Average speed cameras switched on across the city

Average speed cameras are now in operation on some of the most accident-prone roads in Birmingham and Solihull, and drivers are being reminded to stick to the limit for the whole length of each route.

The digital cameras use automatic number plate recognition to time how long a vehicle takes to travel between fixed points a known distance apart, and work out its average speed. Signs warn drivers when they are entering an average speed zone.

Where the cameras are

In Birmingham, the cameras cover five routes: the A38 Bristol Road between Priory Road and Speedwell Road, the A456 Hagley Road between Portland Road and Lordswood Road, the A4540 New John Street between Lucas Circus and Hospital Street, and the A34 Newtown Row northbound between New John Street West and Newbury Road, all of which have 30mph limits, and the A45 Coventry Road between Berkeley Road and Rowland Road, where the limit is 40mph.

Three further routes are covered in Solihull, on Lode Lane, around the Bradford Road and Chester Road junction, and on the Stratford Road at Hockley Heath.

The routes were chosen because they have a history of collisions and casualties, speed surveys show that speeding is a problem, and there is no realistic engineering solution that could be installed instead.

"I'm not Bob Geldof"

Councillor Stewart Stacey, cabinet member for transport and roads at Birmingham City Council, insisted the scheme was about safety rather than raising money.

"I'm not Bob Geldof, I don't want you to 'give us your money', I just want you to comply with the speed limits that are there to improve safety for everyone who uses the roads of Birmingham and Solihull," he said.

"Most people will see no impact to their overall journey time as this is all about enforcing speed limits that already exist on the roads in question."

Superintendent Kerry Blakeman said drivers who break the limit will have to attend a speed awareness course or face a court appearance or a fine and points on their licence.

Why average speed

The partners behind the scheme, Birmingham City Council, Solihull Council, the police and the office of the police and crime commissioner, chose average speed cameras because drivers have historically kept to the limit far better with them than with mobile or fixed-point cameras, which drivers can slow down for and then speed up again.

The need is clear. Between 2010 and 2014, 2,356 people were killed or seriously injured on the roads of Birmingham and Solihull, an average of more than 470 a year.

Police and crime commissioner David Jamieson said speed was one of the biggest causes of deaths on the road and one of the issues local people raised with him most often. The councils are installing the cameras, while the police will process and enforce the fines.

A new start for cameras

The scheme marks the return of camera enforcement after a long gap. In April 2013, police announced that the area's old speed cameras would be switched off until a suitable digital replacement could be found, and have relied on mobile cameras since.

The new cameras will run for five years, starting with a 21-month evaluation to test how well they work. The results will help shape wider efforts to make the area's roads safer.