“No more red tape and delays”: Fresh calls for outdated speed camera laws to be updated  

Oldham Liberal Democrats are once again calling for on the government to rapidly update the rules around the use of speed cameras.   

Current rules require at least two separate collisions involving fatalities or serious injuries to have occurred at a given location before new speed cameras are even considered.

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader and Greater Manchester Transport spokesperson councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “One death on our roads is one too many.  These rules urgently need to change.  It’s something Liberal Democrats have called for time and again and there has been lots of people agreeing with us, but very little action.  I raised this repeatedly on Greater Manchester’s Transport Committee over several years.  The last government failed to act; will this new one be any better?”  

Saddleworth West and Lees representative councillor Alicia Marland raised the issue at a recent meeting of Oldham Council.  She challenged the Cabinet Member responsible for Highways to write to the new Secretary of State calling for urgent action.

Councillor Marland said, “These outdated regulations do not include non-injury incidents which it is estimated there are a 100 of for every injury or fatality, meaning there could be more than 200 accidents before any action is taken.  We need a complete change.” 

Oldham Council’s Cabinet Member said that the government would deliver a new criterion “by the start of the next financial year” but that the new plans would have to be approved by several bodies, including all ten Greater Manchester councils. 

Councillor Sykes said, “We need this sorted.  What we don’t need is more red tape and delays, because that could literally cost a life.  It’s very simple, we need the criteria that requires fatalities on our roads before a speed camera can be used to be removed.”

“There has been broad agreement on this issue across Greater Manchester.  We do not need the process to be referred back to the same bodies who called for the change in the first place.” 


Question to the Cabinet from councillor Alicia Marland – 11/09/24
The Cabinet Member will be aware that current rules require at least two separate collisions involving fatalities or serious injuries to have occurred at a given location before new speed cameras are even considered. 

These outdated regulations do not include non-injury incidents which it is estimated there are a 100 of for every injury or fatality, meaning there could be 200 accidents before any action is taken.  We need a complete change in the way we calculate and respond to risk on our roads.

The Liberal Democrats raised this issue time and again under the previous government, but no action was taken.  Will the Cabinet Member agree to write to the new Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh MP, calling for these criteria to be revised urgently?

Response from councillor Chris Goodwin
“Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) have been requesting that the Department for Transport (DfT) carry out a review of the guidance on the safety camera criteria for a number of years. TfGM, therefore, had a review carried out of the national criteria by the Road Safety Support group who recently issued their draft recommendation on revised criteria to TfGM Safer Roads. This will shortly be issued to GM, the Vision Zero Board and all 10 Boroughs for their review and comment, with a view to having the new criteria in place by the start of next financial year.

It is likely the new criteria will remove some elements such as the requirement for fatal collisions along a route before safety camera interventions can be considered, but this is yet to be confirmed.

We will ensure that details of any consultation are shared in due course.”

Oldham Liberal Democrats & TfGM urge Department for Transport to update criteria (Feb 2024)
Department for Transport must update criteria for speed camera use says Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader – Howard Sykes (mycouncillor.org.uk)

Action need on speed cameras to save lives (Mar 2022)
Action needed on speed cameras to save lives say Liberal Democrats – Howard Sykes (mycouncillor.org.uk)