RESIDENTS along a section of the old A30 want a slip road onto the dual carriageway to be improved in a bid to stop heavy lorries rumbling past their homes.

Almost 30 residents were at a meeting in Bridestowe on Monday to voice concerns about traffic on the old main road between Stone Farm and Combebow.

They told Devon County Council representative Nick Pogodin that the road — part of the scenic West Devon Drive — was being used as a speed track by many motorists and motorcyclists, endangering walkers, cyclists and horse-riders.

They also said heavy lorries from factories at Lifton trundled 12 miles along the road to Sourton Cross to join the A30 rather than use the Sprytown Cross entry.

Neon Reynolds, who chaired the meeting, said: 'Heavy goods vehicles from Lifton should join the A30 at Sprytown Cross, but I'm told that one of the reasons they don't is that the exit and entrance sliproads are appallingly bad and dangerous.'

Mr Pogodin said the sliproads were very short but had been designed to the standards required by central government for the dual-carriageway.

'We would like to dissuade lorries from using West Devon Drive,' he said, suggesting the campaigners contact the Highways Agency asking if the sliproads could be improved.

Police have told residents that if a 40mph speed limit was placed on the residents' stretch of road it would be difficult to enforce.

But Mr Reynolds said residents did not accept that.

Combebow resident June Hewer said a 40mph limit was introduced at Folly Gate after a campaign and, following initial prosecutions, was now largely observed by motorists.

And Bridestowe resident Vanessa Pearce said when an accident on the A30 caused traffic to be diverted, motorists drove too fast because there was no lower speed limit.

It was suggested that footpaths and cycleways would go hand-in-hand with a 40mph limit.

Mr Pogodin said a 40mph limit along the entire length of West Devon Drive would be largely ignored by many motorists who would drive 'according to road conditions'.

He said traffic sensors recently placed on the road near Little Bidlake had registered an average speed of 57mph — just inside the 60mph limit, but, being an average, suggesting many motorists were breaking the limit.

'That is an indication of the speeds and bearing in mind the houses there we would like to do something,' he said.

But Mr Pogodin stressed that measures could not be implemented immediately. Any traffic plan had to look at the entire length of West Devon Drive and not just one section of it.

He added that there was a need to change the 'atmosphere' of the road so that it was clear it had been downgraded. Changing the three-lane sections to two would help, but would be expensive to implement and could not be done for at least 12 years.

County councillor Christine Marsh told the meeting it was important for the county to hear the views of residents. 'We must also talk to the other parishes along the road — this is the first of many meetings,' she said.

The campaign group is to write to the chief constable of Devon and Cornwall expressing fears about the road and asking for police to attend a meeting.