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More Speed Cameras for West Midlands

More speed cameras are being planned for roads across the West Midlands it has been revealed. 

Another 19 speed cameras will be placed on routes throughout the West Midlands region: two in Wolverhampton, four in Walsall, seven in Dudley, two in Sandwell and four in Birmingham.

The West Midlands Casualty Reduction Partnership, responsible for speed and red light cameras, was originally set up with a budget of £677,000 a year - this has now increased to £2.32 million.

The body is made up of West Midlands Police, the region's seven local authorities, the Highways Agency and the West Midlands Magistrates Courts Committee. It is funded almost solely by the cash generated by the region's 265 speed cameras and 55 red light cameras.

The West Midlands Casualty Reductionpartnership claims cameras have cut the number of serious road casualties by 39 per cent at the sites where they have been installed.

But a senior Wolverhampton councillor claims that cameras do nothing - and it is bad drivers who must be targeted. Already in Wolverhampton the A460 Cannock Road is reputed to have the heaviest density of speed cameras in the country.

Councillor Jonathan Yardley said: "The number of deaths on the roads has remained stable for years now, so cameras are not stopping people getting killed."

"It's another stealth tax on motorists. The cameras aren't put in the places that are most dangerous, they put them in places where they are likely to catch the most people speeding."

Paul Scott-Lee, Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, said: "The cost recovery mechanism has enabled a large increase in the resources available for camera purchase and operation in the West Midlands. Combined with the proven effectiveness of cameras, this has led to significant road safety benefits."

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