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20
May
Time to consider fixed speed cameras in North Yorkshire, says chief constable
North Yorkshire should consider introducing average speed cameras and fixed speed cameras, the chief constable of North Yorkshire Police has said.
Tim Forber told an online meeting on neighbourhood policing, which was chaired by deputy mayor for policing, Jo Coles, that such a move would help to reduce deaths on the county’s road network.
North Yorkshire currently has no fixed speed cameras. However police use mobile units to catch speeding motorists.
But Mr Forber said that it was time to consider introducing speed cameras on some roads in the county.
He said:
This is the only county I have worked in in nearly 30 years as a police officer where we don’t have a fixed speed camera network.
Given the fact that we have such an extensive and expensive strategic road network, I think it is absolutely time to consider that. From my part, that’s the opinion I give through the road safety partnership up to the highways authority.
I think that speed camera vans we use to good effect, particularly in some of our rural villages. But I do think on our strategic road network we need to employ technology like average speed cameras and fixed speed cameras to make sure there is a permanence reduction in speed in some of these areas.
Currently, police use mobile speed camera vans to monitor speeding motorists on the county’s roads.
In January and February this year, force statistics show vans were in place at 96 locations in the Harrogate district, including on the A59 near Blubberhouses, junction 48 of the A1(M) near Boroughbridge and the A658 at North Rigton.
A police speed van.
However, some people believe the county needs fixed cameras.
In November, councillors in villages including Ampleforth, Settle and Shipton by Beningbrough, wrote to David Skaith, mayor of York and North Yorkshire, calling for speed cameras to be introduced in the county in order to enforce speed limits.
Mr Forber said his views on the matter were not about “targeting speeding for speeding’s sake”. He said:
I do think that the step change, particularly given the size of the county and the extent of the strategic road network, is to think about a different approach relating to speed cameras.
Things like average speed cameras and fixed cameras building on some of the capabilities that we have got would be a good thing in terms of slowing people down. This is not about targeting speeding for speeding’s sake. It is about getting people to slow down so that less people are killed on the road.
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