• There are now more than 200 mobile ‘speed camera’ sites in Gloucestershire
• For the first time, many minor roads identified by parish councils and other local groups are covered
• Police and Crime Commissioner has promised all the locations will be made public as it is “not aimed at catching drivers out”
• Road safety campaigner Charles Pedrick says it is a great step towards making Gloucestershire’s roads safer for all users.

There are now more than 200 mobile ‘speed camera’ sites in Gloucestershire following representations to the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).

 Many cover traditional main arterial road ‘hotspots’, but many more are now focused on secondary roads, identified by local people for the persistent high speeds they encounter.

PCC Martin Surl said, “There is nothing ‘Big Brother’ about this and there is no secret about where the cameras will be located.

“It is something lots of people, particularly in rural communities, have been wanting for a long time and we have now been able to deliver. It’s not about ‘catching people out’, it is about trying to make our roads safer”.

It means camera sites, operated by the Constabulary in Gloucestershire, have doubled in number and now include:

• 105 Community sites on secondary roads
• 65 sited on community and main roads
• 35 sited on main roads
• 13 sited on strategic non motorway roads
• 14 sited on motorways

Motorway sites identified are usually only used as part of national operations involving the use of mobile phones, seat belts and tailgating. In addition, 30 more community sites are being surveyed. If the results confirm anecdotal evidence of ‘serial speeding’, they will be added to the list of active sites.

“This is a very positive step towards making our roads safer”

Charles Pedrick, Gloucestershire ANPR Road Safety Group Chair said, “This is just what we have been asking for. Something that will make drivers think again about using our roads as race tracks.

“They forget, or perhaps they don’t know, that the roads they know best and take for granted are the most dangerous. Around 60% of fatal and serious collisions happen on rural roads and 34% or urban roads.

“I see this as a very positive step towards reducing speeds on neighbourhood roads that have fallen through the net up to now and will help to make them safer for all users”.

To police the sites, the Constabulary now has four vans fitted with long lens cameras which have an approximate range of 990 metres. When the first was launched in 2018, it was dubbed ‘the long eye of the law’. Now it has a new weapon to go alongside called ‘Trucam 2’, a new generation of handheld camera, which provides similar quality pictures to its long-sighted forerunner.

The priority is for safe and social roads in Gloucestershire

Mr. Surl said, “The new generation of handheld camera is a further leap in technology as it can detect what’s going on inside the vehicle. This will enable officers to police the ‘fatal 4’ relating to seatbelts, mobile phone use, tailgating and excessive speed.

“Speeding traffic is a blight on many of our communities, especially in rural areas where you might come across an unexpected cyclist, walker or horse rider. Many of the new locations were raised by parish councils and other local groups and I hope this will encourage others to come forward and tell us the roads they are most concerned about.

“We will carry out a roadside survey and if the anecdotal evidence stands-up, we can add them to the list. Drivers need to know they will no longer be able to speed on our roads with impunity and get away with it”.

Making Gloucestershire’s road more ‘Safe and social’ – encouraging all road users to be more aware and considerate towards one another – has always been one of the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan priorities.

Enforcement will be through a combination of vans on site or handheld technology where it is unsafe to park a vehicle. Enforcement teams will always be visible and if it is a handheld location, the operator will always be in a high-viz jacket to provide a warning to oncoming motorists and give them a chance to slow down.

• All the locations and mobile enforcement referred to in this report are managed by Gloucestershire constabulary
• All the fixed sites covered by ‘Gatso’ cameras are the responsibility of Gloucestershire County Council
• In the list you may see the same name sites quoted more than once – this is because these particular sites are bi-directional i.e., we enforce in both directions (but for systems purposes we have to designate as separate site numbers).

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