County speed camera that has caught 8,600 drivers
MOST PROLIFIC SPEEDING HOT-SPOTS ARE REVEALED IN NEW COUNCIL FIGURES
THE most prolific set of average speed cameras in Leicestershire has been revealed in the latest penalty figures released.
Leicestershire County Council runs a network of seven enforcement sites on roads which, it says, residents have flagged up as speeding hotspots.
Officials have published a new report which reveals those cameras have been triggered nearly 20,000 times in total since they began to be activated in stages just over two years ago.
The latest statistics showed more drivers have been caught breaking the 30mph limit in Burton Road in Measham than any of the other sites, with that one road accounting for almost half of the figures.
Drivers who are caught face a £100 fine and three points on their licence - unless they are given the option of paying £100 and taking a driver education workshop.
The county council has said the option of workshops mean it is impossible to calculate the income from cameras simply by multiplying the total number of offences by £100.
In any case, the money goes to the Treasury in Whitehall and attempts by the Conservative administration at County Hall to persuade the government to let it keep the first £500,000 raised each year to cover the cost of running the camera network have so far failed.
Despite the unsuccessful attempts to be allowed to retain a portion of the income, the council is now looking to expand the network – though it has not yet chosen any new sites.
Councillor Trevor Pendleton, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “I’m delighted that we’re considering trialling the average speed enforcement programme again. It highlights our commitment to make our roads as safe as they can be. The scheme has proved that it can make a difference in communities, whose lives are blighted by the effects of speeding motorists, and, if approved, we believe the new cameras will make a positive change to driver behaviour.
“We will also work with communities where average speed cameras are not a suitable option and look at alternative speed enforcement measures, such as our Community Speed Watch scheme and vehicle activated signs.”
The full figures of the seven sites are:
1: Measham (Burton Road) 8,600 2: Walcote (Lutterworth Road) 5,512
3: A50 (Bradgate Hill) 4,715 4: Oadby (A6) 317
5: Sharnford (B4114) 315 6: Woodhouse Eaves (Beacon Road) 237
7: Freeby (B676)