Nearly 600 drivers have been caught out by a county's only red-light camera, new figures shows.
Cornwall is set to get another red-light camera (RLC) following the operation of the existing one in Truro, it has emerged. There are currently only three cameras of this type in neighbouring Devon.
Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed that over the past few years, a number of people had been caught going through red lights, but this was only because RLCs had picked them up and not because they were spotted by a sharp-eyed and conveniently placed police officer.
A recent Freedom of Information (FoI) request answered by the force shows there are three RLCs in Plymouth, Devon, one in Truro and now, there will be a new one erected in Cornwall, home to approximately 570,000 people.
According to the police's Road Safety Team, the "red light" camera in Truro amassed a staggering 575 red-light runners since it went live in April 2022. The site also has a speed camera which caught more than 3,000 motorists in one month alone - June 2022.
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Meanwhile, another RLC in Plymouth saw 149 offences taken place since October 2020. The camera is one of the city's busiest speed cameras, activating a total of 18,838 between 2016 and 2018. The nearby Mannamead Road red light camera, which did not go live until February 2020, has only caught 36 motorists ignoring the signals.
In response to more questions by Cornwall Live about the cameras, Vision Zero South West (VZSW), working in collaboration with local authorities across the two counties and National Highways, has confirmed it has begun investment to update some of the ageing static speed and red light cameras in Devon and Cornwall.
A spokesperson for the VZSW said the organisation recognised camera systems were not always popular, but were "sometimes necessary to improve road speed and red light compliance".
The spokesperson said the new camera in Cornwall "will be switched on imminently" in St Austell. It urges motorists to keep to the speed limits and obey the traffic lights which will help to make roads safe.
Former police superintendent Adrian Leisk, now head of road safety for VZSW, previously explained: "We know speed cameras work to reduce speeding and that speed is a contributory factor in many collisions.
"Travelling too fast not only gives drivers less time to react, it also increases the likelihood of injury in the event of a collision. Cameras such as these, not only enable us to prosecute those who jump red lights or drive at dangerous speeds, but importantly allow us to refer the vast majority into driver education training. This is offered as an alternative to prosecution because we know it changes behaviour and reduces the risk of an offender subsequently being involved in a collision."
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