Newton Abbot speed camera which caught over 6000 drivers backed by local councillors

A controversial Devon speed camera which caught 6,000 drivers exceeding a 30mph speed limit in its first three months has been backed by local councillors.

“Own the consequences of your actions and slow down!” Cllr Sally Morgan (Lib Dem, Bovey) told fellow members of Teignbridge Council.

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The authority overwhelmingly rejected a motion by Cllr Phil Bullivant (Con, Bradley) calling on the council to ask the highways authority why the camera had been installed, who decided when and where it should be located, and how many people had been issued with tickets for driving at 35mph or less.

The Moorlander previously reported on the initial raised concerns by Cllrs Bullivant and Hall asking colleagues to back their motion, which raised key questions about the busy camera.

Cllr Bullivant wanted to know whether the installation on Ashburton Road met national standards for speed camera locations.

He told a full council meeting that a member of his family had been issued a ticket for driving past the “invisible” camera at 34mph. 

The Association of Chief Police Officers sets a guideline of 35mph as the threshold for enforcement.

“People should not exceed the speed limits,” he said. “Speeding is unacceptable at any time, but it appears that the installation of this camera does not conform to national standards.

“I am looking for clarity on behalf of residents. This is about having appropriate checks and balances.

“If you put in an installation, it has to conform to the standards, and this does not.”

But council leader Richard Keeling (Lib Dem, Chudleigh) said: “The simple answer is, don’t speed on that road.”

Cllr Rosie Dawson (Lib Dem, Dawlish North East) said speed cameras were installed in places where there was a risk to children or vulnerable people, and Cllr Colin Parker (Lib Dem, Buckland and Milber) said it was “nonsensical” to suggest that the camera should not be there.

The Devon and Cornwall Police Road Safety Team said it installed the camera in conjunction with Devon County Council and the Vision Zero South West road safety partnership.

It is within 300 metres of a children’s play park, family centre and sheltered accommodation, and there have been nine “injury collisions” on the road in the last five years.

Camera warning signs were put up, despite them not being a legal requirement.

Police said the number of times the camera is activated is falling each month, which they say shows it is slowing drivers. 

The latest figures show that just three drivers in every thousand are travelling above the “threshold” speed.

The council voted by a large majority not to endorse Cllr Bullivant’s motion.