A KEY section of road between Whitchurch and Chester may soon be under the watchful eye of the law if plans to install average speed cameras are approved.
The A41 between Waverton and Christleton has been identified as a 'high collision' route and as such could receive a cash injection from the police to make the road safer through speed reduction.
It's part of Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner David Keane's ongoing commitment to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on Cheshire's roads.
Over the next year, he has committed to investing more than £1 million to improve road safety.
The road has been put forward by Cheshire West and Chester Councils to have the cameras installed after an assessment, which considered speeding and collision data together with concerns raised by the community.
Read More:
- Warning issued by Cheshire Police following spate of spam calls by people claiming to be police officers
- Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner makes pledge over domestic abuse rise
- Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner invites residents to have their say on dog thefts
Cheshire Police will now work with the local authority to produce detailed plans for an average speed schemes subject to a full feasibility study and site surveys.
The PCC said: "Thanks to the hard work and dedication of Cheshire Police and local authorities to make our roads safer, the number of people killed or seriously injured on Cheshire's roads has reduced by more than a third (38 per cent) over the last five years.
"However, one death on our roads is too many and I am committed to doing everything I can to tackle the five main causes of deaths and serious injuries on our roads, which includes speeding.
"We can save more lives by putting average speed schemes on high collision routes.
"We've seen these type of schemes work on other Cheshire high collision routes, including the 'Cat and Fiddle' in Macclesfield which has seen a 90 per cent decrease in vehicles exceeding the speed limit since average speed cameras were installed.
"This is strong evidence that investing in road safety saves lives.
"I see the installation of these cameras as the start of a journey to deliver my vision for an 'average speed Cheshire'.
"This activity will send a clear message that dangerous, and potentially fatal, driving will not be tolerated in Cheshire."
Chief constable Darren Martland added: "Cheshire Constabulary is committed to making the county's roads safer for all road users.
"I am confident that the installation of the new cameras will deter motorists from speeding which, we know, can be a significant contributory factor to the number of collisions that occur on our roads.
"Improving road safety is a priority for Cheshire Constabulary and we are confident that the installation of average speed cameras will help to make our roads safer and, ultimately, save lives."
Meanwhile Cheshire West and Chester Council's deputy leader and cabinet member for environment, highways and strategic transport, councillor Karen Shore, added: "Road safety is aligned to the priorities in our current Council Plan and we continuously review the safety on our network while listening to the views of our communities.
"Speeding deters people from walking and cycling to the detriment of public health, the environment and the climate emergency."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here