Labour Councillors call for ten more 'speed watch' cameras for Cambridge

10 October 2008

Labour Councillors have called on the City Council to invest £30,000 in mobile community 'speed watch' cameras so local residents and Councillors can use them to record speeders and combat growing speeding by local drivers on Cambridge residential streets.

At a meeting of the East Area Committee on 2nd October Councillors Lewis Herbert and Miriam Lynn of Coleridge and Abbey wards both voted to give residents cameras so they can provide photo evidence to the police of speeding in their streets , and drivers can then be sent warning letters about potential prosecutions.

Coleridge Councillor Lewis Herbert said

"There are currently only 10 cameras for the whole of Cambridgeshire and only one for the entire city of Cambridge. We want the city to use unspent 'Safer City' funding to create 10 times as many 'speed watch' cameras for local use across the city, starting in East Cambridge.

We are confident that, with police support, this will change behaviour and cut accidents.

"Local residents across Cambridge are angry about speeding cars on residential roads like Coleridge Road and Birdwood Road. Labour councillors have for many years pushed the Tory County Council to address this problem through traffic calming and 20mph zones but the county has done nothing despite the city council giving these roads high priority every year."

"There is also a dangerously long backlog of requests for County Council yellow lines to tackle indiscriminate parking, including the hazardous bends on Coleridge Road and Rustat Road in Coleridge."

Speeding in residential areas is a problem throughout the city especially in areas which are regularly used as rat runs to avoid seriously congested routes like Newmarket Road. Abbey Councillor Miriam Lynn added

"In Abbey ward, Labour councillors are working with residents on Wadloes and Keynes Rd to end rat running which has already resulted in speeding cars causing serious accidents in the area. Using 'speed watch' cameras would curb speeding, stop 50 mph driving and potentially save lives."

There is also growing concern about the danger to pedestrians in Coleridge particularly near schools such as Ridgefield Primary where local campaigner and former councillor, Tariq Sadiq, is campaigning with parents to get a new pedestrian crossing on Perne Road.

Tariq said

"The heavy volume of traffic, speeding and the lack of yellow lines at key junctions makes the area around Ridgefield, Coleridge and St. Bede's schools especially dangerous. 'Speed watch' cameras only cost £3000 each and would help control speeding until the County Council can get round to taking proper measures to improve road safety."

Cllr Herbert has written to City Council officers asking for Safer City funding for more cameras in Cambridge. Consultations are now taking place with the police. He also feels that if £3,000 of 'Safer City' funding is to be used to give free lights to cyclists who break the law, this money could be better spent.