Nearly 15,000 drivers caught speeding through A494 50mph zone in Deeside since October

Average speed cameras along the A494 in Deeside, installed to tackle pollution, have clocked nearly 15,000 drivers breaking the 50mph limit in just four months.

The Welsh Government introduced 50mph speed reductions on five 70mph stretches of road in Wales – including the A494 and the A483 in Wrexham –  in June 2018 where nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions were found to be above the legal limit as set out by an EU directive.

Average speed cameras were later introduced along the east and westbound carriageway of the A494 to monitor the 50mph zone which stretches from St David’s Park, Ewloe to Deeside Industrial Park Interchange.

They use automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology to continuously record cars passing from one camera to the other, with the average speed calculated over the known “baseline” distance.

Slowing down while passing directly under the cameras may not be enough to bring down the average speed between the two posts.

The system is said to encourage a smoother, safer style of driving, requiring drivers to pay constant, close attention to their speed over a given distance.

The cameras went ‘live’ in September 2019 but it emerged that no action was to be taken against speeding drivers during an initial ‘grace period’

That ended in October of last year when the Welsh Government announced a “first of its kind advisory letter programme” was being introduced.

The letters make drivers aware they have broken the speed limit, while the “most dangerous drivers” would still face prosecution.

In a Freedom of Information response published last week, the Welsh Government has revealed that 13,774 advisory letters were sent to speeding A494 drivers between October 4 and January 26.

Since November, a further 852 drivers have been sent a notice of intended prosecution.

A notice of intended prosecution (NIP) informs a motorist they may be prosecuted for a driving offence they have committed, soon after the offence has been recorded.

A NIP does not necessarily mean that a driver will face any sort of prosecution or fine but may act as a warning they may face prosecution.

The Freedom of Information response has also revealed that since the implementation of the 50mph zone along the A494 in Deeside, Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂) emissions have dropped by 37.2%.

However a large part of the fall can be put down to reduced traffic levels during the pandemic.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “Reduced traffic levels over the course of the pandemic will have had an impact on roadside air quality and we can’t ignore this.”

“However, statistics show that the action we’ve taken to improve air quality levels at all five 50mph locations across Wales is working, helping to protect people from serious illness.”

 “The fixed speed limit helps create a smoother traffic flow, reducing delays, particularly at peak periods.”

“We will continue to monitor the situation and encourage drivers to obey the law by driving within the speed limit.”