Average speed cameras in Twickenham - A316

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.23.031603

I note you seek access to the following information:

I would like to request information regarding 2 separate average speed cameras on the great chertsey road (a316), firstly a316 gt chertsey road nr Saxon av Tw13 to a316 gt chertsey road nr crane pk rd tw2 E/B (26412651) and secondly a316 chertsey Rd nr Ross Rd tw2 to a316 chertsey Rd nr talma gdns tw2 E/B (26612671).

1) I would like to know how many speeding tickets were issued between the speeds of 40mph and 48mph each month for the past year up to and including today and when the last 2 calibration dates where for both of these average speed check cameras.

2) I would also like to know how many complaints/reports of inaccuracies have been made in relation to these two cameras each month over the past year up to and including today.

3) Also only if possible could someone please explain what could cause an average speed check camera to be inaccurate all of a sudden other than a bad calibration.

Decision

I have today decided to disclose some of the requested information. Some data has been withheld as it is exempt from disclosure and therefore this response serves as a Refusal Notice under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) by virtue of the following exemptions:

Section 31(1)(a)(b) – Law Enforcement

Reason for decision

Disclosure of the requested information would cause the speed camera enforcement system to be less effective, as it may be used to detect patterns in when cameras are / are not working. This would impact upon law enforcement as compliance of road safety regulations would be negatively affected; those individuals who believed they may be less likely to be detected would be more likely to speed.

Section 31(1)(a)(b) – Law Enforcement - Disclosing site specific information relating to detections and enforcement will impact upon operational policing. Members of the public will be able to make an educated guess as to the likelihood of being caught at a specific site as this information may suggest that cameras are non-operational at specific times and/or may provide an indication as to how active a camera is at a particular site. This information would be likely to give rise to motorists taking a chance to speed at these particular sites if it is believed that the likelihood of the camera/s being operational is/are low. This would in turn have an impact on the safety of other road users at large.

It would therefore provide members of the public with an operational advantage over speed enforcement strategies.

Information released under the Freedom of Information Act is released into the public domain, and not just to the individual requesting the information. While some individual requests for site specific safety-camera data may pose no threat to the prevention or detection of crime or to public safety, it is possible that subsequent requests of a similar nature could enable camera enforcement patterns to be plotted. In these circumstance the information requested may enable individuals to draw conclusions about the likelihood of being caught on camera at different sites and different times.

If figures relating to offence detection were released, it may enable the public to predict patterns. This could potentially lead to individuals making decisions about where it is and is not “safe” to speed.

Some speed camera enforcement sites may not be active all of the time; supplying details of camera location and details of when they are active and inactive, in any given area, may give the travelling public sufficient knowledge to allow them to avoid live sites and thus avoid prosecution by defeating the speed camera enforcement system. Attempts to defeat the speed camera enforcement system could result in erratic driving which would increase the risk of harm to others.

The speed camera enforcement system encourages speeding drivers to slow down and contribute towards a compliant environment, which reduces the risk of incidents. If speed limits are broken by drivers, this compromises the effectiveness of the speed camera enforcement system and poses a safety hazard to road users.

Disclosure of the requested information could cause the benefits of current and future speed camera enforcement systems to be eroded, requiring greater public investment in future, in order to achieve the same level of compliance with the law and deliver the same benefits to road users.

Public money has been invested to make improvements to traffic flow; disclosure of this information would put these benefits at risk encouraging criminal non-compliance with mandatory average limits.

Speed cameras are a vital tool for road safety. Information disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act is made public when released, and has an impact on all areas of the country, not just within the MPS jurisdiction. Disclosure of the type of information requested would mean that any subsequent Freedom of Information request for other areas would be treated similarly. A series of disclosures for this information would mean the effectiveness of the speed camera enforcement system would be compromised.

Whilst there is a public interest in knowing what the MPS takes its law enforcement duties seriously, it is also important to ensure that public safety is not compromised by disclosure of information under the Act.

We are therefore unable to disclose the full dataset to you as we believe that there is stronger public interest in ensuring that the overall effectiveness of speed cameras is not undermined or compromised.

In addition, please note, no information is held in relation to questions two and three of your request. In relation to question three specifically, you are advised to contact the equipment manufacturer, Siemens (Safezone).

Disclosure

We can confirm that for the July 2022 to June 2023 period, the MPS issued a total of 4121 Notices of Intended Prosecutions (NIP’s) for exceeding a 40 mph speed limit in contravention of a Local Traffic Order – Automatic Camera Device on the A316 Chertsey Rd nr Ross Rd TW2 to A316 Chertsey Rd nr Talma Gdns TW2 E/B (26612671); and a total of 7100 NIPs issued on A316 Gt Chertsey Rd nr Saxon Av TW13 to A316 Gt Chertsey Rd nr Crane Pk Rd TW2 E/B (26412651).

Please note that the data for July 2023 is not included as it is not yet prepared. This is usually available three months post-date.

The following are the dates of the last two manufacturer revalidation certificates as requested. Please note the dates often overlap as they are conducted according to road space availability.

26412651:-
01/02/2023 – 31/01/2023
06/01/2023 – 05/01/2024

26612674:-
06/10/2022 – 05/10/2023
06/01/2023 – 05/01/2024