A72 gets speed cams to reduce accidents
New speed cameras will be put in place in Hamilton in a national bid to reduce road accidents.
The A72 Carlisle Road at Ferniegair/ Allanton is one of the 24 chosen locations to improve road safety and enforce speed limit compliance.
The back road was reduced from national speed limit to 50mph sometime between August 2011 and August 2015 and changed again to 30mph in 2017. It followed calls from a Larkhall mum who lost her daughter in a fatal accident there in July 2015. The move was followed by resurfacing works to make the area safer.
Gordon Mackay, Head of Roads and Transportation at South Lanarkshire Council, said: “Working in partnership with us, the Safety Camera Programme Office has approved the establishment of a mobile camera site on the A72 Carlisle Road within the built-up area of Ferniegair due to the number of injury accidents there that have involved excessive speed.
“This will allow Police Scotland to use a mobile safety camera at this location as and when needed, complementing engineering measures already put in place by the council on this section of road and encouraging drivers who may otherwise speed there to behave more safely.”
West Safety Camera manager Alan Bowater added: “There have been a concerning number of injury collisions at this location where excess speed has been a factor, which means that these could have been avoided. And despite being reduced, many drivers are not complying with the speed limit. By introducing a new mobile enforcement site at this location we are hoping to reduce the number of casualties on this section of road by encouraging improved levels of speed limit compliance and modifying driver behaviour. The mobile camera vans provide a visible deterrent to those drivers who risk travelling above the speed limit which has been put in place for the safety of all road users.”
Transport Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2030 sets out a compelling long-term vision for road safety, Vision Zero, where there are zero fatalities and injuries on Scotland’s roads by 2050. The journey to achieving this vision will also include ambitious interim targets where the number of people being killed or seriously injured on our roads will be halved by 2030.
A consultation process is taking place where views are sought to inform proposals for achieving the targets which will be crucial to Scotland having the best road safety performance in the world.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity Michael Matheson launched the consultation whilst also announcing a £675,000 funding allocation to support the 24 newly identified safety camera sites. This work will improve road safety by encouraging improved driver behaviour and speed limit compliance at key areas.
Mr Matheson said: “Our Road Safety Framework to 2020 has supported a reduction in the numbers of people killed or seriously injured in Scotland’s roads. It’s remarkable that even with a 27 per cent rise in traffic since 1995, we’ve seen a 61 per cent decrease in road collisions across the same period.
“Even though we are on track to meet the 2020 target for reductions in the number of people killed on our roads – this brings no consolation to the family and friends who have been left completely devastated by the death of loved ones on our roads. We must do more – and the positive improvements we’ve made, stem from a collective belief by all road safety partners in Scotland, that road deaths are not an inevitability. We believe that they are preventable. Our ambition for Vision Zero by 2050, is achievable, and I believe can be made a reality, by fully embedding the Safe System approach to road safety.
“We all have a collective responsibility to look out for each other on our roads – so have your say through our consultation and let’s deliver a framework that will save lives across the next decade.”