West Mercia’s Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC) and a Shropshire councillor have clashed over whether there should be average speed cameras on a notorious road.
A report delivered to the Police and Crime Panel said that PCC John Campion (pictured below, right) “has expressed frustration” over the lack of progress over delivering the scheme on the 26.7-mile route of the A41 between the M54 at Tong and the Prees roundabout near Whitchurch.
It comes after a report jointly commissioned by Telford & Wrekin Council and Shropshire Council concluded that an an average speed camera scheme for the road is not recommended.
In 2022, Mr Campion allocated £600,000 for road safety measures across the West Mercia force area, including new staff for the police road safety team and two additional mobile speed camera vans. Of that funding, £400,000 was specifically set aside for developing and delivering average speed camera schemes in Shropshire and Herefordshire, subject to business case approval.
However, while the A49 in Herefordshire is set to benefit from a new scheme, the A41 is not.
The Amey report found that the A41 had a KSI (killed or seriously injured) severity ratio of 31.8 per cent, compared with 20.4 per cent nationally, indicating that collisions were significantly more severe than average.
It added that many crashes occurred at junctions, and found defects including poor visibility, worn road markings, and inconsistent lane widths.
However, it did not recommend an average speed camera scheme on the road, stating: “It has been identified that parts of the route may contain very old culvert structures that should receive investigation to ascertain their existing structural profile as well as a lack of justification for the implementation of safety cameras.”
Mr Campion and Mark Pritchard, the MP for The Wrekin, condemned the decision, with the latter saying he was “hugely annoyed” with both councils. Mr Campion added that, after three years, the report does not support the greater use of technology on the road.
However, Councillor Roger Evans (pictured above, left), a Shropshire councillor who is the portfolio holder for finance, said that neither councils have deemed it not necessary, or that it is not recommended.
(Pics: Maplilary; Shropshire Council)
