MORE ACTION on speeding drivers in the West Midlands will be taken thanks to a new agreement.
The Joint Working Agreement will make it easier to install new cameras and catch more speeding drivers, while bringing a consistent approach to speed enforcement across the region.
It has been signed by West Midlands Police with the region’s seven local authorities, the Police and Crime Commissioner and West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).
The agreement aims to save lives as the police work with councils and other partners to halve the number of deaths and serious injuries on the roads by 2030.
Speeding is the biggest contributor towards people being killed and seriously injured on our roads and Chief Constable, Craig Guildford, has been co-ordinating efforts by police and local authorities since September, resulting in the agreement.
The Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, chairs the West Midlands Road Safety Strategic Group and it has been a key aim of the Group to finalise and implement the joint working agreement across the West Midlands.
The new agreement will enable new cameras to be installed in the places where the risk of death or serious injury on our roads is greatest, cameras to be better maintained. and other types of camera enforcement, such as ‘spot cameras’ that use the latest technology to more easily capture images of speeding cars and red-light cameras.
Superintendent Gareth Mason, head of roads policing at West Midlands Police, said: “All parties have worked hard to reach this point with a joint working agreement, this is the start of a reinvigorated partnership with the shared vision and concrete determination to reduce death and serious injury in the West Midlands to zero.”
Mat MacDonald, West Midlands Road Safety Commissioner, said: “Average Speed Enforcement is a critical tool in getting the most dangerous drivers off the roads and fostering a better culture of safe and respectful behaviour behind the wheel.
“Rolling this technology out will without a doubt prevent collisions, save lives and make journeys less dangerous for everyone who uses our road network.
“Communities across the region are crying out for more speed cameras, and now this agreement is in place we will be working hard to ensure our local authorities have the resources they need to make this happen as quickly as possible.”
