Agency shelves Buckinghamshire M40 speed camera plan (From Bucks Free Press)

Agency shelves Buckinghamshire M40 speed camera plan

12:59pm Friday 23rd July 2010 in

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PLANS to put average speed cameras between junctions 3 and 4 of the M40 have been shelved.

The Highways Agency had hoped to have the fixed cameras in place by April 2011 (see link), but the scheme did not secure funding for this financial year.

The Highways Agency “intends to continue promoting the scheme in future financial years in the hope of achieving funding”.

It said funding was not secured in 2010/11 due to “a general reduction in budgets and other safety schemes in our region providing a better economic return”.

Last year it was revealed there was a massive drop in crashes and injuries between junctions 2 and 4 when temporary cameras were stationed on three bridges.

There were nine deaths between November 2006 and October 2008 – and this fell to one in the following ten months – when cameras were first operating.

The Bucks Free Press called for action to be taken to make the motorway safer after a year of carnage that began on May 31 2007 when three people were killed and 11 injured in a three-vehicle pile up.

Within a year, six more people were killed in seven accidents. The M40 has no permanent speed cameras in Bucks.

Road studs and raised profile white lines have been installed over half the section between Junctions 3 and 4, while the other half is set to be completed this year.

When the matter was raised at a Buckinghamshire County Council meeting yesterday, transport boss Valerie Letheren said she would keep on “banging on the drum” to get cameras installed.

She said of the Highways Agency: “They aren't very customer friendly. We did have a lot of direct one to ones with them and had some direct commitments. Average speed cameras are something that I believe would work there.

“I had a job to get this answer from them... we'll keep banging on the drum.

Paul Rogerson, Conservative member for Ickneild and Bledlow, raised the issue and told the Bucks Free Press after the meeting: “I'm very disappointed with a result like that. At the moment there's nothing up there to say that is a dangerous stretch of road.

“On that particular stretch you've got the sun straight in your face and it has a particular characteristic to it."

He favours having chevrons painted on the road surface so drivers keep a good distance from each other, but this was ruled out last year.