Speed cameras back on

Speed enforcement cameras in the West Midlands are to be reintroduced more than three years after obsolete ‘wet film devices’ were scrapped.

New average speed cameras incorporating automatic numberplate recognition technology have been installed on roads in Birmingham and Solihull and will go live on July 18.

West Midlands Police decided to adopt a system using average speed cameras because, historically, compliance with speed limits was far better than with mobile or fixed-point cameras. Cameras across the metropolitan area were switched off in April 2013 and since then the force said it has been using “state-of-the-art mobile cameras”.

There will be an initial 21-month evaluation phase to assess the effectiveness of the cameras, equipment and the overall system.