Enforcement cameras switched on to stop drivers
The cameras are being switched on after research apparently finds 600 cars a day flouting rules.
**Enforcement cameras switched on to stop drivers**
**Anyone driving up Market Jew Street during the day will now be fined**
Enforcement cameras designed to stop motorists driving along a town centre’s main street are being activated.
Drivers of private cars could receive a £70 fine if they drive up Market Jew Street in Penzance, Cornwall, between 11:00 and 16:00, Cornwall Council said.
The ban on cars using the street has been in place since 2022, but recent analysis found an average of 600 cars a day were breaking the rules, the council added.
Some businesses oppose the change, with one shop owner saying it is “not needed” to stop motorists using the street. Cornwall Council said “a large number of people” were still “to flout the restrictions, which creates some real safety concerns”.
**BID manager Sarah Shaw says too many drivers were ignoring the signs**
Sarah Shaw, manager of the business improvement district (BID) representing shops, said: “Over the summer, we used a counter to measure the number of cars driving up the street and it was an average of 600 cars. That's two per minute.
“We're trying to create at atmosphere where people stay longer in the town and that number of cars is just not tenable.
“It’s been a turbulent couple of years with road closures and roadworks, but we’re at the end of it now and I hope people rediscover Penzance.”
**Pizza restaurant owner Salvador Daninos says the cameras are “not needed”**
Salvador Daninos, who runs a pizza restaurant just a few metres from the newly installed cameras, said: “I don't think that the cameras are needed to block this area off for drivers during the daytime.
“Penzance is not like St Ives, we're not rammed with pedestrians.
“I think it's just another inconvenience. People with mobility issues are going to suffer.
“Having a car and being able to stop at a shop and pick a few things up is good for the town.
“It seems to me to be a council scheme to get more money from people rather than something beneficial for them.”
**Kirsty Clarke says the cameras will make the situation “ten times worse”**
Kirsty Clarke, who runs a dog grooming business near the enforcement cameras, said: “After 4 o'clock, delivery drivers who want to serve the businesses in the town have nowhere to park because all the cars drive up the street too.
“Every day I see buses having to reverse because of cars, taxis, and they'll still be allowed on Market Jew Street under the rules.
“At some point there's going to be an accident, someone is going to get hurt.
“I think the planters need to be removed because there's no place for vehicles to pass each other.”
Blue Badge holders are not exempt from the restrictions.
However, officials said a Blue Badge holder who parked on the street before the restrictions began at 11:00 would be able to leave without being penalised.
Dan Rogerson, Cornwall Council’s portfolio holder for transport, said: “The restrictions were put in place as party of the Penzance Healthy Streets project, and have helped create a much more pleasant environment for shoppers and visitors.
“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.”