Average speed cameras replace those at Great Ponton and Barrowby on A1

Motorists driving past Great Ponton and Barrowby on the A1 this week may have noticed that the fixed point speed cameras have gone and been replaced with eight yellow average speed cameras.

In a bid to reduce accidents on this stretch of the A1, and in response to alarming statistics provided by the Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership (LRSP), Highways England decided to make the change.

The fixed point cameras at Great Ponton and Barrowby Thorns, the latter being amongst the most activated in England, have now been taken down, although the replacement cameras are not expected to be fully operational until the summer.

John Siddle, of LRSP, said: “The speed limit won’t be changing from the national 70mph. All we want is for people to drive at the speed limit or below. As previous figures have shown, people have driven through this stretch going as fast as 140mph. When you have drivers trying to come out of the junctions around Stoke Rochford, who think someone is approaching at 70mph but they are actually doing double that, it only takes one glance away before that car is on top of you.”

Mr Siddle also highlighted how the placement of average speed cameras along the A52 had seen the casualty rate fall by 55.6 per cent, just five years after their installation.

Work continues to activate the A1’s new cameras, initially funded by Highways England, with overnight closures on Wednesday and Thursday from 8pm to 6am. Once installed, LRSP and Lincolnshire Police will take over the ongoing management.

A Highways England spokesman said: “Safety is our top priority and we’ve always been clear that speed cameras are for making journeys safer and reducing dangerous driving, not raising cash. That is why average speed cameras are used at sites where there is a real concern about speed and a history of serious collisions and casualties.”