No fines for 35k motorway drivers
MORE than 35,000 people have got away with exceeding the 50mph speed limit on the M4 near Port Talbot since new cameras were installed a year ago.
A permanent 50mph speed limit was introduced between junctions 41 and 42 of the M4 with new average speed cameras which went live in September last year.
But it has now been revealed that no drivers caught exceeding the speed limit have been fined or received penalty points.
The Welsh Government said the cameras are instead only “monitoring” activity and that this is to help reduce pollution.
A spokesman said: “The average speed cameras have been monitoring traffic speeds as a measure to help reduce harmful levels of nitrogen dioxide, and average speeds have remained below 50mph.
“We are considering further action for the minority of drivers above the speed limit, working with the police and Gosafe.
“By adhering to the 50mph limit drivers are helping to improve air quality while also making our roads safer.”
If fines are introduced in the future, they will apply from the moment that decision is made, and not retrospectively.
Figures released by the Welsh Government show that between September 2019 and June 2020, 35,091 drivers exceeded the suggested NPCC (National Police Chiefs’ Council) speed threshold. Out of these, 16,705 were travelling eastbound and 18,386 were travelling westbound.
The figures do not include the data for the months of November and December 2019. The
Welsh Government said this was because of a fault with the camera suppliers’ IT equipment.
The highest average speed recorded since the average speed cameras were introduced was 49.8 miles per hour on the eastbound carriageway in April and May this year.
The ‘mean speed’ recorded by drivers along the junctions between June 2018 and August 2019, before the cameras went live, was 55mph.
When the cameras were installed last year, the Welsh Government said they were “aimed at reducing emissions and delivering vital improvements in air quality.”
It came after a report published by the Welsh Government exploring the different options to reduce pollution in the area, and proposed to make the temporary 50mph speed limits permanent to achieve legal limits for NO2 within the shortest possible time.