New “speed on green” camera trial begins across Merseyside

As part of speed awareness month, the Merseyside Road Safety Partnership (MRSP) is introducing a number of ‘speed on green’ cameras at various junctions across Merseyside from today.

This trial scheme is part of the road safety strategy to reduce the number and severity of injury collisions and to reduce the overall speed of vehicles on Merseyside’s roads.

These cameras will not only detect when a driver has contravened a red traffic light signal but will also record the speed of those vehicles travelling above the speed limit through the junction, regardless of the colour of the traffic light signal.

In 2017, 577 people were killed or seriously injured on the roads of Merseyside and last year, many more were involved in collisions involving death and injuries which were life changing for them and their families.

There are many reasons why crashes occur but a common contributory factor is speed, whether it be inappropriate or excessive speed. The statistics also show that most collisions occur on 30 mph roads with junctions being of particular danger.

Jayne Eaton from the Safer Roads Unit at the Partnership said: “These cameras have the potential to improve safety on our roads by influencing the speed of drivers at junctions and reducing the risk of a crash. However, we would prefer if the cameras were redundant and drivers drove responsibly and within the speed limits.

“By their very nature, junctions present an increased risk to drivers. A green traffic light signal can often create an unpredictable situation for a driver to deal with and it is vitally important that drivers drive at an appropriate speed, one which enables them to stop safely should the traffic lights change or a pedestrian step into the road.

A number of suitable junctions have been earmarked for the ‘speed on green’ cameras with Sefton being the first area to receive them and each will be clearly signposted as a speed camera for the locations across Merseyside.

Paul Mountford, Merseyside Police Lead for Road Safety said: “Drivers should remember that an amber light means ‘stop’ if safe to do so and we would warn drivers of the consequences of speeding at junctions, for example to ‘beat’ a red traffic light signal.  Speeding carries a penalty of £100 and 3 penalty points. Drivers may be offered a Speed Awareness Course, depending on their speed”.