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Speed cameras in West Midlands turned on today

Speed cameras were being turned on in the West Midlands today.

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The cameras are on the A38 Bristol Road, A456 Hagley Road, A4540 New John Street, A34 Newtown Row and A45 Coventry Road in Birmingham.

In Solihull, cameras will be turned on on the B425 Lode Lane, B4114 Bradford Road and A3400 Stratford Road.

The plan to reintroduce camera speed enforcement was formally agreed late last year and now the final preparations are complete.

The cameras are now ready to be installed after three years since obsolete wet film devices were last used locally.

Birmingham City Council, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, West Midlands Police and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner have worked together on the project.

Superintendent Kerry Blakeman, from West Midlands Police, said: "Our intention is for people to adhere to the speed limit. Those who exceed the limit will have to attend a speed awareness course where they will be educated about the dangers of speeding or face either an appearance at court or a fine and points on their licence.

"We hope that the presence of these highly visible cameras will ensure that road users comply with the set limits on roads in Birmingham and Solihull."

Cllr Stewart Stacey, Cabinet Member for Transport and Roads at Birmingham City Council, said: "I want a clear message to be heard by the region's motorists ? 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.

"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 ? all of which are routes with a significant record for accidents historically.

"It will only be the minority who continually exceed the speed limit and endanger others who will be caught by our adoption of this new modern technology."

The cameras will be located across Birmingham and Solihull and will be operational for a term of five years. There will be an initial 21-month evaluation phase to assess the effectiveness of the cameras, equipment and the overall system.

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