Average speed cameras

January 2019

Average Speed cameras on A50 have not been switched off

The news that some of the average speed cameras installed by the County Council in Leicestershire villages have been switched off has led motorists to speculate whether the Groby cameras on the A50 will be next.

Cameras were installed in a number of locations last year but the Leicester Mercury has reported that those at Measham, Walcote and Sharnford were switched off after less than 2 months. Over that short period 7,141 motorists had three points on their licences and a £100 fine. Cameras on the A6 in Oadby and the A50 in Groby went live in early November and caught 1,290 drivers in less than six weeks.

The cameras have been described by some as a “nice little earner” for the Government, as the cost of the cameras and the enforcement procedures is borne by the County Council, but the income from the fines goes to the Treasury. One resident described it as “highway robbery”. The council has asked to be able to keep the first £500,000 to pay for the costs of installing a total of seven cameras around Leicestershire.

In a letter to Robert Jenrick, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury the County Council said the scheme being piloted would "reduce deaths and casualties, increase long-term revenue for the Treasury and enable Central Government to provide a visible and tangible benefit to local communities". In addition it would lead to a fall in the use of road humps, which complies with Government advice for their removal as an anti-pollution measure.

County Council figures for the A50 Leicester Road, Markfield Road, Bradgate Hill, Groby show that over 5 years there has been 1 fatal accident, 1 serious accident and 11 slight accidents. Residents believe, however, that even one family having to deal with the effects of a bereavement resulting from a motoring accident is unacceptable, and so this positive action on a road used by more than 25,000 vehicles a day has been welcomed.

Locally Councillor Peter Batty has called for the A50 cameras to stay on, adding that “to turn these cameras off now and allow it to be publicised could only be described as irresponsible. There really has been a noticeable difference since average speed cameras went operational.”