New speed camera scheme to be rolled out

New cameras are set to be installed across speeding hot spots in the West Midlands.

A deal has been reached by West Midlands Police, the Police and Crime Commissioner and West Midlands Combined Authority to help target more speeding drivers.

The Joint Working Agreement will aim to help the bodies reach their targets to halve the number of deaths and serious injuries on the roads by 2030 to zero by 2040.

The agreement will be discussed by members of the WMCA's Transport Delivery Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 6 May.

Mat MacDonald, West Midlands Road Safety Commissioner, said average speed enforcement is a "critical tool" in getting the most dangerous drivers off the roads.

He said: "Rolling this technology out will without a doubt prevent collisions, save lives and make journeys less dangerous for everyone who uses our road network."

The new agreement will enable:

• New cameras to be installed in the places where the risk of death or serious injury on roads is greatest

• Cameras to be better maintained

• Better use of existing cameras

• Other types of camera enforcement, such as "spot cameras" that use the latest technology to more easily capture images of speeding cars, and red-light cameras

• More fines to be issued which leads to more drivers going on speed awareness courses, to encourage more people to stay within the speed limit

Mayor of the West Midlands Richard Parker, said the scheme will help bring more offenders to justice.

"It's a tragedy that so many lives are lost on our roads each year – the impact on victims' families is truly heartbreaking," he said.

"Unfortunately, speeding and dangerous driving is blighting our region which is why we are cracking down on those who are determined to use our streets as a racetrack."

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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