Half of Lincolnshire’s road safety cameras have not been working for at least two years.
It means that many thousands of drivers have got away with speeding offences at locations known to be accident blackspots.
In South Holland, three of the seven cameras have been out of action since 2013 and a fourth only came back into operation last month after a year not working.
In the interests of road safety, we have decided not to publish locations of the dormant cameras.
However, because speeding offences there are back on the increase, we are highlighting that the safety camera on High Road (A151) in Whaplode is operational. In 2013, there were 2,074 drivers caught exceeding the 30mph limit. Last year the figure went down to 1,758, but there were already 1,058 offences in the first six months of 2015.
Figures obtained by The Voice show that 25 of the county’s roadside cameras have not been collecting data for at least two years.
They have been rendered inoperative through vandalism or maintenance issues.
The Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership has told The Voice that due to the high cost of repairs, some cameras targeted by vandals have simply been repainted to look like they are working again. Many will be brought back into use in due course.
The LRSP’s road safety strategy for 2015-2025 says: “All fixed camera sites will be assessed and a programme to replace all wet film technology with digital equipment will be introduced over the next three years.”
In August 2014, Lincolnshire Police declined a Freedom of Information request by The Voice to list the locations of the busiest road safety cameras.
A spokesman said: “If individuals were to have knowledge of our most prolific speed cameras, they are likely to be destroyed.”
Lincolnshire Police later admitted that was the incorrect reason and apologised. It should have been that the information was shortly to become readily available.
- What do you think? Does it matter that speed cameras are not operational or is the visible deterrent enough? Email us at [email protected] or write to us at The Spalding and South Holland Voice, Units 1&2, 14-16 Winsover Road, Spalding PE11 1EJ
