Transport secretary, Geoff Hoon, has claimed that average-speed cameras are ‘fairer’ than traditional fixed safety cameras.
He told the Sunday Times newspaper that cameras which measured speeds at a fixed point were ‘seen by some as unfair, because when you are driving along you perhaps don’t notice your speed’.
But limits were ‘largely observed by motorists’ where cameras measuring the average speed over a section of road were in place, he said.
Average-speed cameras reduced fuel consumption, he said, and by ‘encouraging a smoother flow of traffic, you are getting greater reliability’. His comments came as his department prepares a consultation on a new post-2010 road safety strategy.
DfT research suggests that time-over-distance cameras, first installed eight years ago, are equally as effective in reducing the number of collisions and casualties as other fixed cameras, and have been particularly effective in cutting excessive speeds – 15mph over the signed limit. SCS Speed Check Services, the average-speed camera manufacturer, has cited research that the cameras are ‘hugely effective’ (Surveyor, 6 December 2007).
An installation covering a 3.5km stretch of the A631 in Nottinghamshire – where Hoon is an MP – which was one of the first places where the cameras were deployed has eliminated deaths and serious injuries.
Register now for full access
Register just once to get unrestricted, real-time coverage of the issues and challenges facing UK transport and highways engineers.
Full website content includes the latest news, exclusive commentary from leading industry figures and detailed topical analysis of the highways, transportation, environment and place-shaping sectors.
Use the link below to register your details for full, free access.
Already a registered? Login
