I pleaded guilty to speeding - but I'm in the right

A DRIVER caught speeding along Gdynia Way has told a court how a lack of road signs along the notorious stretch is an "injustice to motorists".

Simon Turner, who runs a sailing company, was yesterday fined at Plymouth Magistrates' Court after he pleaded guilty to driving 38mph in a 30mph zone.

But the 53-year-old, of Yelverton, has vowed to carry on his fight for more road signs – and said he would appeal to local MPs.

Turner told magistrates the signage along Gdynia Way was "inadequate and misleading", as just one small 30mph appeared just before Embankment Road, after speed cameras.

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There has been ongoing controversy surrounding the stretch of road.

Until last year's multi-million-pound East End roadworks, Gdynia Way had been a 40mph zone.

But speed camera enforcers have insisted they are "absolutely confident" all necessary signing is in place. Mr Turner told the court he believed dozens of driver had attended speed awareness courses over a six-month period.

"If cameras are installed as 'safety cameras', then surely their primary purpose is to reduce the risk of accidents by enforcing the speed limit," he said. "These specific cameras are not doing a particularly good job, evidenced by the numbers of motorists being caught."

He brought attention to cab driver Dean Gillard who was forced to change jobs after being caught three times breaking the 30mph limit.

"It is not my intention to whine about my own case," he said.

"Rather, I am concerned at what I see as an injustice to motorists across the board and hope by taking this matter to court I have made sure the points I have raised are brought into the public domain."

Magistrates said they were in no position to change road safety and could only deal with speeding.

They fined Turner £60, charged him £55 in costs and had three points taken off his driving licence.

He had told the bench how he also wanted to highlight the issue because he felt children's lives could be at risk if they ran out in front of drivers who did not realise they were speeding.

Turner said after the hearing: "Road safety has been lost along the way. Fining someone two months after an incident doesn't help the three-year-old child who might get knocked down."

Natalie Hatswell of Devon and Cornwall Safety Camera Partnership, told The Herald: "The cameras are absolutely working.

"There have been no accidents and most people driving down there are complying to speed limits."

She said Turner was caught along Gdynia Way after leaving the Cattedown roundabout from the direction of the city centre.

She said the speed limit would have been 30mph all the way along and that would not have changed unless there were big signs indicating the new limit. Signs saying 40mph do not come into sight until Embankment Road, she said.

Ms Hatswell said motorists approaching from the other direction should register big 30mph signs close to Morrisons supermarket and those coming from Plymstock should be driving at 30mph.

"At the end of the day people have to take responsibility if they're going to drive a car," she added. "You have to make sure your knowledge of the Highway Code is sufficient to make you a competent driver."

The Herald requested figures from Devon and Cornwall Safety Camera Partnership to show the number of drivers caught speeding along this route but was told this information was not available. Data is expected to be released over the next few weeks.

A Plymouth City Council spokeswoman said: "Gdynia Way has been a 30mph speed limit since last November when it opened. When the speed limit changed from 40mph appropriate signs were put up on the road. The Highway Code states that in areas of street lighting the speed limit is 30mph unless another limit is specifically signed."