FADING FAST
BIG DROP IN NUMBER OF ROAD SAFETY DEVICES
Just one in three of Police Scotland’s fixed speed cameras can catch motoris ts breaking the limit, a Sunday Mail investigation reveals.
The number of f ixed camera sites on roads has dropped to 136 across Scotland over the past 12 months. But only 48 of them contain cameras able to record a driver breaking the law. The force says it rotates the active speed sensors around the country, with just two unnamed sites c ont a i n i n g a camera at all times. The revelation comes months after Transport Secretary Michael Matheson promised to deploy more average speed cameras on our roads to cut crash deaths. Experts say authorities were increasingly using other types of speed sensors to catch unlawful motorists. Figures from
Gordon Blackstock
Police Scotland show the number of f ixed camera sites has gone from 154 to 136 in the past year.
Like other sensors, fixed cameras use radar to measure the speed of vehicles. Once a vehicle has been detected exceeding the l imit, the camera confirms the offence by taking two photographs half a second apart.
The road markings at fixed camera sites are at a fixed distance two metres apart. Dummy cameras still flash but don’t record the offence.
Rebecca Ashton, of the Institute of Advanced Motoring, said: “The role of speed cameras is to counter speeding and not generate revenue.
“Fixed speed cameras have reduced accidents at blackspots.
“But it is the case that, with tight budgets, authorities are looking at deploying other types of cameras to help stop speeding.”
Aberdeenshire has seen the biggest reduction in fixed speed cameras in recent years.
The number of fixed cameras there has gone down from nine in August 2017 to one in August 2019.
Glasgow has seen the figure go down from 31 to 28 and Edinburgh from 30 to 28. Experts say it shows authorities are utilising newer forms of cameras to capture speeding drivers.
As well as fixed speed cameras, Police Scotland use average, mobile and red light cameras in their fight against law-breaking motorists.
In recent years, increasing numbers of average speed cameras have been used. The devices have been credited with almost halving the number of fatal accidents since they were installed on the A9 between Dunblane and Invernes s f ive years ago.
In June , Matheson said: “Selection criteria for safety cameras have been revised in the past year and I am clear we will see more average speed camera systems in Scotland in the future.”
Police Scotland safety camera unit manager Eric Dunion said: “We’re committed to the continued use of fixed cameras, which have the advantage of being able to enforce at a site 24 hours a day.
“We have 48 fixed speed cameras that regularly rotate between sites. They are an effective deterrent.”