MEASURES to stop speeding motorists on the South Devon Highway could be put in place.

Four new bays could be installed along the £110m road where police vans can wait and keep an eye on drivers.

But the force insist the road isn’t dangerous enough to warrant average speed cameras or regular patrols.

A report which went before Thursday’s highways and traffic orders committee showed that in the last 12 months, there has been a four per cent increase in the number of people using the road.

In the same period of time it also revealed there had been nine traffic collisions which had left people injured - five of them seriously.

In the summer police revealed the average speed on the 50mph stretch of road was around 66mph. But that has now dropped to around 62mph.

Cllr Alistair Dewhirst called for average speed cameras to be put in place like the ones at Telegraph Hill.

But his suggestion was quashed because it was deemed to be too expensive.

The meeting was told that creating two pull-in bays and two other bays for enforcement teams would cost some £120,000.

Cllr Dewhirst said: ‘The cost of the proposed work is nearly half the cost of average speed cameras and we have seen a great affect that they have had on Telegraph Hill in reducing speeds, and that is the way and the direction that we should be going.’

The committee unanimously agreed that the investigation and design of the hard standings should go ahead and funding opportunities be explored.

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