Call for speed-check vans on 20mph roads

Concerned councillors in Birmingham have called for more enforcement action against drivers who break the 20mph limit in residential streets.

It comes as the West Midlands Police and Crime Panel welcomed news that almost £200,000 had been invested in four new mobile speed camera vans in the region.

However Erdington councillor, Gareth Moore, and Izzy Knowles, who represents Moseley, said increased enforcement was needed on smaller roads, with the 20mph limit, where the vans cannot be used.

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Simon Foster, said deploying the vans would be an operational decision made by police.

However, Foster added he thought they would be used in areas where the enforcement need was most urgent.

The PCC also said he had invested in 16 additional speed devices that could be used by officers.

"While it's welcome there has been that investment, in terms of the new speed camera vans, one of the challenges I find, certainly from my conversations with police, is those can't be used on residential roads," said Moore.

He said speeding was a "blight" on these roads, and he had recently dealt with the aftermath of two accidents in Erdington in one weekend, one of which was on a typically quiet road near a school.

He questioned whether the vans would only be used for additional enforcement on main carriageways, which he said was welcome, but did not address concerns raised with him.

Knowles said residents in her area wanted the vans to be used in 20mph zones.

"That's where they're witnessing the really poor driving and speeding and that tends to be where the speed watch groups go to as well," she said.

"You need to be able to have that if you're doing a community speed watch.

"People lose faith if that doesn't then result in a bit of enforcement later on, if those hotspots are identified."

Foster said he understood there were 140 hotspots in the West Midlands that needed more attention.

"[They] are targeted for road safety camera vans, and there is a 12-month rolling process to dynamically assess those areas and keep them under constant review," he said.

"Although we've doubled the number, plainly, eight is a resource that has to be spread across the entirety of the West Midlands."

The PCC has pledged to work with partners to halve the number of people killed and seriously injured on West Midlands roads by 2030.

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