Danger roads targeted in war on speed
ROUTES where 13 people have lost their lives in road collisions, including one in West Lancashire, are being targeted in the hope of cutting the number of casualties.
Over the past six years, 13 people have been killed on the eight roads being addressed.
The there has been a total of 406 casualties on the routes around Lancashire, with 62 people suffering serious or life changing injuries since 2011.
The Lancashire Road Safety Partnership has given the go ahead for new “average speed” cameras to be introduced on the routes in the hope of reducing the death toll.
The A565 Southport Road between Mere Brow and Banks will be one of the roads to receive the new system.
The cameras will use number plate recognition technology to detect vehicles and calculate their average speed by measuring the time taken to travel between fixed points of a known distance.
“Average speed check signs” will be used to inform drivers that they are entering an average speed control zone.
Clive Grunshaw, Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire, said: “In an ideal world drivers would observe the speed limit and we would never have speed related casualties and deaths; but we all know that that is not the case.
“The casualty toll on these routes has to be tackled and therefore I am pleased that the Lancashire Road Safety Partnership is investing to make these routes safer for all.
“Evidence shows that speed is often a factor in road deaths and serious collisions, so these measures should help to save lives.”
County Councillor John Fillis, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “Our roads have become much safer over the past decade with far fewer casualties overall.
“However there are particular roads where the record of speed related casualties remains high, despite considerable investment in targeted safety engineering measures.
“The evidence suggests that average speed cameras will help to tackle this problem, and I look forward to these roads becoming safer following their introduction.”
Cameras will cover traffic flow in both directions. The routes are:
A565 Southport Road (1.2m) between B5246 at Mere Brow and the Gravel Lane roundabout at Banks.
A583 Preston New Road (7.5m) between M55 Junction 3 (Peel Road, Peel Hill), through Kirkham bypass, and Blackpool Road at Preston Old Road, Clifton.
A588 Head Dyke Lane, Pilling (2m) between Fold House Caravan Park and Bourbles Lane.
A59 Brockholes Brow, Preston (0.5m) between M6 junction 31 and Glenluce Drive.
A6 London Road, Preston (0.7m) between Capitol Centre (Winery Lane) and Albyn Street East.
A675 in Belmont (8.5m) between M65 junction 3, through Abbey Village and Belmont to Scout Road.
A682 Gisburn Road, Pendle (5.2m) between A59 at Gisburn and Whittycroft Avenue (between Barrowford and Blacko).
B6232 Grane Road, Haslingden (4.7m) between A56 through Haslingden Grane to A6177 Elton Road junction with Sough Lane.
There will be sanctions for anyone detected breaking the speed limits – where eligible, they will be given the opportunity to attend a speed awareness course to learn about the dangers of speeding, accept a conditional offer of a fixed penalty or for higher speeds the matter may be referred to court.
More information about the average speed cameras can be found on the road safety partnership website: www.safe2travel.co.uk/speed