Police panel urges more fixed 20mph speed cameras across North Wales
A chairwoman of a police panel encouraged councillors to ask their local authorities to install more fixed speeding cameras to catch drivers exceeding 20mph.
The North Wales Police and Crime Panel met for their June meeting at Conwy’s Coed Pella HQ and heard how drivers had been caught driving at 51mph, 61mph, and 83mph in 20mph zones.
The panel were given a presentation on road policing by Supt Simon Barrasford in which members were briefed on speeding figures since the 20mph default speed limit was introduced in Wales.
The panel were told the police face challenges enforcing the limit due to many drivers and holidaymakers crossing the border from England where the default 30mph speed limit still applies.
But when it was revealed that all the “top five fixed camera locations” were all in Flintshire, Supt Barrasford told the panel that councillors could request more in their area, which could be funded by Welsh Government.
Panel’s chairwoman Patricia Astbury said: “In Flintshire, you’ve got a series of fixed cameras. Is that a local authority request? Is it historical? Has it come from Flintshire? Does that still apply? Can you still have these requests for fixed cameras?”
Supt Barrasford replied: “Absolutely. Any local authority can liaise with Welsh Government for funding and put static cameras in. We’ve seen them on the strategic road network with great effect on Rhuallt Hill, for example.
“So that is another example. It can be done at any time. Flintshire, to be fair, are progressing potentially a similar scheme on one of the coast roads. So any local authority can progress that.”
Ms Astbury said: “It is interesting then that just Flintshire have, and others haven’t.” Supt Barrasford nodded.
Mrs Astbury added: “Which is why, Chris (Cllr Bithell), you made a comment the other day about more prosecutions (in Flintshire than other North Wales counties). It is because of that presumably. I thought it might have been because of being on the border with England, but looking at it, no, it is probably because of that (the fixed cameras), isn’t it?
“So maybe some of the elected members need to go away and think about having some fixed cameras… I’m certainly going to ask elected members for one on my road.”
Cllr Chris Bithell then said some of the Flintshire cameras had been put in some years ago, including the one at Pontybodkin, “which catches everybody”.
The top five fixed camera locations in North Wales, all in Flintshire, were revealed to be at the A5104, Pontybodkin; the A548, Oakenholt; the B5129, Pentre; the A5119, Northop Road, Sychdyn; and the A550 on Gladstone Way.
During the meeting, Supt Barrasford briefed the panel on the Welsh Government-funded “Operation Ugain”, a campaign to offer drivers exceeding the 20mph speed limit safety advice rather than penalty points.
The police revealed that 126,640 vehicles had passed a Ugain team. 2,840 of those vehicles were stopped due to exceeding the 20mph speed limit, with 2,826 engaging with the advice. 14 drivers were given a traffic offence report or a court summons.
Supt Barrasford said the highest speed at a fixed static camera site was 83mph at Mynydd Isa. The driver got a six-month disqualification and substantial fines and costs.
The superintendent said the highest recorded speed within a 20mph zone recorded by a staffed speed camera van was on Russell Road, Rhyl.
The vehicle was travelling 51mph “at 11am in the morning on a very busy road”, but the case is still going through the judicial process.
Another community speed watch camera also caught a driver going 61mph in a 20mph zone.
Supt Barrasford also revealed the top five non-fixed speed camera locations were Glan y Mor Road to Marine Drive in Penrhyn Bay in Conwy; the 5A525 Trefnant in Denbighshire; the A548 Russell Road, Rhyl, Denbighshire; the A494 Bala, Gwynedd; and the A5025 Amlwch Road/Bangor Road, Benllech, Anglesey.
North Wales Police hailed the success of the 20mph speed limit, insisting it had resulted in a notable downward trend of accidents.
Supt Barrasford said both minor and serious injuries had reduced in both 20mph and 30mph areas since the implementation.
He added a 12-month comparison between before and after the legislation change saw serious injuries down by 19.4% and slight injuries down by 43.9%.
Whilst fatalities had increased on these roads by 200% (from two to six, one being a double motorcycle fatality), the police said speed couldn’t be attributed to have played a part at the time of the briefing, as investigations were ongoing.
Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman concluded: “Collisions happen for all sorts of reasons, as we know. It is not just about speed on the road, is it?
“Sometimes it’s young drivers, sometimes age-related, sometimes mechanical defects, and that’s why it is being so difficult to be able to (explain) when you’ve asked me when I’ve been here previously (to explain) what difference is it making. There are so many factors that we really have to work our way through.
“Reporting in the (news)paper is sometimes very hit and miss. Some things get picked up. Some things don’t. It is really difficult to be able to put that tangible response in relation to it.”
The chief constable went on to say the force had done a huge amount of work through schools, educating around 2,000 children.
This work centred around “Olivia’s Story” and schoolgirl Olivia Alkir, who was tragically killed on the B5105 in Ruthin in June 2019, after a serious collision while out on a road trip with friends.
The chief constable also said the force had done a lot of work around motorcycle fatalities in the Eryri National Park, but police were unable to talk about in detail due to ongoing investigations and coronial processes.
She added police had to collate and examine the facts so enforcement action could be taken but also warned tourists and visitors from England not adhering to the speed limit.
She said: “I know we have visitors, but the roads are signposted really clearly, and it is an individual responsibility of anyone that gets behind the wheel of their car to have a look at what the road signage says.”
By Richard Evans – Local Democracy Reporter
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