Motorists using Liverpool Road in Upton could be hit with a double whammy if they break the law because there are now two speed cameras on the same 40mph section.
There has been a speed camera outside The Frog pub over many years which can be turned around to target motorists travelling in either direction.
So eyebrows were raised when a second camera appeared just up the road near Dale Camp Army barracks.
Cheshire West and Chester Council claims the whole matter makes perfect sense against the background that the original camera was scheduled to be upgraded from a film camera to a digital one with the pictures sent electronically down the line to save money.
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But because the swivel type couldn’t be converted to digital and digital cameras can’t be placed on or near a bend, the new one was installed up the road.
So will the original camera be decommissioned? ‘No’ came the answer because CWaC is treating both cameras as one and the same location even though there is more than 1km between them.
A council spokeswoman said in a statement: “Currently, there is no type approval for a swivel site to convert to digital. The new camera will be permanently enforced towards the direction of Ellesmere Port and the existing camera by the Frog will be turned round to face the direction of Chester.”
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The Chronicle put it to CWaC that some cynics may suspect the new camera, which will become operational in the next few weeks, is a simple revenue-raising measure.
Council spokeswoman Shirley Wingfeld responded: “All safety cameras introduced in Cheshire after October 2001 were promoted as a result of the location having a history of recorded injury collisions, evidence of excessive speed and there were no reasonable engineering measures that could be used to improve safety.
“With the exception of a few historic sites, all camera enforcement sites comply with this criteria. The Department for Transport have removed the rules for establishing safety camera locations although the Cheshire Road Safety Group (CRSG) is still adopting the guidance criteria for the justification of any new static camera sites.”
And CWaC, which belongs to the county-wide CRSG, stresses ‘all fines generated by speeding drivers are paid to the courts system and government’.
In Cheshire West there are 12 speed and eight red light camera sites. Eight of the 12 static speed sites are converted to digital with the remaining four as refurbished sites with the capability to operate as ‘wet film’.
Cllr Brian Clarke, cabinet member for economic development and infrastructure, said: “Safety cameras have been shown to play an important part in helping to achieve reductions in road casualties.”
He concluded: “The new digital system will ultimately reduce costs but, more importantly, will improve reliability, which means they’ll contribute further towards keeping our roads safe.”
What do you think of the new Upton speed camera? Have you been caught speeding? Let us know in the comments below:
