🏎️ WHY IS IT SO HARD TO GET A FIXED SPEED CAMERA AT THE A370

There's been a lot of debate online about the proposal to reduce the speed limit at the A370 and one part of that debate has included discussion about fixed speed cameras and why there aren't more of them.

... I've done some digging into this before and it basically boils down to money, conflicting responsibilities and an unworkable government policy. Below is my attempt at summarising the issue.

To install a fixed speed camera, North Somerset Council must provide the capital funding for installation and ongoing maintenance, whilst the police provide the enforcement. However, the fine revenue generated doesn't come back to the council - it goes straight to the Treasury (I.e Government).

Therefore:

1️⃣ North Somerset Council cannot justify the capital spend for installation and maintenance when there is no revenue stream to offset the costs.

2️⃣ The Police do not allocate capital funding for these units because the policy framework requires that local councils are responsible for the infrastructure.

3️⃣ National policy refuses to redistribute fine revenue to local authorities, arguing they want to avoid authorities prioritising revenue raising over road safety.

4️⃣ Only revenue from driver training courses is distributed locally, and after covering the cost of delivering those courses and processing the fines, there is no surplus available to support fixed camera installation or maintenance.

5️⃣ Result: Everyone is stuck in a deadlock where the system makes it hard for anyone from being able to fund a fixed speed camera (if that was the appropriate solution)

The above is my understanding from the various things I've been able to find out over the years so there may be some small nuances missed (for example there's also rules on when and where speed cameras can be installed),

Hopefully the broad context is helpful and provides some clarity.

⚠️ PROPOSED SPEED LIMIT REDUCTION AT A370

North Somerset Council is proposing to reduce the speed limit at the A370 between the M5 Junction 21 and Hildesheim Bridge.

Proposed reductions include:

1️⃣ Somerset Avenue: 60mph → 50mph
2️⃣ Airport ...Roundabout: 50mph → 40mph
3️⃣ Flowerdown Bridge 50mph → 40mph
4️⃣ Herluin Way: 50mph → 40mph
5️⃣ Winterstoke Road & Marchfields Way: 40mph → 30mph

Why the change?
Despite making up only 0.5% of the local road network, this section accounts for over 5% of injury collisions (I.e ten times more than you would expect).

By lowering the speed by 10mph the council is anticipating that it'll lower the number of incidents and accidents.

A Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) notice will be published from 16 July, with work expected to begin in late August.

What are your thoughts about this?

✅ FIXED: UTILITY COVER - THE RUNWAY

Good to see that the utility cover at The Runway has now been fixed after I and other residents raised issues.

No more big thuds!

Thanks to the residents who got in touch about it, I'm always happy to try and help.

If ...you live in Winterstoke Ward and have an issue my contacts details are below 👇
https://n-somerset.moderngov.co.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=136