Finn saying: “This is the beginning of the war on the motorist”. But Labour reacted strongly to the accusation^[11] and also categorically said that a ULEZ-type scheme won’t be introduced in the city.

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References

1. ^{^} Plymouth City Council (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
2. ^{^} Stonehouse (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
3. ^{^} Stoke (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
4. ^{^} Saltash (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
5. ^{^} Union Street (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
6. ^{^} The plans are also online (www.plymouth.gov.uk)
7. ^{^} introduced average speed cameras in Old Laira Road, Lipson, (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
8. ^{^} 1,100 speeding drivers in the first 24 hours alone. (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
9. ^{^} Millbay (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
10. ^{^} Tories accused the Labour administration of declaring “war on motorists”. (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
11. ^{^} reacted strongly to the accusation (www.plymouthherald.co.uk)
12. ^{^} Click here (chat.whatsapp.com)
13. ^{^} Privacy Notice (www.reachplc.com)