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Speed cameras coming to York and North Yorkshire?
9:40am Monday 29th March 2011 - -By Jennifer Bell - Crime reporter

SPEED cameras could be finally coming to York and North Yorkshire in a move that supporters say could save dozens of lives and millions of pounds.

Tomorrow York’s political leaders will be asked to approve in principle the introduction of the devices to the city.

North Yorkshire County Council is currently carrying out a consultation that could see it make a similar decision for the county in May.

North Yorkshire Police Authority would also have to approve the plans in principle before any cameras are set up. If all three authorities say yes, a year-long pilot scheme with a single mobile camera and crew could take place.

A report before an executive meeting of the York authority estimates the overall cost of setting up speed cameras in the city and the county plus running costs for the first four years would be between £3.1 million to £3.6 million, but the cost would be outweighed by the financial savings made by reducing road deaths and serious injuries. It quotes Government figures that the cost to businesses, emergency services and others of each road death is £1.7 million.

Coun Steve Galloway, City of York Council’s executive member for city strategy, said: “I have always taken a view that speed cameras should be one of the tactics taken by the police to enforce speed limits, with particular emphasis on accident blackspots.

“The current proposal has taken an awfully long time to come forward, but I am pleased we finally now have something to discuss and the police are saying the cameras, which will be fixed on vans so they can be moved from place to place, will be used to address areas of particular concern to the community.”

North Yorkshire is one of only a handful of UK areas without speed cameras, and the report which will be discussed by the council’s executive tomorrow, says although the region has no sites suitable for fixed cameras, 28 locations – including three in York – could fit the bill for mobile devices.

The report, written by city council road safety officer Trish Hirst and head of transport planning Ruth Stephenson, said installing cameras at these spots could prevent 31 people being killed or seriously injured in the space of four years. It said: “Although it is far from ideal to count this human suffering in financial terms, the Department for Transport do provide standard tables for calculating possible financial benefits of reducing casualties.”

The report says if the number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads were reduced by 31, this could represent a financial saving of £10.35million.”

Officers have recommended York’s council executive approves the authority’s involvement in developing a business case for speed cameras and the pilot scheme – which together would cost £366,000 – before deciding whether introducing a full camera network should be pursued.

North Yorkshire Police Authority is also set to agree to this when it meets next week.

The costs would be divided between the three local authorities and Government grants if available.