3,000 motorists snared by speed cameras in year

SPEED cameras installed at three sites around Solihull caught more than 3,000 vehicles breaking the speed limit during a-12 month period.

A Freedom of Information request to West Midlands Police revealed how many offences had been passed to the central ticket office to be processed in 2017/18.

There were a total of 3,340 occasions where a driver flouted the law, with almost three quarters (2,444) of those caught having been picked up by the digital equipment in Bradford Road, Castle Bromwich.

The remainder of offences took place at the two other locations with cameras, with 523 at Lode Lane and 373 on the Stratford Road, in Hockley Heath.

The average speed enforcement cameras were installed in August 2016 at a total of eight locations across Birmingham and Solihull. Their arrival came three years after the old “wet film” devices switched off region-wide.

In 2017/18, Solihull Council received around £82,400 from the fees charged for the speed awareness course offered to those who had broken the limit. This sum helps with the ongoing maintenance of the cameras.

Councillor Ted Richards, cabinet member for transport and highways, said: “Since the average speed cameras were introduced the partnership has been monitoring traffic speeds within each area, which will help us to assess the effects of the pilot.

“Initial evidence shows that the scheme is progressing well and is expected to contribute to reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads.”

Cllr Richards, who also represents the ward where the majority of offences were recorded, confirmed that the next planned review will take place at the end of this year.

He said that at this stage the local authority would be able to were further analyse the success of the trial.

Separate data released by the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner’s office last year – which collated information from the scheme’s first 12 months – showed vehicles were slowing at all three locations in Solihull.

The Stratford Road site had seen speeds drop by 13 per cent in one direction and 17 per cent in the other. At Bradford Road the reduction was just under 16 per cent. Lode Lane saw the most modest change, with speeds down three per cent.

Reaction to the scheme has been mixed and Cllr Laura McCarthy (Lib Dem, Elmdon) said there were some complaints that the Lode Lane devices had failed to address concerns about vehicles speeding in the vicinity of the Land Rover works. “I would say that is the main frustration raised by residents,” she said.

There are other locations, however, where locals are actively lobbying for cameras to be installed.