Speeding enforcement vans seen parked behind trees and bus stops

Speeding enforcement vans have been found allegedly breaching their guidelines after photos emerged of a number of them parked behind trees and bus stops. The mobile speeding enforcement vans, which are run by the Northern Ireland Road Safety Partnership, are meant to adhere to certain guidelines when monitoring speeding drivers, which include ensuring that the "complete width and height of the rear of the vehicle must be clearly visible from at least the minimum enforcement guideline distances". They are also meant to ensure, where possible, that the vehicle is not hidden behind any obstructions.

A mobile speeding enforcement van positioned behind a bus stop and a tree

However despite this, the mobile enforcement vehicles have been seen across Northern Ireland parked behind bus stops, trees and other obstacles. It is unclear whether the vans photographed were operational at the time. North Down Independent Unionist MLA Alex Easton said that the police have "serious questions to answer" with regards to the enforcement vans and that the improper use of them could "open the flood gates" for appeals against fines issued wrongly

He said: "There are very serious questions the PSNI[2] need to answer about these speed detector vans. Despite numerous emails we continue to see speed detection vans parked in locations they should not be. They should be in clear sight of oncoming traffic and on some occasional entirely blocking footpaths."

He said that it would only take one person to appeal these tickets in court from an improperly parked van and "this could open the flood gates" for people appealing their speeding tickets.

The Northern Ireland Road Safety Partnership annual report for 2022, which was published earlier this year, showed that mobile speed cameras made 60,174, an increase of 12,183 on the year before when there were 47,997. The vast majority of detections were made by the vans in 30mph areas, where 43,998 were made.

40mph zones saw the second highest number of detections at 11,307. The highest speed recorded in a 30mph area was 90mph, taking place on May 21, 2022, on the A22 Comber Road Killyleagh and involved a motorcyclist.

Those aged 40 to 54 were most likely to be caught by a mobile camera van, with 18,963 being detected in 2022, followed by those aged 25-39 ( 17,435) and 55-69 (13,464).

More than two thirds of mobile speed camera detections took place between 9am and 3pm, with none taking place between 9pm and 6am. The Northern Ireland Road Safety Partnership (NIRSP) is responsible for the operation of all mobile speed cameras within Northern Ireland.

The mobile speed camera service is a managed service carried out by G4S staff on behalf of NIRSP and they operate under specific Northern Ireland legislation, including the Road Traffic Regulatory (NI) Order 1997, Road Traffic (NI) Order 1995 and The Roads (NI) Order 1993. Head of Roads Policing Chief Inspector Graham Dodds said: "Speeding is one of the five most common causation factors, of the most serious collisions in which people are killed or seriously injured on our roads.

"The Road Safety Partnership vans, which are liveried with Battenberg high visibility markings on the rear of each vehicle, operate across Northern Ireland at locations where there is a proven injury collision history or where the local community has requested speed enforcement action be taken.

"The camera vans operate at sites that have varying speed limits from 30mph to 70mph - these are all listed on the NI Direct website. "We review those sites where the current practice is to park on the pavement regularly and where we can identify a feasible alternative location we will adopt this position for future deployments. Road Safety Partnership vehicles are staffed and therefore can be moved at any time if an unsafe situation materialises.

"I would encourage anyone with a safety concern regarding the operation of the mobile camera vans to contact police on the non-emergency number 101. "I also remind all road users of our safety message - slow down; pay greater attention to your surroundings; always wear your seat belt and never drive after drinking or taking drugs. We all share the roads, so we all share the responsibility for road safety."

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References

1. ^ The most dangerous areas to drive in Northern Ireland revealed (www.belfastlive.co.uk)
2. ^ PSNI (www.belfastlive.co.uk)
3. ^ here (www.belfastlive.co.uk)
4. ^ sign up to our daily newsletter (www.belfastlive.co.uk)