Totnes road could get new crossing after hundreds of drivers caught speeding
A busy Totnes road where 240 drivers were recorded exceeding the speed limit in just 12 hours could be in line for a £320k pedestrian crossing
A Totnes road where almost 250 drivers broke the speed limit in just 12 hours could be in line for a new pedestrian crossing.
The busy A385, which runs up and down Bridgetown Hill, carries tens of thousands of vehicles every day and is the main road linking the town to Torbay.
Members of the South Hams Highways and Traffic Orders Committee (HATOC), who meet in Totnes next week (November 3), are being recommended to approve £322,000 for a new crossing below Jubilee Road.
There is currently no crossing at the location, and the nearest safe crossing is further down the hill towards Totnes, at the junction with Bourton Road.
The new installation would be a ‘Puffin’ crossing, a pedestrian user-friendly intelligent crossing controlled by sensors.
It uses infra-red or motion sensors to detect whether pedestrians are waiting to cross and cancels the request if someone walks away before crossing.
It can also hold the red traffic light for longer if someone is crossing slowly.
A report to the meeting says the A385 at Bridgetown Hill carried more than 16,000 vehicles over a 12-hour period when a traffic count was carried out in May.
The road has a 30mph speed limit, while a speed survey in 2023 found that the average vehicle speed was 29.8mph.
However, 15 per cent of drivers, equivalent to 240 in the sample, were recorded travelling at more than 34mph.
Local people raised their concerns in a petition to HATOC a year ago.
The report adds that the new crossing would improve access to bus stops on both sides of Bridgetown Hill, serving Paignton, Ivybridge, Kingsbridge, Stoke Gabriel and Torbay Hospital, as well as school services to King Edward VI Community College, Churston Grammar School and schools in Torquay.
It adds: “A crossing is required to provide a safe and controlled means of accessing these services, improving connectivity for local residents and supporting access to education, employment, healthcare and other essential destinations.”