How Scotland’s solar speed cameras have failed... due to a lack of SUN
THEY were envisaged as a simple, yet effective way of letting drivers know when they were speeding.
However, radar speed signs – famous for their alternating happy or angry faces – are being rendered useless in Scotland due to budgetary constraints and the country’s cloudy skies.
A Mail on Sunday investigation shows some cash-strapped councils have abandoned the network of signs, with many left broken and others unchecked for as long as five years.
In the Borders, the local council admits it has been forced to replace solar-powered units which have failed due to a lack of sunlight and the gloomy conditions in Scotland.
In another local authority area,
East Renfrewshire, 65 per cent of speed signs are no longer working and there is no budget to replace them. In North Ayrshire, 75 per cent of the signs are not in operation.
The disclosure is a major embarrassment for the Scottish Government, which says it hopes to have ‘the best road safety performance in the world’ in six years’ time.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA, said the signs have a part to play in creating safer streets. He added: ‘In the effort to eliminate road deaths, we need to use all the tools available to help reach that goal. It is disappointing the upkeep of these cameras has fallen foul of council budgets.
‘Smiley face speed cameras play a clever role in nudging driving behaviour in the right way. Speeding drivers tend to slow down to turn the angry red face and numbers into a happy green grin.
‘When working, local residents can see the difference the cameras play in keeping speed down.’
The signs were introduced in Scotland around 20 years ago, usually located where rural roads run into 30mph built-up areas.
Officials in Glasgow now report a failure rate of 50 per cent but admit they can’t be sure this is accurate as units have not been checked for five years.
There is no inspection or maintenance regime in place in Highland or East Ayrshire, while Perth and Kinross Council confirmed one of its signs has been broken for five years – with no plans to replace it. Moray Council said it has six portable signs but only one is currently working.
The revelation comes after Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop recently insisted road safety was an ‘absolute priority’ for the SNPled administration at Holyrood.
Living Streets Scotland acting co-director Anne Docherty said: ‘Being kept safe on our streets is not a “nice to have”, it is a right that many of us are being denied.’
She added: ‘We need political will and crucially investment in measures to increase road safety if we are to reduce the number of lives lost on our roads each year.’
East Renfrewshire Council, where 37 out of 57 cameras are broken, said: ‘We take our road safety duties extremely seriously.
‘The condition of each Speed Information Display sign will be assessed and they will be reinstated, if economically viable.
‘However, some are considered likely to be beyond repair and will be decommissioned.’
Transport Scotland said: ‘It is not for Ministers to intervene in a local authority’s performance of these particular duties.’