The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Activations by a single speed camera in Spalding have tripled within a year.
The camera on the A151 Holbeach Road near Jack’s Fish Bar caught 1,268 motorists exceeding the 30mph speed limit in 2019. The previous year the fixed camera was activated 375 times.
The data emerged following a Freedom of Information request to Lincolnshire Police.
John Siddle, communications manager at Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership, said the camera may not have been loaded for a period or there may have been a hardware issue.
But he added: “It may have been that drivers were actually not breaking the speed limit (as many times) in 2018.”
Another camera location on the A151 – High Road at Whaplode – has always been a hotspot for catching speeders and many more were caught doing more than 30mph in 2019 than the previous year.
The figures show there were 1,849 activations during almost 5,800 hours of operation in 2018 but that had risen to 2,273 last year – an average of almost one driver per hour of operation.
However, the trend elsewhere in South Holland – and across Lincolnshire as a whole – is that the number of speeding motorists is not rising.
That is welcome news, with Mr Siddle saying: “This could be due to a number of factors – driver awareness of speed camera locations, advertising campaigns around speed and high-profile prosecutions for speeding.”
The A16 Crowland bypass is monitored by four average speed cameras. The data shows a significant improvement in the number of speeders in 2018 and 2019, although they were operational for fewer hours in 2019.
One camera was activated 2,119 times during just over 6,900 hours of use in 2018. In 2018 it was activated 1,390 times during just over 5,600 hours.
Meanwhile, the camera on the A17 at Swineshead has seen a sharp reduction in activations over a similar amount of use. The 2018 figure of 2,748 had dropped to 1,504 last year.
The busiest speed camera in the county is on the A1 at Barrowby Thorns. More than 12,000 drivers activated it in 2019, down from just over 13,400 in 2018, although it was operating for 400 fewer hours.
Many motorists complain about the restrictions on the A52 between Boston and Skegness but the data for camera locations at Butterwick and Leverton are still shockingly bad.
The camera at Leverton trapped 2,736 drivers last year, down from 3,352 in 2018 but with 300 fewer hours in operation. Butterwick is little better with 2,183 speeders in 2018 and more than 500 last year when the camera was used for about a quarter as much.
Mr Siddle said: “The A52 Leverton, Butterwick Road has always been a high casualty route with a number of incidents over the years involving high speeds, hence why the enforcement on that route that is patrolled by police on a regular basis.
“The low number of activations of the Butterwick camera in 2019 was due to the digital upgrade where that housing did not have a camera fitted for some time.”
What happens when a speed camera is activated?
Once an activation takes place the potential offence is downloaded to be viewed. If there are no issues with the pictures, any crossing vehicles on two-lane carriageways or vehicles blocking the view it is processed, the vehicle is Police National Computer checked and sent to the Central Ticket Office (CTO) who will write to the registered keeper of the vehicle to identify the driver.
Once identified, the driver will be written to to proceed with a fixed penalty notice, prosecution if they have exceeded the parameters for a fixed penalty or an offer of a speed awareness course if they qualify (they have not done one in the previous three years).
What percentage translates into contact with the vehicle owner?
All offences will result in contact being made with the vehicle owner and the driver eventually.
What factors determine where mobile speed cameras are deployed?
Data for death or serious injury at that location, local concern by residents or parish council or through roadside monitoring showing excessive high speed.
