Errant 'amber gamblers' from Ormskirk are among those caught out after new 'Speed on Green’ safety cameras were introduced in Merseyside on Monday, 28 January as part of the Road Safety Partnership’s strategy to reduce the number and severity of injury collisions and to reduce the overall speed of vehicles on Merseyside’s roads.

The cameras not only detect when a driver has contravened a red traffic light signal at a junction but will also record the speed of those vehicles travelling above the speed limit through the junction, regardless of the colour of the traffic light signal.

There are a number of locations across Merseyside where the safety cameras may be deployed. However, during the first month of their introduction, only two cameras in Sefton have been operational, each clearly signposted to warn drivers of the camera’s presence. These junctions are Crosby Road South/Cambridge Road in Crosby and Northway(A59)/Hall Lane in Maghull.

At the Crosby site in February, 1546 drivers were detected driving at an excessive speed, above the 30 mph speed limit. Of those, 1383 have been offered a Speed Awareness Course. At the Maghull site, 1588 drivers were detected with 1320 offered a course.

At the Crosby site, 539 drivers were detected in the first week. However after five weeks, this number had dropped to 249. A similar trend was seen in Maghull with a reduction in detections from 445 to 156.

Jayne Eaton, from the Safer Roads Unit at the Partnership said: "These cameras have been introduced to improve safety on our roads by influencing the speed of drivers at junctions and reducing the risk of a crash. During the first month at these two sites, they appear to have done just that. Whilst it the overall number of detections remains a concern, the vast majority of those drivers were eligible for an educational course and so will have benefitted from the insight that these courses provide into the potential consequences of their speeding and the safety benefits of adhering to speed limits”.

Paul Mountford from the Safer Roads Unit added: "Our aim is to create a safe environment for everyone to use our roads. Complying with speed limits, driving with regard to other, more vulnerable road users and to the prevailing traffic conditions is critical if we are to achieve this. I am optimistic that those drivers who comply with the speed limits at these locations will continue to do so elsewhere in Merseyside."

Speeding is not the main issue on the roads - congestion is a major problem. More should be done to discourage those who use a car to travel short distances.

Originally Posted by said

Speeding is not the main issue on the roads - congestion is a major problem. More should be done to discourage those who use a car to travel short distances.

If 3000 Merseyside speeding motorists contravene a red light in a month, I’d think it’s safe to assume that speeding is an issue!

Originally Posted by said

Speeding is not the main issue on the roads - congestion is a major problem. More should be done to discourage those who use a car to travel short distances.

I agree, many people feel the need to speed due to huge congestion because of poor traffic management and road layouts. My average speed into Liverpool during rush hour is rarely over 10mph which means a 15 mile journey takes around an hour and a half, whilst we have 20 foot wide pavements and traffic lights for cycle lanes even though there is no-one waiting at them.

The junction with Wigan Road and Stanley Street has now become a norm for speeding motorists and every day we witness every type of vehicle going through
and accelerating through amber and red lights. There needs to those type of cameras here in Ormskirk. The box junction when we first moved into Ormskirk had been worn out and hardly visible, I sent an e.mail to the Lancashire Highways and to be fair they repainted the box lines, well done to them. Cameras next would slow down these manic drivers when they get a letter in post and a big fine !