Cameras finally get up to speed
SPEED cameras on Rochdale’s smart motorways have finally been switched on – FIVE months after it opened.
The £208m project covering the M60 between junction 20 for the M62 at Rochdale and junction 8 for Sale was completed at the end of July 2018.
It introduced new technology such as CCTV to monitor traffic, electronic signs to alert drivers to variable speed limits to ease congestion, and speed cameras to catch speeding motorists.
At the time Highways England, which runs the motorway network, hailed the smart motorway project as ‘live’ and ‘fully-operational’.
But an investigation by the our sister paper the M.E.N revealed that none of the speed cameras had been switched on.
Highways England blamed the delay on its work to align the cameras with the new road layout.
As a result Greater Manchester Police, which will eventually enforce the speed limit, had to wait months to test that the cameras actually worked, delaying the process further.
GMP has now confirmed that the cameras which will be operational at all times, not just when the variable speed limit is in operation - were switched on on January 1.
Chief Inspector Gareth Parkin from Greater Manchester Police said: “The speed cameras on the M60 / M62 are now operational and complement our motorway patrols, which will see officers targeting speeding motorists and those who drive in an anti-social manner which can often cause serious and fatal collisions.
“Speeding puts lives in serious danger and is sadly one of the top contributors of deaths on our roads.
“We would ask that drivers always adhere to the speed limit - not because you fear being caught but because you don’t want to cause serious injury or worse still, death, to yourself or others. It’s better to arrive late than never.”
Speed camera delays have dogged the regional smart motorways project.
When construction works started in 2014, the temporary 50mph speed limit was meant to be enforced by 50 temporary average speed checkers and 132 CCTV cameras.
But the cameras lay dormant for five months amid a row about their legality, allowing hundreds of speeding motorists to escape prosecution.
Once they were up and running, they caught out tens of thousands of motorists, dishing out more than £8m in fines during the four year construction process.
An investigation revealed that 80,642 fixed penalty notices were issued during the upgrade.