Scottish Safety Camera Programme - Annual Progress Report 2020/21

Introduction

The Scottish Safety Camera Programme (“the Programme”) aims to reduce the number of casualties on Scotland’s roads.

It does this by ensuring safety cameras are deployed as a visible and effective way in which to encourage good driver behaviours and compliance with the speed limit. This helps contribute to the road safety vision contained in Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2030.

For Scotland to have the best road safety performance in the world

Police Scotland is responsible for the operational delivery of the Programme through three regional Safety Camera Units. Transport Scotland, through the Scottish Safety Camera Programme Office, are responsible for the Programme’s performance and the administration of grant funding for camera enforcement activity.

This annual report is informed largely by information submitted by the three regional Safety Camera Units. It sets out the range of activities the Programme has been involved in throughout 2020/21 to ensure safety cameras maximise their potential to reduce injury collisions.

Following on from the coronavirus related lockdown in Scotland, an operational decision was made to suspend speed enforcement activity delivered through the Scottish Safety Camera Programme. Activity ceased on 23 March 2020 and recommenced on 29th June 2020. This was an operational decision made by Police Scotland. During that time all fixed safety camera infrastructure was used as intelligence gathering tools. Data flowing from this infrastructure regarding vehicle speeds and levels of speed limit compliance was used to help inform targeted Police Officer led speed enforcement.

During this period, grant payments continued to be made. At the same time, the Grantee:

Provided weekly updates to the Scottish Ministers detailing staff availability and deployments;
Notified the Scottish Ministers at the earliest opportunity if civilian staff or police officers normally deployed to safety camera duties were undertaking other activities in support of the Coronavirus response;
Used fixed infrastructure (e.g. fixed and average speed camera technology) as a speed monitoring tool with associated intelligence being used to inform targeted officer led speed enforcement; and
Contributed to the renegotiation of targets/milestones or objectives/expected outcomes of the Grant for 2020/21.

Report in PDF format

View Scottish Safety Camera Programme - Annual Progress Report 2020/21

Enforcement

Camera Deployment

Safety cameras were deployed across Scotland from 29 June 2020 and throughout the remainder of 2020/21 as the Programme sought to deliver its overarching aim of reducing the number of casualties on Scotland’s roads by encouraging improved driver behaviour and speed limit compliance on our roads.

Deployments were undertaken on an intelligence-led basis, informed primarily on an evidence base of collisions and speeding. This ensured the locations of greatest risk were prioritised.

In addition, mobile cameras were used as Short Term Deployments. Deployments of this nature were in response to emerging issues or one-off/short term events where expected change in traffic behaviour had raised road safety concerns from stakeholders. Similarly, mobile cameras were also used as Flexible Deployments. Deployments of this nature were in support of improved driver behaviour and speed limit compliance in high footfall areas where active travel could be encouraged by lower vehicle speeds.

Camera Technology

The technology deployed included fixed speed cameras, mobile speed cameras, average speed camera (ASC) systems, and red-light cameras (including a number with dual functionality to detect speeding vehicles).

Fixed Cameras

Camera rotations at fixed camera sites took place across the Units. This prioritisation was based on where there was likely to be the most significant impact on casualty and collision reduction and the number of cameras available in the Unit. The ratio of fixed speed cameras to fixed camera enforcement locations was as follows:

	North	East	West
Fixed camera enforcement locations	14	63	63
Fixed speed cameras	11	16	21

Mobile Cameras

Similarly, mobile camera deployments across the Units were informed by casualty and collision history. While the overall number of vans servicing camera sites in each Unit remained sustainable, it was identified that a number of vehicles were becoming problematic to maintain due to age and/or mileage. To address this, a fleet management strategy was developed. As part of this, 4 new vehicles (2 allocated to each of the East and North Units) were procured. This exercise is expected to be completed during 2021/22 with the installation of enforcement equipment packages.

Furthermore, in support of the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government requirement for phasing out petrol and diesel cars in the public sector fleet by 2025, work was undertaken to finalise the fit out and subsequently bring into service a fully electric mobile camera in 2020/21.

In addition, to support the broad aim of encouraging more people to travel in an active manner, the safety camera motorbike undertook a number of flexible deployments at a range of locations across the East Unit.

	North	East	West
Mobile camera enforcement locations	236	60	43
Mobile camera enforcement vans	14	9	6
Route Strategies	20	11	3

A Route Strategy is for those routes, or sections of routes, that have a history of personal injury collisions and speeding. Route Strategies may also encompass individual sites.

In line with the Programme Handbook, deployments reflected collision and speeding profiles. During 2020/21 mobile deployments took place seven days a week.

Permanent Average Speed Camera (ASC) systems

A range of existing permanent ASC systems were operational in Scotland through 2020/21. Across the trunk road network these were deployed on the A77, A9, A90, A82/85 and across local roads these systems were deployed on Old Dalkeith Road, Edinburgh and on Mill Street, Rutherglen and Polnessan, East Ayrshire.

These ASC systems have consistently shown that they help to encourage improved driver behaviour and levels of speed limit compliance which have led to a significant reduction in the number of serious and fatal casualties at these locations when compared to the respective 3 year base period.

This is demonstrated by the A77 reflecting a 73% reduction in fatal casualties and a 57% reduction in serious casualties compared with the original baseline published in 2005. Similarly, this technology has helped lead to a significant reduction in casualties on the local roads where they have been deployed. This is evidenced in relation to the average speed camera system deployed on Old Dalkeith Road in the East Unit. Across this stretch of road between the 3-year period 2018-2020 there has been a 66% reduction in those being killed and seriously injured when compared to the original baseline period of 2012-14. Similarly, there has been significant improvement in speed limit compliance at this location. Before the deployment of average speed cameras at this location more than 3-in-5 vehicles were speeding. The most recent speed survey shows more than 9-in-10 vehicles were complying with the posted speed limit.

Roadworks Enforcement

Temporary Average Speed Cameras at Roadworks (TASCAR) systems are considered as a way to contribute towards road worker, driver and other road user safety or improve traffic flow. TASCAR is considered where there are high traffic volumes, and/or particular road works-specific safety risks are identified. There was 1 TASCAR deployment in 2020/21 between Luncarty and Bankfoot to support the A9 Dualling Project. Looking ahead, further deployments of this nature are planned for 2021/22, including as part of works to complete the ongoing A9 Dualling Project.

Red-Light Cameras

A number of red-light camera-types were deployed through the Programme in 2020/21, including those with 24/7 capability.

	North	East	West
Red Light Sites	0	11	10
Dual Red Light and Speed on Green	0	6	2

Site Selection

In addition to existing camera deployments, a comprehensive body of work took place across 2020/21 to ensure the Programme continued to maximise its casualty and collision reduction potential. As part of that, a national safety camera site selection exercise was undertaken making use of revised site prioritisation criteria which had been agreed in 2018/19.

This robust process, involving Safety Camera Unit Managers (West, East and North) working in collaboration with 32 local road authorities and Transport Scotland as the trunk road authority and Police Scotland, identified 4,222 sites based on collision only data. Following discussions with stakeholders and a number of speed surveys, a range of new sites across the East and West Units were identified. Alongside this were a number of sites assessed as no longer a priority for enforcement and these are moving through the dormancy process towards being decommissioned.

The new camera sites identified through the 2020 safety camera site prioritisation process were as follows:

Unit	Site Name	Camera Type
West	Regent Street, Greenock	Fixed
West	A761, Clune Brae, Port Glasgow	Mobile
West	A816 North East of Oude Dam	Mobile
West	A803 Springburn Road, Springburn	Red Light
West	A77 Whitletts – Holmston - Bankfield	ASC
East	A6106, Duddingston Park, Edinburgh	Red Light

2020/21 saw steps taken to progress towards delivery of the following sites which were identified as part of discussions surrounding the 2019 safety camera site prioritisation exercise. A competitive tender exercise was undertaken for the procurement of 2 average speed enforcement systems. This was successfully completed in February 2021 with construction scheduled for Q1 of 2021/22. 2020/21 also included preparatory work to enable a competitive procurement exercise to take place in 2021/22 relating to a fixed spot speed enforcement technology.

Unit	Site Name	Camera Type
West	Springfield Road, Celtic Park, Glasgow	Mobile
West	Great Western Road, near Gartnavel (Westbound)	Mobile
West	Fenwick Road, Giffnock	Fixed
West	Nitshill Road, Nitshill, Glasgow (northbound)	Fixed
West	Main Road, Cardross	Fixed
West	Auchinairn Road, Auchinairn	ASC
West	Dubbs Road, Mid Achenleck, Port Glasgow	Fixed
West	Edgefauld Road, Petershill, Glasgow	Mobile
West	A72 Carlisle Road, Ferniegair/Allanton	Mobile
West	Parkhouse Road, Nitshill, Glasgow	ASC
West	Crookston Road, Rosshall, Glasgow (northbound)	Fixed
East	Camelon Road, Arnothill, Falkirk	Fixed
North	A944 Kingswells Aberdeen (Eastbound)	Fixed
North	A96 Bainshole, Aberdeenshire	Mobile
North	A835 north of Morefield, Highland	Mobile
North	B9128 at Crombie Crossroads, Angus	Mobile
North	B987 Northern Road, Kintore, Aberdeenshire	Fixed
North	B977 Old Aberdeen Road, Balmedia, Aberdeenshire	Mobile
North	A930 Dalhousie/Monifieth Road, Broughty Ferry	Mobile
North	A832 Station/Toll Road, Avoch, Highland	Mobile
North	A96 west of Brodie	Mobile

Enforcement Hours

Performance reporting against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for fixed, mobile and red light enforcement in each Unit is set out at Annex A. This performance is measured against targets contained in Operational Plan submitted by the three regional safety camera units to the Programme Office along with actual performance from 2020/21.

It should be noted that following on from the coronavirus related lockdown in Scotland in March 2020 all camera based speed enforcement activity delivered through the Programme was suspended for a short period. During this period camera technology was used as intelligence gathering tools to inform targeted Police Officer led speed enforcement. This was an operational decision by Police Scotland influenced by a requirement to redeploy Police Officers involved in the Programme to other essential coronavirus related Police activities for a short period of time. Doing so means that the enforcement hours noted below are based around the period July 2020 – March 2021.

There was 229,197 hours of fixed camera enforcement nationally in 2020/21 between Q2-Q4 against a target of 245,401 hours. This equates to achieving 93% of the targeted level. There were regional variations, with both the East Unit (102%) and the West Unit (113%) exceeding this target. In the North Unit, deployment hours were significantly lower (46%) than forecast due to issues with secondary road markings, road surfacing and staff training.

There was 13,920 hours of mobile camera enforcement nationally in 2010/21 between Q2-Q4 against a target of 18,168 hours. This equates to achieving 77% of the targeted level. There were regional variations, with the East Unit (96%) meeting their target. This target was not achieved in the North (60%) or West (76%) due primarily to staff shortages as a result of annual leave obligations, shielding and long term sickness.

Of all mobile camera enforcement hours 3,641 hours (26.2% of total) were darkness enforcement against a target of 4,417. This equates to achieving 82% of the target level. Regional targets were met in the East Unit (97%). While this target was not achieved in the North Unit (61%) or the West Unit (93%) due to the staff shortages explained above the available resource was deployed to ensure that the proportion of hours were in line with targeted levels (21%).

Of all mobile camera enforcement hours 3,553 hours (25.5% of total) were weekend enforcement against a target of 4,754. This equates to achieving 75% of the target level. While this target was not achieved in the East Unit (92%), North Unit (55%) or the West Unit (83%) due to the staff shortages explained above the available resource was deployed to ensure that the proportion of hours were in line with targeted levels (26%).

Of all mobile camera enforcement hours 447 hours (3.2% of total) were during flexible and short term deployments. While there is no target level given the nature of these deployments, activity of this nature did take place across all three units during the reporting period.

There was 168,698 hours of red light camera enforcement nationally in 2020/21 between Q2-Q4 against a target of 194,817 hours. This equates to achieving 87% of the targeted level. This target was exceeded in the West Unit (113%), but not achieved in the East Unit (57%). Due largely to continued issues around road resurfacing and associated technology faults.

Enforcement

To maximise the Programme’s collision and casualty reduction potential the site selection criteria should continue to be used as the basis to identify and prioritise new safety camera sites on an annual basis.
To support the continued use of mobile camera technology, continue to deliver the fleet management strategy.
Evaluate the effectiveness of the electric safety camera van and use findings to inform future procurement strategies involving this technology.
Undertake a procurement exercise to enable the delivery of a number of fixed spot speed enforcement sites.

Staffing

Staffing levels as at 31 March 2021 are detailed below:

	Op Plan Establish-ment (FTE)	Vacant (FTE)	Long Term Sick (FTE)	Maternity/Other (FTE)	Number at end of Year (FTE)	Current Vacancies (FTE) and Comments
East	34.6	0.4	0	0	34.2	0
North	38.5	2.9	1	2	32.6	0
West	33	0	1	0	32	0
National	106.1	3.3	2	2	98.8	0

The filling of vacant posts is anticipated to result in improved resilience and ease the pressures in the Units resulting from staff on leave.

Communications

There are three full time equivalent posts responsible for communications activity across the West, East and North Units. This structure has helped to publicise safety camera activity throughout 2020/21. Highlights include:

The Safety Cameras Scotland website remained a well-used resource across the year, with over 98,000 views across 2020/21 although this was a reduction of 15,000 when viewed against the number of views in 2019/20.
An increasing social media profile. This is evident through:
- The Twitter account having over 6,600 followers. This represents a 6% increase in followers against the previous (2019/20) year.
- A Facebook page, which was created in late 2017, also grew throughout the 2020/21 period, with over 2,100 followers at the end of the reporting period which represented a 20% increase against the previous (2019/20) year.
- In addition, views on YouTube were over 31,000 for 2020/21. This represents an increase of 88% against the level of views during 2019/20.
Communications based activity undertaken across 2020/21 had to be adapted as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. This included replacing cancelled events with social media and other forms of visible engagement. This included:
- Bus shelter advertising in Livingston, West Lothian, to target camera locations with high offences; and bus back advertising on vehicles deployed on the A90;
- Bus back advertising on the A96; an advertising board at the slipway at Fort William; and in-vehicle stickers; and
- Initiating a 'We’re watching your speed' campaign with targeted content used across social media, bus backs, billboards and petrol pumps. Additional content was created for the winter social media campaign, ‘You can’t control but you can control you’re speed’ which highlighted the dangers of speeding in a variety of conditions. In addition, ‘Street Lights Mean 30mph’ stickers were purchased and a wheelie bin campaign was rolled out further in the west.
A range of administrative actions were also managed across 2020/21, including the handling of Freedom of Information (FoI) Requests and a range of general correspondence. All responses were completed within the target timescale.

More broadly, the level of public support for safety cameras in Scotland is high. This is demonstrated by results flowing from a road user attitudes and behaviours perception survey from August 2021 which showed:

74% agree with use of safety cameras and that they are a good thing;
67% agree safety cameras help discourage dangerous driving in areas they are used;
64% agree safety cameras help prevent accidents in areas they are used.

However, 57% remain of the view that safety cameras are an easy way of making money out of motorists, while 25% still retain the view that there are too many safety cameras on our roads.

Considerations

Consideration should be given as to whether, and to what extent, a change in advertising and communication strategy is appropriate given the reduction in website views and significant increase in some social media channels.

Consideration should be given as to how best to enhance the awareness at a local and national level of the key role safety cameras play in helping to prevent collisions on Scotland’s roads.

Local Engagement

A customer satisfaction survey was circulated to all road authorities in Scotland to allow them to feedback on local engagement. This is the sixth such survey undertaken since the introduction of the three-Unit structure in 2015. The findings of all surveys are summarised below:

Total number of responses in each year

2020/21 - 19
2019/20 - 10
2018/19 - 17
2017/18 - 23
2016/17 - 21
2015/16 - 17

Question 1 - How satisfied is your authority with the engagement it has with the Safety Camera Unit in your area?

2020/21 - 89% were Satisfied or Very Satisfied, 11% were Dissatisfied or Very Dissatisfied
2019/20 - 80% were Satisfied or Very Satisfied, 20% said they don't know
2018/19 - 94% were Satisfied or Very Satisfied, 6% were Dissatisfied or Very Dissatisfied
2017/18 - 91% were Satisfied or Very Satisfied, 9% said they don't know
2016/17 - 76% were Satisfied or Very Satisfied, 19% said they don't know, 5% were Dissatisfied or Very Dissatisfied
2015/16 - 59% were Satisfied or Very Satisfied, 18% said they don't know, 24% were Dissatisfied or Very Dissatisfied

Question 2 - How satisfied is your authority with safety camera enforcement undertaken in your area?

2020/21 - 79% were Satisfied or Very Satisfied, 21% said they don't know
2019/20 - 80% were Satisfied or Very Satisfied, 20% said they don't know
2018/19 - 82% were Satisfied or Very Satisfied, 12% said they don't know, 6% were Dissatisfied or Very Dissatisfied
2017/18 - 65% were Satisfied or Very Satisfied, 22% said they don't know, 13% were Dissatisfied or Very Dissatisfied
2016/17 - 57% were Satisfied or Very Satisfied, 33% said they don't know, 10% were Dissatisfied or Very Dissatisfied
2015/16 - 35% were Satisfied or Very Satisfied, 53% said they don't know, 12% were Dissatisfied or Very Dissatisfied

Question 3 - Do you consider the frequency of engagement between your authority and your Safety Camera Unit is appropriate?

2020/21 - 84% said yes, 5% said they don't know, 11% said no
2019/20 - 80% said yes, 10% said they don't know, 10% said no
2018/19 - 88% said yes, 6% said they don't know, 6% said no
2017/18 - 87% said yes, 13% said no
2016/17 - 71% said yes, 10% said they don't know, 19% said no
2015/16 - 53% said yes, 6% said they don't know, 41% said no

Question 4 - Following the revisions to the Safety Camera site selection criteria implemented in 2019, does your authority consider that these revisions have been of benefit to your area?

2020/21 - 16% said yes, greatly, 58% said yes, to an extent, 11% said they don't know, 11% said no, not really, 5% said no, not at all
2019/20 - 20% said yes, greatly, 30% said yes, to an extent, 10% said they don't know, 40% said no, not really

The result of the 2020/21 Local Engagement survey shows a slight increase in the level of satisfaction and the frequency of the engagement within the road authority community. While there has been a decrease in the level of satisfaction amongst the road authority community with the enforcement undertaken this has been marginal. Going forward, consideration should be given by each Unit as to ways in which to further enhance engagement.

Finance

The Safety Camera Programme budget for 2020/21 was £4.65m, with funding provided through central grant from Scottish Government. Additional funding was also received in relation to the HADECS camera system. The funding arrangements for the provision of grant to Police Scotland (through the Scottish Police Authority) worked well throughout the reporting year.

Programme expenditure for 2020/21 and actual Police Scotland spend is set out at Annex B. The final closing balance for 2020/21 was a minor overspend of £3,387.

Whilst all services were maintained during 2020/21, an anticipated increase in staff costs, together with additional funding to continue to support: the delivery of the Programme’s fleet management strategy, increased maintenance liability and replacement of life expired technology including the average speed systems, means a significant uplift in the Programme’s budget for 2022/23 should be considered.

To ensure the Programme has an appropriate budget level which enables it to maximise its collision and casualty reduction potential and help Scotland achieve its overarching road safety targets, a significant uplift in budget provision for 2022/23 should be explored.

Conclusion

Enforcement

To maximise the Programme’s collision and casualty reduction potential the site selection criteria should continue to be used as the basis to identify and prioritise new safety camera sites on an annual basis.
To support the continued use of mobile camera technology, continue to deliver the fleet management strategy.
Evaluate the effectiveness of the electric safety camera van and use findings to inform future procurement strategies involving this technology.
Undertake a procurement exercise to enable the delivery of a number of fixed spot speed enforcement sites.

Staffing

The filling of vacant posts is anticipated to result in improved resilience and ease the pressures in the Units resulting from staff on leave.

Communication

Consideration should be given as to whether, and to what extent, a change in advertising and communication strategy is appropriate given the reduction in website views and significant increase in some social media channels.
Consideration should be given as to how best to enhance the awareness at a local and national level of the key role safety cameras play in helping to prevent collisions on Scotland’s roads.

Local Engagement

Finance

Annex A and B in PDF format

View Scottish Safety Camera Programme - Annual Progress Report 2020/21 - Annex A and B

If you require these documents in an alternative format, please contact safety.cameras@transport.gov.scot.

Published Date 8 Mar 2022 Type

Report

Mode of transport

Road