New speed cameras aim to cut collision rate on blackspot road

Safety Camera Partnership officers first mooted plans to install the so-called “average speed cameras” on the A61 north of Sheffield almost three years ago, after a string of serious crashes.

The road, which links the city with the M1, Barnsley and Huddersfield is notorious for its poor safety record and has been the scene of a catalogue of deaths and life-threatening accidents.

Under the new plans cameras similar to those used through long stretches of motorway roadworks would be installed on gantries on the road between Grenoside on the edge of Sheffield and a roundabout near Tankersley, Barnsley.

The speed limit on the road has recently been dropped from 60mph to 50mph and the cameras would be able to detect if motorists had exceeded the limit along the whole stretch.

Ken Wheat, the manager of South Yorkshire’s Safer Roads Partnership, which includes the county’s four councils, police, fire service and NHS representatives, said the cameras would be installed in the next few months.

He added: “Around 18 months ago we started to look at roads in South Yorkshire which were of particular concern and agreed to deal with them on a worst first basis.

“What came out of that exercise was that the A61 rural stretch, between Grenoside and motorway had a higher than average collision rate, and we needed a value for money way to reduce that.

“By far the most beneficial was the provision of average speed cameras and we now have the funding to move ahead.”

The Department of Transport introduced similar cameras on the Stocksbridge bypass near Sheffield years ago as a solution to that road’s poor accident record and they have been regarded as successful.

The A61 links up with that road meaning some motorists could face two stretches of road which have been equipped with the similar speed detection devices, but safety officers said the scheme “is not about making money”.

Mr Wheat said: “One common factor in the accidents which have happened on that seven to eight kilometre stretch of road has been inappropriate speed.

“Traditional speed enforcement is not easy in this location and we had to look at ways of using technology to its best effect.

“We’re not saying we will be able to eradicate accidents on that stretch but forecasts show a 40 per cent reductino which is good.

“If we don’t catch anybody that will be great. It’s not about raising money, it is simply about enforcing the speed limit and saving lives.”

Average speed camera systems use a video system with Automatic Number Plate Reading (ANPR) digital technology and usually consist of two cameras each fitted with infra red illuminators so they can work day or night.

The cameras work out a vehicle’s average speed, given the time it takes to drive between the two camera positions.

Average speed cameras are fitted either at the roadside or in the central reservation a set distance apart to create what experts call a “speed controlled zone”.

In some locations, as through motorway roadworks, groups of cameras can be linked to create a speed controlled network.

As vehicles pass between the camera points their number plates are digitally recorded, whether the driver is speeding or not.

Using the ANPR recognition, the images on the video of matching number plates are paired up, and because each image carries a date and time stamp, the computer can then work out your average speed between the cameras.

Unlike the more common GATSO-type roadside camera, no film is used in this type of technology, making them cheaper to operate, although the cost of installation is much higher.

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