Road chief's speed pledge

Staffordshire people are "crying out for more speed cameras" according to the man in charge of roads in the county.

Councillor John Wakefield, from Stone, is planning to "extend the flexibility of the mobile camera operation" to catch more speeding drivers.

However, Councillor Wakefield, county council cabinet member for transport, says there will not be a huge increase in the number of cameras and those that are will be targeted at accident blackspots.

The transfer of speed cameras to some new sites across Staffordshire is part of a re-organisation of Staffordshire's Casualty Reduction Partnership that aims to build on a record of success that has seen a 60 per cent drop in people killed and seriously injured at camera sites.

The county council's cabinet will tomorrow be recommended to adopt new criteria for the siting of fixed and mobile cameras.

It follows a Government review that is making county cameras an integrated part of the road safety mix rather than a stand-alone operation.

The cameras will be used in harness with education and awareness-raising campaigns, training schemes and road improvement projects like pedestrian crossings, better signing, electronic speed warning signs.

The strict criteria for the installation of fixed safety cameras set out by Government before the changes will still be the standard approach in Staffordshire - although this will be regularly reviewed.

But there is new flexibility pushing the boundaries on when and where mobile cameras can be used including supporting communities plagued by speed problems, cutting fear and improving safety.

Councillor John Wakefield, a former Stafford borough councillor, said: "There is enormous pressure on us from both sides in the safety camera debate. Communities are crying out for more cameras to tackle speeding motorists who put lives at risk, while 'antis' attack the cameras with a virulent hatred.

"But the results speak for themselves. Staffordshire's approach has worked - with 20 per cent better results than the national average in saving lives. We want to build on this success.

"You won't see a huge surge in the number of cameras. It's not how many you have that makes a difference - it's how and where you use them.

"At the end of the day the most powerful weapons against death and injury on our roads are drivers themselves. We all have the choice to slow down, to take care, to watch out for children. No-one has the right to put other lives at risk."

Superintendent Paul Gallagher from Staffordshire Police's criminal justice department, said: "I welcome the changes that are being made to the rules regarding camera enforcement and funding."