As part of its commitment to improving road safety, Solihull Council has installed new average speed enforcement cameras on the A34 Stratford Road in Shirley.
Positioned in the 40mph section of the Stratford Road, between the B4102 Marshall Lake Road and the M42 Motorway junctions, the cameras will monitor the speed of vehicles travelling in both directions.
Working in partnership with West Midlands Police, this new cost effective and efficient speed enforcement system, replaces obsolete fixed spot safety camera sites along a section of the Stratford Road, that continues to have a high road traffic collision rate.
The capital cost of the project has been funded by the Council and the system, which “Goes Live” from Monday 16 January 2023, will then be managed as part of the West Midlands Police Safety Camera operations.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, said: “We have pledged to improve road safety and do all we can to reduce the number of people who are avoidably and tragically killed and seriously injured on our roads.
“That is why it is important I am here in Shirley, supporting the installation of average speed enforcement cameras. This initiative illustrates the importance of partnership working, between local authorities and the police.
“These cameras are being installed for three reasons. Firstly, to prevent people driving at excess speed beyond the legal speed limit, secondly, to protect people, including vulnerable road users and thirdly to reduce the number of people who are killed and seriously injured on our roads.”
Solihull Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Infrastructure, Cllr Ken Hawkins, said: “Speeding is one of the biggest causes of death and injuries on our roads. Our new digital average speed cameras will be able to identify vehicles on a stretch of the A34 that travel in excess of the 40-mph limit, where speeding is sadly still an issue. Speed limits are there for a reason and we will do whatever we can to encourage safe driving on our roads.”
Inspector Glenn Mernagh, Regional Operations Centre & Partnerships Manager for the Central Motorway Police Group (CMPG), West Midlands Police, said: “Drivers and riders who are travelling at inappropriate speeds – exceeding the speed limit or driving too fast for the conditions – are more likely to crash and their higher speed means the crash will cause more severe injuries, to themselves and/or to other road users.
“One of the aims of West Midlands Police Camera Enforcement unit is, through a combination of enforcement, engineering and education, to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured in road collisions in the West Midlands. We work closely with Solihull Council to achieve this aim and will continue with this partnership.”