Three new speed cameras will be installed across Bath and North East Somerset in response to concerns from local residents about speeding and road safety.
Work is set to get underway this month to install the safety cameras in Farmborough, Temple Cloud and in the Weston area of Bath. They are being installed in partnership with Avon and Somerset Police.
Temple Cloud
The camera will be installed on the A37 as a replacement for one which was removed a number of years ago due to vandalism. It will be installed in the 30mph limit to help reduce speeds, improve the safety of pedestrians crossing at the traffic signals and to make movements in and out of Temple Lane safer.
Lansdown Lane, Weston, Bath
This camera will be installed within the 20mph speed limit as part of measures to improve the safety of residents, in particular children and adults who walk to Weston All Saints Primary School. A number of road safety measures have been, or are being, installed on Lansdown Lane, including a zebra crossing by the roundabout, improved width limit signage at the top of the hill, the provision of a park-and-stride facility and improvements on Broadmoor Lane in front of the school’s main entrance.
Farmborough
As part of a package of measures to reduce the speed of traffic on the A39 through the village, a new safetycamera will be located next to the junction with The Street where the school is accessed. Additional work includes widening of the existing footpath, and centre hatching road markings to narrow the road width throughout the village. The A39/Timsbury Road junction kerb will be realigned to reduce the speed of vehicles entering Timsbury Road.
In 2017/18 the Council will also install safety cameras on the A362 in Writhlington and bring the existing camera on the A37 in Pensford back into use.
Councillor Anthony Clarke (Conservative, Lansdown), Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “The Council is committed to doing all it can to make sure people feel safe when out in their local communities and in particular around schools. We have therefore been working with police, schools and local community groups to address their concerns and hope that these new cameras will slow traffic down and reduce accidents in these locations.
“When we receive a request to install a speed camera from a local community, we always consider it carefully and look at the supporting evidence to ensure it is needed and will make a difference.”
Avon and Somerset Police’s deputy head of road safety, Chief Inspector Kevan Rowlands said: “Drivers who choose to exceed the speed limit can expect to be caught and prosecuted.
“Our message is loud and clear – drivers should assume that all roadside fixed cameras are operational and to drive accordingly.
“We believe that the static cameras can be operated in a cost-neutral way and that reactivating them for use alongside our mobile camera vans, will help in making our roads safer. Revenue raised from the cameras will be used to fund their maintenance and enforcement,” said CI Rowlands.
Police and Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens said: “I know from speaking to people how important road safety is to them and many have been pressing to have the cameras in their communities turned back on for some time. I’m delighted I can now tell them they are back on.
“These static cameras will complement the work of the mobile speed enforcement vans and motorbikes that already work across Avon and Somerset. Together they send a powerful message to drivers that speeding is being taken seriously and will not be tolerated.”
The cameras are expected to become operational in April. They will all be a highly visible yellow colour and signs reminding drivers of the speed limit and warning them of a camera will be put in place.
Drivers caught exceeding the speed limit within a certain threshold are offered the opportunity to attend a speed awareness course as an alternative to a fine and penalty points by the police. The course is delivered by Avon and Somerset Police with the driver charged a fee. Income generated from the courses is then shared between Avon and Somerset Police and Bath & North East Somerset Council. The income is specifically used for road safety initiatives like speed cameras, traffic calming, training courses and other measures.
