Drivers in England face new 30mph speed limit on dual carriageway

A UK dual-carriageway which is a major thoroughfare for drivers and motorists in the south of England has introduced a "ridiculously slow" speed limit. New speed cameras are part of a range of measures which also include improved signage and road layouts, new lighting, and changes to speed limits.

Saltash Tunnel, in Saltash, Cornwall, is set to see the introduction of a 30mph speed limit with the reduction from 70mph to 50mph between the tunnel and Carkeel roundabout, and then a 30mph limit through the tunnel and along the B3271 and North Road diversion routes.

Julian Mitchell, National Highways' tunnel manager, told CornwallLive: "The speed reduction measures are much needed and we see the scheme as part of the overall programme."A National Highways spokesperson confirmed that the speed limit is now "enforceable between the tunnel and Carkeel roundabout".

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It added that "the cameras will be going in over the next two weeks and will be calibrated by the end of May to early June", reports Cornwall Live. Responding to the new rule, a driver fumed: "Waste of money as speed has always been 30 mph and most people would go through at that speed so what's the point of cameras,? But to cash in on the already price of the bridge toll."

A second said: "I bet the new cameras make more money than the toll booths. I'd be all for making the bridge free and letting the speeders fund the cost of upkeep." A third said: "Tunnel has been 30 for years. The dual part could easily be 60 as 50 is way too low for a road with so few accident!

"The other section to trerulefoot is where the accidents happen and as we know from the av.speed cameras in the glum valley the accidents are caused by driver error not speed..cash cow!"

Another fumed: "If the higher than usual number of accidents occur between Carkeel Roundabout and Trerulefoot install full av speed cameras there along the whole length. I commuted to Plymouth daily for 20 years and never once witnessed an accident between the toll booths and Carkeel roundabout. I’m not saying it never happens but we all know that the real road safety issues are to the west of Carkeel. I suspect it was much cheaper to install the cash collectors, aka cameras, on this short section rather than the whole section between Carkeel and Trerulefoot even if it might have saved lives. It would be interesting to see the statistics for road deaths on these two sections of roads. I suspect most locals no the answer already"