Lord Berkeleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
In respect of recent government guidelines to local authorities joining the national safety camera partnerships concerning criteria on casualties at camera sites and requirements for conspicuous siting: (a) when these were sent to local authorities; (b) when they will be published in full; (c) when they are due to come into force; (d) why they were not published at the same time that they were sent to local authorities; (e) what reduction in accidents the Government expect to achieve by these new guidelines at camera sites; and (f) what reduction in accidents the Government expect to achieve by these new guidelines elsewhere on the road network. [HL4565]
§ Lord Macdonald of TradestonGuidance on safety camera deployment is contained in Circular Roads 1/92. For areas seeking to join the safety camera netting off scheme, the criteria for site selection are made available to local authorities when they form partnerships with the police and magistrates' courts as preparation for entry into the scheme. These criteria form part of the rules and guidance for netting off 83WA which is an operational document and is subject to regular update as the netting off scheme progresses. The rules on camera conspicuity and visibility were announced on 3 December 2001. All areas within the netting off scheme must comply with these by the end of June 2002 and for new partnerships at the point they join.
The first year of netting off in just eight areas achieved a 47 per cent reduction in those killed and seriously injured at camera sites, with an 18 per cent average reduction in the areas as a whole. Similar reductions are expected to be achieved in the areas that are continuing to join the national scheme.