New average speed cameras on the way to West Midlands
July 8, 2013 11:00 am
EXCLUSIVE. Average speed cameras will be used on the streets of the West Midlands to replace redundant traps, it can be revealed today.
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A trial scheme is to bring the disused yellow Gatso camera housings back into use.
And the Express & Star has learned the number of people caught speeding has dropped by three quarters in the three months since they were turned off.
Councils, police and fire services and the Highways Agency will install the average speed cameras into some of the empty housings as well as new locations.
They work by measuring a driver’s speed over a particular distance, meaning motorists cannot avoid a fine simply by putting on the brakes when they see a camera. Average speed cameras are often used on motorways, particularly when there are roadworks and temporary speed limits of 50mph.
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The old Gatso speed cameras in the West Midlands were turned off at the start of April because West Midlands Police could no longer afford the £1m a year running costs due to budget cuts. There are now 305 dummy housings still in place.
West Midlands Police increased the number of mobile cameras in vans it was using from two to four to try to compensate.
But new figures obtained by the Express & Star showed that just 5,184 people were caught by the mobile cameras in April and May 2013, compared with 22,871 caught in the same months last year by the fixed and mobile cameras.
The new vans cost £23,798 each to buy and the cameras to go in them cost £18,915 each.
Steve McCarthy, Birmingham City Council spokesman, said: “Average speed cameras have been demonstrated to have a stronger deterrent effect than spot speed cameras and are of particular value in addressing the issue of street racing.”
I missed this notification. But interesting to see the very negative poll. The feelign I get is that more and more people detest speed cameras.