Camera-free zone a haven for speeding

Published on Friday 1 February 2008 09:23

THEY are a pet hate for most drivers but large swathes of the Lothians are proving to be a safe haven for motorists looking to avoid speed cameras.

East Lothian and Midlothian are the only councils on the Scottish mainland yet to sign up to the police scheme which operates the speed traps.

Safety experts today said the number of road casualties in the region could be cut if the local authorities were to join Edinburgh and West Lothian in the Lothian and Borders Safety Camera Partnership.

There are a handful of speed cameras on the A1 in East Lothian and A68 in Midlothian, but only because they are trunk roads operated by Transport Scotland. Other major roads in the two counties, including the A702 to Biggar, the A703 to Peebles, the A7 to Galashiels and the A198 coast road to North Berwick, do not have cameras.

Figures published last year showed speed cameras have halved the number of serious collisions on the Capital's most dangerous roads. The figures released in May 2007 revealed accidents where people were killed or seriously injured on roads with speed cameras dropped from 62 in 2000 to 31 in 2005.

Midlothian Council today said none of its roads met the partnership's criteria for the introduction of speed cameras.

But Colin McNeill, Lothian and Borders Safety Camera Partnership manager, argued: "We have shown over time that safety cameras can have a positive road safety benefit."

Across Edinburgh, West Lothian and the Borders there are 72 fixed safety cameras, 47 mobile safety camera sites and 23 red light cameras.

Lothians SNP MSP Shirley-Anne Somerville said: "The partnership is well established and it would be good if East Lothian and Midlothian could join to have a Lothians-wide approach to this."

A Midlothian Council spokesperson confirmed it was not currently a member of the partnership. They added: "We have regularly surveyed our roads against the criteria set by the Camera Safety Partnership, and this indicates t there are no sites which would qualify for the introduction of cameras."

Nobody from East Lothian Council was available to provide a response to the News.