Issue - meetings

This report provides a summary of the study undertaken by the Road Safety Partnership 95 Alive on the feasibility of Camera Enforcement, gives an overview of work carried out to assess the possibility of using Safety Cameras in reducing casualties and seeks approval in principal for the use of camera enforcement as a casualty reduction measure.

RESOLVED: (i)         That camera enforcement be agreed in principle as a casualty reduction method.

                        (ii)        That approval be given to proceed to a full business case to enable a camera enforcement unit to be established under the recommended site selection criteria and governance model.

                        (iii)       That a smaller scale pilot camera enforcement operation be established and operate for 12 months to evaluate its effectiveness and inform a final decision at the end of the trial period.

                        (iv)       That Officers be requested to bring a further report, after the business case and pilot, for a final decision on the continuation, and implementation, of a Safety Camera Partnership.

                        (v)        That it be noted that the pilot would be run using Police staff, seconded to the role and line managed through North Yorkshire Police with operational oversight through the 95 Alive partnership and that, for full management of a Safety Camera Partnership, new governance arrangements would be required.

REASON:      Because analysis of the data across the whole of York and North Yorkshire indicates that there are locations where safety camera technology could reduce speed related, serious and fatal injury accidents.  Further work is required to finalise the detail of how a partnership might work within North Yorkshire and York.

Members considered a report which summarised the study undertaken by the Road Safety Partnership 95 Alive on the feasibility of Camera Enforcement, and provided an overview of work carried out to assess the potential of using Safety Cameras in reducing road casualties.

The review had identified 28 sites across York and North Yorkshire that met the criteria for mobile speed enforcement to reduce speed related casualties.  Three of these sites were within the City of York boundaries. All would be subject to further investigation before final confirmation.  It was estimated that camera enforcement at these sites could result in the avoidance of 31 deaths or serious injuries over a four year period.  Officers reported at the meeting that this included the potential avoidance of 5 serious accidents in York.  Should camera enforcement be adopted, there would be an annual review of the latest data to identify any problems and / or further sites for consideration.  Funding could come initially from the Department for Transport’s Road Safety Grant but future funding would be subject to further consideration as the DfT had not yet clarified what, if anything, would replace the Road Safety Grant after 2010/11 .

Members were invited to consider the following options:

Option 1 – agree in principle to camera enforcement as a casualty reduction measure, with further evidence to be provided through a business case and pilot study. 

Option 2 – continue to reduce casualties using a mix of education, enforcement and engineering.

RESOLVED: (i)         That camera enforcement be agreed in principle as a casualty reduction method.

                        (ii)        That approval be given to proceed to a full business case to enable a camera enforcement unit to be established under the recommended site selection criteria and governance model. ¹

                        (iii)       That a smaller scale pilot camera enforcement operation be established and operate for 12 months to evaluate its effectiveness and inform a final decision at the end of the trial period. ²

                        (iv)       That Officers be requested to bring a further report, after the business case and pilot, for a final decision on the continuation, and implementation, of a Safety Camera Partnership. ³

                        (v)        That it be noted that the pilot would be run using Police staff, seconded to the role and line managed through North Yorkshire Police with operational oversight through the 95 Alive partnership and that, for full management of a Safety Camera Partnership, new governance arrangements would be required.

REASON:      Because analysis of the data across the whole of York and North Yorkshire indicates that there are locations where safety camera technology could reduce speed related, serious and fatal injury accidents.  Further work is required to finalise the detail of how a partnership might work within North Yorkshire and York.