Coventry City Council has announced more average speed enforcement cameras will start operating in the city in the coming weeks.
Equipment from enforcement firm Jenoptik has been installed on lamp columns along Tamworth Road which will be able to measure the average speed of motorists.
The speed cameras will register the average speed of drivers along different points along stretches of the road.
This is part of the next Average Speed Enforcement programme on the main city routes where cameras have been installed by the Council and are supported by West Midlands Police.
The scheme is being backed by the West Midland Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster who visited the location to check out the cameras before they go live.
Cllr Patricia Hetherton, Cabinet Member for City Services, said: “We have been running initial checks on the equipment and have been letting motorists know that the cameras will soon be live.
“Although West Midlands Police will be enforcing the limits we hope that the fact the cameras are in place will be a warning to drivers.
“Most people respect speed limits, but there have been examples where irresponsible motorists have ignored these limits resulting in avoidable collisions that have affected many people.”
Average Speed Cameras record the registration of a car and calculate its speed by measuring the time taken to travel between set points and are seen as an effective way of reducing speed, as they can cover a longer stretch of the road compared to other cameras.
The Council is responsible for setting speed limits in the city and works closely with West Midlands Police which enforces them.
Simon Foster, Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands, said: “We pledged to improve road safety and do all we could to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads. That is why I am pleased that, over recent years, we have continued the roll out of the cameras. We have helped to get these cameras installed, and look forward to more across the West Midlands.
“These cameras are not being put in place to raise money. They will cover the costs to West Midlands Police for enforcement. The cameras are in place to keep people safe and to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads.”
Over a three-year period, 13 personal injury collisions including one fatality and two serious were recorded on Tamworth Road. The cameras cover the stretch from its junction with Radford Road to the city boundary.
Clear signs make drivers aware that they are entering an average speed control zone.
Income from motorists paying for speed awareness courses would be used to cover police costs and re-invested in maintaining and potentially extending the scheme.
(Picture – Jenoptik)
