Mass speed camera rollout in Oxford urged ‘before we see a fatality’

Councillors want to introduce speed cameras to enforce the 20mph speed limit on Morrell Avenue, and in May there was a crash between a BMW and a taxi on the route.  While Oxfordshire County Council[1] has the power to decide whether to put speed limits in place, Thames Valley Police is responsible for installing speed cameras and enforcing those limits. READ MORE: Tributes to much-loved woman who died suddenly[2]

After the crash, a letter was co-written by several local councillors, road safety groups and residents' associations, asking the county council and the police and crime commissioner to install a new speed camera on the road. The aftermath of the crash in May  (Image: Aeron Buchanan) Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds also wrote to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander about the issue. But Thames Valley police and crime commissioner Matthew Barber said that speeding was only part of the issue of dangerous driving, and resources also needed to be diverted towards tacking other behaviours such as drink driving.

In his initial response to the letter, Mr Barber said he was in discussion with the chief constable regarding additional funding for roads policing. Cllr Alex Powell (left) and Cllr Emma Garnett (right) on Morrell Avenue  (Image: Cllr Emma Garnett) But city councillor Dr Alex Powell argued that this response "entirely fails to engage with the specifics of the situation". He added: "Speeding constitutes a real threat to the safety of residents in the Avenue and as we saw with the crash in late May it is only a matter of time before inaction on this leads to a fatality.

"Mr Barber and councillor Andrew Gant need to sit down in a room together and address this issue now, before we see a fatality." READ MORE: A40 Oxfordshire safety plans slammed as 'sticking plaster'[3] County councillor Emma Garnett also called the response "incredibly generic and extremely disappointing".

She added: "We need ambitious commitments from him and Thames Valley Police for a mass roll out of speed cameras across Oxfordshire to make our roads safer." When contacted for comment, Mr Barber said speeding was not the sole cause of road deaths. He added: "Drink, drugs, use of mobile phones, not wearing seat belts, poor road design and maintenance and poor driving will also contribute significantly.

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"Fixed speed cameras have a limited application in some locations but proactive policing, tackling drink and drugs, focusing on those using our roads antisocially and tackling criminals on roads all matter. "Thames Valley Police has issued around 45,000 speeding penalties in just the first three months of the year, the biggest increase coming from those enforced by police officers.

"Tackling dangerous speeding will remain north of the approach to saving lives, but it is only part of that approach. "A wholesale move to put all our resource into a vast increase in enforcement cameras would be overly simplistic, and is likely to endanger more lives as those driving dangerously within the speed limit escape punishment." Police and crime commissioner Matthew Barber (Image: Nq) Councillor Andrew Gant, county council cabinet member for transport management, said: "Only someone who has been asleep for the last four years could question this county council's passionate commitment to making our roads safer, cleaner and more accessible, through a range of policies including Vision Zero, our 20mph programme, school streets, and much else.

"We can and will do more in all of these areas. (Image: Contributed) "I have asked Thames Valley Police to go further in helping us keep our residents safe by greater and more visible enforcement of speed limits including on Morrell Avenue, and will do so again. "I have discussed joint working on speed cameras directly with the PCC, and will of course continue to do that."

A spokesperson from the Department for Transport said: "There's no excuse for those who risk the lives of others through speeding, and speed cameras are an important tool to prevent, detect, and enforce speed limits.

"Oxfordshire is receiving GBP3.7 million in flexible transport funding this year, and it's up to the local authority to decide how best to use it - including on speed management."

References

1. ^ Oxfordshire County Council (www.oxfordshire.gov.uk)
2. ^ Tributes to much-loved woman who died suddenly (www.oxfordmail.co.uk)
3. ^ A40 Oxfordshire safety plans slammed as 'sticking plaster' (www.oxfordmail.co.uk)
4. ^ https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/subscribe/ (www.oxfordmail.co.uk)