NEW AVERAGE speed cameras are to be introduced on two of Coventry’s most dangerous routes as road deaths soar in the city.
Cabinet member for city services Patricia Hetherton approved new cameras for Binley Road and Henley Road at a meeting on Monday (September 9).
Over the last three years, the number of people being killed or seriously injured on city streets has been rising, according to council data.
In the period from June 1, 2016, to May 31 this year, 367 people have died on the roads or been seriously injured – often as a result of speeding and reckless driving.
Earlier this year, Ansty Road and London Road – prone to traffic and accidents – had Average Speed Enforcement (ASE) cameras installed.
The cameras detect vehicles through Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and calculate their average speed by measuring the time taken to travel between defined points.
In agenda documents, highways, traffic and road safety engineer Joel Logue states there have been no incidents on Ansty and London roads since ASE’s were installed.
Binley Road and Henley Road have the highest number of people killed or seriously injured based on the council’s figures over the last three years.
The council has now approved the cameras to be installed on those roads over this financial year – as well as an extension to the schemes on London Road and Ansty Road.
The report states: “Based on the rise and severity of accidents and the evidence from ASE schemes installed in Coventry and elsewhere, it is recommended to progress the installation of ASE on Binley Road and Henley Road to reduce speeds and therefore the severity of accidents.
“Speeding continues to be a significant factor in recorded personal injury collisions in Coventry.
“Although the overall accident rates are declining on Coventry’s road network, the number of people killed or seriously injured remains high on major routes that carry high volumes of traffic.
“Early indications reveal that since their introduction vehicle speeds have reduced and no personal injury collisions have been recorded on the routes where ASE is in operation.”
Over the three year period, 33 crashes involving injuries have been recorded on Binley Road, resulting in three deaths and five serious injuries, the council says.
Henley Road and Hall Green Road has experienced 30 crashes resulting in injury, including two fatal and 10 serious injuries over the three year period.
Coventry City Council is the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) road safety lead, and is hoping to reduce the numbers of people killed or seriously injured by 40 per cent over the next 10 years.
