Traffic camera data for this part of London shows mixed picture
In an effort to convince motorists that traffic cameras are there to save lives and not raise revenues the Government has published detailed figures on their impact.
These show on a camera by camera basis how effective speed and traffic light cameras have been in reducing serious accidents.
In the table below we have provided data for cameras for the main arteries out of and around Ealing.
So firstly, were the cameras in our immediate area put there just to raise revenue, as is often claimed (particularly by those who have just had a speeding ticket)? There is a handful of suspicious-looking ones, e.g. by the M4 near Boston Gardens (start of Elevated Section) and the M4 east of Osterley Lane Overbridge. However in general, most sites appear justified and it is an eye-opener to see just how many deaths and injuries have taken place at certain hotspots.
Secondly, do the cameras save lives? In most cases the number of accidents appears to have reduced, in some cases significantly. The notorious blackspot junction of the A4 Talgarth Road/North End Road has shown a decrease of 5.7 people killed or seriously injured each year in the three years before the camera was installed to only 1 in the year 2002/3. However the picture is not all rosy. The junction of the A40 and Old Oak Common saw 6 serious accidents in one year after installation compared to an average of 2.3 prior to installation. Speed cameras may not be the answer in some locations (possibly at certain types of traffic lights), while they are a godsend in others. It would be interesting to know how this information feeds back into road planning - are sites reviewed and changes to cameras made accordingly? On what basis are those decisions made? Any transport planners out there like to comment?
Transport Secretary Alistair Darling said, 'These figures prove that cameras save lives.'
The
Association of British Drivers accused the government of cherry-picking
data in a bid to show that cameras were working.
London (Metropolitan & City) Safety Camera Partnership - Sites and Casualty Data |
Sites in operation from full year 2002-03. Casualty data available for full year 2002-03 |
Fixed sites, at which cameras are in operation continuously or from time to time |
|
|
Basis for site's initial establishment |
|
|
|
Site and location |
Established |
Killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties before and full year after site's initial establishment |
Personal injury collisions - PIC per km in 3 years prior to site's initial establishment |
Average annual KSI casualties over 3 years before site's establishment |
'After' - KSI casualties (2002-3) |
A4 east of A312 Roundabout junc Hazelmere Ave |
JAN-1997 |
1 |
12 |
0.3 |
0 |
A4 Great West Road by Penwerris Ave (Osterley br) |
OCT-1992 |
1 |
6 |
0.3 |
0 |
A4 Great West Road by Thornbury Avenue (o/s Osterley Ct) |
OCT-1992 |
1 |
8 |
0.3 |
3 |
A40 Western Av o/s the Hoover Building |
MAR-1999 |
1 |
6 |
0.3 |
0 |
A40 Western Av west of Kathleen Av |
OCT-1992 |
5 |
16 |
1.7 |
2 |
A40 Western Avenue east of Long Drive |
APR-1999 |
2 |
10 |
0.7 |
1 |
A40 Western Avenue oposite Lynwood Rd |
OCT-1992 |
7 |
18 |
2.7 |
0 |
A40 Western Avenue west of Lynwood Road |
MAY-1997 |
4 |
21 |
1.3 |
0 |
A40 Westway by Bloemfontein Road |
MAR-1994 |
2 |
9 |
0.7 |
0 |
A406 east of the Park Royal Onslip |
JUL-1997 |
3 |
19 |
1.0 |
0 |
A406 Gunnersbury Av by Manor Gardens |
OCT-1992 |
6 |
23 |
2.0 |
0 |
A406 Hanger Lane near Chatsworth Rd |
OCT-1992 |
7 |
38 |
2.7 |
1 |
A406 Hanger Lane south of Beaufort Road |
FEB-1999 |
9 |
41 |
3.0 |
1 |
A30 Great Southwest Road opp Terminal 4 |
OCT-1992 |
1 |
2 |
0.7 |
0 |
A312 Parkway south of M4 J3 Roundabout |
OCT-1992 |
0 |
6 |
0.0 |
0 |
M4 east of Osterley Lane Overbridge |
AUG-1999 |
1 |
2 |
0.3 |
0 |
M4 Elevated Section on Lionel Rd onslip |
OCT-1992 |
6 |
20 |
2.0 |
0 |
M4 nr Boston Gdns, start of Elev. Section |
JAN-1997 |
0 |
4 |
0.0 |
0 |
M4 west of Grand Union Canal Bridge |
AUG-1999 |
2 |
3 |
0.7 |
0 |
M4 west of Junction 3 |
AUG-1999 |
2 |
18 |
0.7 |
1 |
Red light sites - Traffic lights at which cameras operate continuously or from time to time | |||||
A4 Great West Rd / Thornbury Rd |
DEC-1998 |
6 |
30 |
2.7 |
0 |
A4 Great West Rd / Boston Manor Rd |
MAY-1991 |
8 |
40 |
4.3 |
3 |
A4 Great West Rd / Vicarage Farm Road |
MAR-1994 |
6 |
23 |
2.0 |
3 |
A4 / Sutton Lane |
JUL-1995 |
4 |
40 |
1.3 |
1 |
A406 Hanger Lane / Uxbridge Road |
OCT-1999 |
7 |
55 |
2.3 |
1 |
A40 Western Av / Old Oak Common Lane |
AUG-1999 |
7 |
35 |
2.3 |
6 |
A40 Westway by Hilary Road |
NOV-1994 |
0 |
6 |
0.0 |
1 |
A406 Hanger Lane / Queens Drive |
SEP-1998 |
4 |
13 |
1.3 |
0 |
A4 Talgarth Road / Gliddon Road |
SEP-1998 |
5 |
24 |
1.7 |
1 |
A4 Talgarth Road / North End Road |
MAR-2000 |
17 |
48 |
5.7 |
1 |
A4 West Cromwell Rd / Warwick Rd |
MAR-1999 |
9 |
34 |
3.3 |
4 |
A4 Great West Rd / Wood Lane |
JUL-1997 |
1 |
13 |
0.3 |
1 |
July 29, 2004
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