Bridge speed cameras net 100 drivers in a fortnight

NEW average speed cameras before the Forth Road Bridge have snared more than 100 drivers in little more than a fortnight of being fully operational.

The devices, which enforce a 40mph speed limit on the approach to the crossing to Fife, were switched on at the start of January to protect construction staff working on the new replacement bridge.

Now it has emerged that the cameras are catching seven drivers a day who breach the limit, landing them with at least three penalty points and a £60 fine.

The worst offender was clocked travelling past the yellow-coloured cameras at 73mph – almost double the speed limit – while others have been caught multiple times.

Authorities said it was vital road users complied with the speed limit, although drivers have voiced their frustration at having to stick to such a low speed for several miles on both sides of the bridge, particularly when choked-up traffic can already cause significant delays.

A spokeswoman for the Lothian and Borders Safety Camera Partnership, which operates the cameras on this side of the bridge, said: “There is no excuse for exceeding the speed limit at these roadworks.

“It is vitally important that motorists comply with the reduced speed limit for their own safety, as well as for the safety of others.”

Cameras were also installed on the M9 at junction 1a. There is little activity now, but it will soon be busy with construction workers and their vehicles taking part in the Forth Replacement Crossing project.

Although there are no cameras on the bridge itself, where the limit is 50mph, they were introduced on the Fife side some time ago.

The organisation said that one vehicle had been detected speeding three times, while a further four cars had registered twice.

Unlike mobile speed cameras or the traditional brightly- coloured devices at the side of the road, the average speed facility measures the time it takes for a car to travel between two points. Experts say driver compliance is significantly higher as a result.

The cameras will be in place until the spring of 2013.

Meanwhile, the partnership’s mobile speed camera will be appearing at various locations across West Lothian and roads into the Lothians from the Borders.