Cameras to enforce town's daytime traffic ban

Cameras are to be installed to help enforce a daytime high street traffic ban in a bid to make the area more pedestrian-friendly.

Cornwall Council said announced cameras were to be installed at both ends of Market Jew Street in Penzance and operate from 28 September.

Restrictions preventing cars and delivery vehicles from entering the street between 11:00 and 16:00 have been in place since 2020 to provide space for pedestrians and cyclists.

However, the ban has been widely ignored, with council figures showing that up to 600 vehicles a day were continuing to use the route during the restricted period.

The new cameras would also enforce a no right-turn restriction in place at the junction of Adelaide Street and Market Jew Street, and the no-entry restriction for all traffic except buses at the Market Place end of the street, the council said.

Taxis would be able to continue to travel on the street as usual from the Albert Street end of the road during the restricted period, it added.

Councillor Dan Rogerson, the council's portfolio holder for transport, said the restrictions have helped create a "much more pleasant environment for shoppers and visitors".

He added: "However, there are a large number of people who continue to flout the restrictions, which creates some real safety concerns.

"We have consulted widely on this scheme, and people have strongly supported our aim of making the town centre more accessible and a more pleasant place to visit, and these cameras will help deliver those changes."

The changes have come as part of Penzance's Town Deal improvements, with £21m being spent to transform the town centre.

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