New-style speed camera on Potteries Way as police target drivers in …
More than GBP640,000 is being spent on putting the brakes on speeding motorists in Staffordshire. The cash is being used to improve technology in fixed cameras and mobile vans deployed across Stoke-on-Trent. It comes as another of the new-look cameras has this week been installed on Stoke-on-Trent’s roads – this time on Potteries Way, in Hanley. StokeonTrentLive has previously reported[1] how the force is looking to replace an initial 20 cameras across the county with new digital devices which are able to quicken the process of identifying offending drivers.
Five cameras have already been replaced on the busy A53 including two Sneyd Green[2] – near the junctions with Norton Drive and Berwick Drive – and three in Baddeley Green[3], close to Royal Way and Nursery Avenue. There is also one on the A34 in Trent Vale[4] near the Black Lion pub. READ: Motorists beware: New-style speed cameras spring up on A34 | The old cameras are being replaced on the A34 through Trent Vale[5]
READ: Police on why they won’t say where speed camera vans will be in Stoke-on-Trent | The mobile cameras are regularly spotted on some busy routes in North Staffordshire[6] Just this week and engineers were seen installing another of the digital devices on Potteries Way, just down from the Upper Huntbach Street junction. That scheme, funded by the Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP), uses radars to accurately measure the speed of every vehicle which passes by.
And other offences, such as using a mobile phone, can also be pursued should the image show it. Police have previously confirmed how one of the devices on top of the pole acts as a flash.
One of the new cameras in Sneyd Green (Image: Pete Stonier / Stoke Sentinel)
The SSRP is investing GBP640,000 across fixed cameras and the technology used in mobile vans. Along with the mobile camera vans and fixed cameras, Staffordshire now has 80 Community Speed Watch groups – backed by 386 volunteers.
These groups will target roads in their community and pass on the details of offending drivers to Staffordshire Police. The figures have been released as officials back charity Brake’s national Road Safety Week, which got underway on November 19. That date is also World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
In Staffordshire last year 33 people were killed on the county’s roads in collisions. Helen Fisher, deputy Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue co-chairs the SSRP. She said: “Every life on our roads matters, and Road Safety Week is an opportunity to remember those who are killed or injured on our roads, and campaign for everyone’s right to make safe and healthy journeys.
Scores of motorists have been caught speeding in Staffordshire
“Whenever we driver faster than the speed limit, or too fast for the road conditions, we increase the risk of a collision, and the chance that someone we love could be killed or hurt.
“Everyone should be able to use our roads safely, so it is vital to keep your speed within the legal limit next time you get in your vehicle or on your motorbike. We all have the power to make a difference.” This year has seen Staffordshire Police hold a dedicated summer-crackdown on speeding motorists. During that initiative they caught 76 speeding drivers[7] on the A50[8] through Uttoxeter[9] while in the Moorlands, cops pulled over 496 drivers in one day where they were checked for various possible motoring offences.
Superintendent Mat Derrick, head of operations at Staffordshire Police
Speaking ahead of that summer blitz Superintendent Mat Derrick, head of operations with the force, said: “Fatal collisions are unexpected and traumatic events that can devastate victims, families and the local communities – but are often preventable.
“That’s why it’s so vital that we continue to educate people on the importance of road safety and continue to proactively police our roads to stop those putting fellow motorists and pedestrians at risk.” Want more court and crime news? Sign up to our court and crime newsletter here[10]
References
- ^ StokeonTrentLive has previously reported (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
- ^ Sneyd Green (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
- ^ Baddeley Green (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
- ^ Trent Vale (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
- ^ Motorists beware: New-style speed cameras spring up on A34 | The old cameras are being replaced on the A34 through Trent Vale (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
- ^ Police on why they won’t say where speed camera vans will be in Stoke-on-Trent | The mobile cameras are regularly spotted on some busy routes in North Staffordshire (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
- ^ During that initiative they caught 76 speeding drivers (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
- ^ A50 (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
- ^ Uttoxeter (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
- ^ Want more court and crime news?
Sign up to our court and crime newsletter here
(data.reachplc.com)