New Speed Cameras for Alcester Road, Studley
Two new fixed speed cameras are being installed on the A435 Alcester Road at the southern end of Studley to encourage speed limit compliance and prevent road traffic collisions.
Warwickshire County Council is installing the cameras with the enforcement to be undertaken by Warwickshire Police as part of both organisations commitment to reducing road casualties. Work to install the cameras will start this week.
Between 2004 and 2006 there were 3 collisions resulting in people being killed or seriously injured within a 500 metre stretch of Alcester Road and a further 3 collisions that resulted in people sustaining slight injuries. Speed data taken in May 2007 shows that more than 2,400 vehicles exceed the 40mph speed limit on Alcester Road every day, with nearly 250 vehicles driving at 50mph or greater.
In a first for Warwickshire Redspeed cameras are being used at Alcester Road. The Redspeed cameras have a different appearance to those used elsewhere in the county. The cameras are taller, which offers greater protection from vandalism, and have a smaller head. They will still be bright yellow and clearly visible to approaching motorists. The Redspeed cameras use digital technology, which allows offence images to be accessed remotely meaning prosecution notices can be sent out within hours of an offence being committed.
County Councillor for Studley, Cllr Helen McCarthy, said: “Local residents regularly complain about the speed of traffic on Alcester Road and with so many collisions and such a high proportion of vehicles speeding it is easy to understand why. By slowing the traffic down these cameras should reduce the number and severity of collisions sustained on this busy road and improve the quality of life for people living alongside this road.”
Cllr Martin Heatley, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Environment, added: “I fully support the installation of the new speed cameras on Alcester Road and I hope motorists respond by ensuring they drive within the speed limit at all times.”
Superintendent Gary Hollis, Head of Roads Policing in Warwickshire, said: “We are providing this advance warning to drivers because I want them to think about the speed they choose to drive at and, if necessary, to modify their driving behaviour to stay within the speed limit.
“Drivers who do so have nothing to fear from these cameras. Our message is a very simple one; respect the speed limits for what they are, the maximum speed at which you are permitted to travel.”