VEHICLES continue to use Queen Street as normal despite new restrictions.

With work to the Newton Abbot road having been substantially completed, it has reopened to traffic as of Monday, October 28.

But not all traffic is permitted to access the road past Albany Street.

The joint Devon County Council (DCC) and Teignbridge District Council (TDC) project sees the stretch of road between Albany Street and Courtenay Street dubbed a ‘Pedestrian and Cycle Zone’.

Access is restricted to disabled badge holders, taxis, buses, cycles and vehicles loading and unloading, though many drivers are simply ignoring the new restrictions and using the road as normal, and with no physical barrier or ANPR camera of any kind, it is not entirely clear what will stop drivers from continuing to do so.

The police do not have the resources to enforce the Traffic Regulation Orders (TRO), or, at the very least, they did not at the time of the TRO consultation in October of 2022, when the then local inspector said as much at a meeting, the Mid-Devon Advertiser understands.

Officers have been present on Monday and Tuesday to direct drivers to exit Queen Street via Albany Street.

DCC have been contacted for comment.

Opinion on the change is split, with some saying Queen Street should never have been changed in the first place, whereas others are calling for people to respect the new rules, regardless of whether they like them or not.