Council to spend £420k on speed camera upgrade

CARDIFF council is to spend almost £420,000 upgrading its speed cameras from film to digital cameras.

The existing cameras all currently still use 35mm roll film to record images.

They then have to be processed before being turned into digital images before drivers are notified and either fined or prosecuted.

The council say the new technology will allow data from the cameras to be transferred directly to a police processing unit through either a 3G signal or an ADSL link, which Cardiff council say will improve efficiency and reduce costs. The new cameras will cost £419,000. Six cameras will be replaced by March 31. They are the cameras at Wellington Street/Wells Street in Riverside; Newport Road/Castle View, Rumney; Circle Way West/Ael-y-Bryn in Pentwyn; Rhiwbina Hill in Rhiwbina; Greenway Road/Hendre Road in Trowbridge, and; Greenway Road/Llanstephan Road in Rumney.

Three further red light cameras will also be upgraded at Adam Street/Central Link in Adamsdown; Newport Road/Claremont Avenue in Rumney, and; Fitzalan Place/Adam Street in Adamsdown.

The new cameras will remain yellow but will be mounted on columns similar to a street light. These will replace six existing fixed speed cameras and three existing red light cameras.

Council cabinet member Caro Wild said he hoped to reduce speeds on city roads to encourage people to use sustainable forms of transport.

Cllr Wild said: “Speed cameras are in place for a reason – they reduce casualties and save lives. We ask all motorists to abide by both the Highway Code and the speed limit that has been set for the safety of all road users and residents.”

The GoSafe Partnership is responsible for operating all speed cameras across Cardiff but the council has secured funding for new cameras and will install them for the partnership.

The new cameras have been funded through the Welsh Government’s Road Safety Grant.

Cameras can only be where strict criteria is met.

For fixed speed cameras the area of road must have had three fatal or serious injuries – or a large number of slight injury collisions in three years – with at least 15% of vehicles travelling more than 10% over the speed limit. installed