Road chiefs review data from Bradford Road cameras

A DRIVER was caught doing 75mph along one of Castle Bromwich’s busiest routes, following the introduction of speed cameras last summer.
The devices were installed on the Bradford Road last August and have been hailed as “a good news story” by Solihull Council.
Last month, the council’s transport and highways committee was provided with an update on how the technology had performed since it was installed a little over a year ago.
Official figures show that in the first eight months over 3,000 vehicles had activated the cameras installed on the Bradford Road. And a total of 976 cases were referred to the police’s central ticketing offices during this period.
Data released by the council suggests the worst offence was recorded back in January, when one motorist travelled past at more than twice the speed limit.
The local authority said that far more vehicles had been snapped breaking the speed limit than they had foreseen, although it will be a while before reliable data is made available to assess the impact on road safety.
Paul Tovey, the head of highway services, said: “The initial information we’ve had is really positive.
“There have been very few faults with the equipment, so it’s been quite effective in the first 12 months, which has been good to report.”
The Bradford Road camera was one of three digital devices installed in the borough amid concerns that speeding was still a major concern at a number of accident blackspots. Other cameras were put in place on Lode Lane and the Stratford Road through Hockley Heath.
Thus far, more than £50,000 in revenue has been raised from those who were caught on camera, with the money to be reinvested in the scheme.
The cash may later be spent on installing cameras at further sites, with Mr Tovey suggesting that other locations where the old fixed cameras were once in operation would be likely choices.