Road Safety Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 132:"After Clause 38, insert the following new clause—"    ““AMENDMENT OF TRAFFIC SIGNS REGULATIONS AND GENERAL DIRECTIONS 2002 (1)   The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002 (S.I. 2002/3113) are amended as follows. (2)   In Regulation 4, after the definition of ““excursion or tour””, there is inserted— ““““fixed speed camera”” means a camera of a type approved by the Secretary of State that is situated at a fixed site and that operates continuously or from time to time for the purpose of monitoring the speed of road vehicles and securing compliance with the speed limit in force at that site.”” (3)   After Regulation 58 there is inserted—    ““FIXED SPEED CAMERAS 59.   Every fixed speed camera shall— (a)   be adequately illuminated during the hours of darkness, and (b)   have affixed to it a clearly visible indication of the applicable speed limit.”””” The noble Lord said: This proposed new clause is designed to improve and enhance the existing regulations pertaining to the visibility of safety cameras in line with current Government policy. As noble Lords know, the position of the Department for Transport on this issue, as maintained in its annual report of 2004, is that safety cameras are a deliberately visible deterrent. The noble Lord, Lord Davies of Oldham, made that position clear in this House in June this year when he stated:"““Our intention is not to catch drivers who exceed the speed limit but to guarantee that all drivers obey the speed limit . . . the whole point of the safety cameras is that people should be aware of where they are””.—[Official Report, 29/6/05; col. 240.]" Safety cameras are designed to encourage compliance with speed limits rather than catch those that exceed them. That is exactly what the amendment seeks to enhance in relation to fixed safety cameras. Subsection (2) amends the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002, inserting a clear definition of ““fixed speed camera”” to tighten up its usage. Secondly, subsection (3) builds on the safety camera guidelines introduced in 2001 that were designed to increase the visibility of all safety cameras. The guidelines require that safety camera housing be bright yellow and clearly visible to road users from 60 metres away at 40 miles per hour and 100 metres for all other limits. Subsection (3) proposes that every fixed speed camera be adequately illuminated during the hours of darkness, which would greatly improve the visibility of speed cameras during those hours, enabling motorists to see them clearly and if necessary adjust their speed accordingly. Secondly, it requires all safety cameras to have affixed to them a clearly visible indication of the applicable speed limit. Consequently, the motorist would be left in no doubt of the appropriate speed at which to travel. As noble Lords can see, the new clause enhances the existing role of all safety cameras as a visible deterrent and improves it by reinforcing signage and making clear the applicable speed limit. I have no doubt that all noble Lords will want to join me in supporting this extremely sensible amendment. I beg to move.