“Poor air quality kills” – Environment Minister explains A494 average speed cameras

The Welsh Government hopes ‘robust data’ will prove it was right to reduce the speed limit and install average speed cameras along the A494 through Deeside in its bid to cut vehicle emissions and improve air quality.

That was the message from Lesley Griffiths, Welsh Government Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs when she spoke to our sister site Wrexham.com recently.

Average speed cameras have been installed on the A494 in Deeside and a stretch of the A483 in Wrexham in a bid to enforce 50mph speed limits which were first introduced in July 2018.

The speed has been cut from 70mph to 50mph on five roads in Wales where nitrogen oxide emissions have found to be higher than the legal limits. 

The precise ‘go live’ date for the A494 cameras has not been revealed but much of the infrastructure looks to have been installed.

Previously a spokesperson for the Welsh Government Transport Department has said the cameras were being calibrated during August, and “There will be a grace period before full enforcement takes place of the speed limits using the ASE (cameras).

It is intended during the monitoring period warning letters will be issued to drivers not complying with the speed limit.”

The move to enforce the 50mph speed limit by introducing average speed cameras has split opinion locally.

Some have welcomed the move as many drivers chose to ignore the new speed limit and continue to drive at 70mph along the A494.

Others feel the cameras have been installed to raise cash for the Welsh Government as there is already high emissions from industry locally.

On most days there are long queues of traffic through the westbound bottleneck over the River Dee with idling engines which are also a source of high emissions. 

A spokesperson for the Welsh Government Transport Department also said cameras were being calibrated during August, and “There will be a grace period before full enforcement takes place of the speed limits using the ASE. It is intended during the monitoring period warning letters will be issued to drivers not complying with the speed limit.”

Asked about the quality of the data used when making the decision to reduce the speed limit and install the average speed cameras Ms Griffiths said:

“The cameras have been put here now… (as) a permanent solution to improve air quality.

Now the cameras have been put in, we think the data will be much more robust.

We all know that people weren’t adhering to the 50 mph zone.

So over the autumn will be building up that database, but clearly, across the five zones in Wales, the advice is that we should continue with these zones on a permanent basis, hence the cameras.”

The Environment Minister said she ‘really believes’ in the reduced speed limits and average speed cameras as a way of cutting vehicle emissions along the five heavily polluted routes in Wales, she said:

“I think it’s really important that able to defend the decision (speed limit reduction and cameras) and say that we’ve got the robust data that shows that air quality has improved.”

You can view the full video here.