Speed vans caught close to 10,000 motorists in the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon area over a two-year period.
And Armagh I can reveal the most prolific locations for speeders being caught in our borough.
Details have been provided to us from the Road Safety Partnership which operates mobile speed vans. These have been deployed at what are considered to be “permanent and community concern” sites within the ABC borough.
Armagh I submitted a Freedom of Information request after concerns raised with us by readers about speeding through some local towns and villages, including Loughgall and Tandragee.
We asked for the number of drivers caught speeding over the most recent available 24-month period and the figures were, to say the least, surprising.
Between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2016, these speeds vans clocked a total of 9, 706 breaking the limit.
And this applied to a total of 21 locations across the borough.
The largest propotion of these were at the A1 Sprucefield Roundabout to Sheepbridge, where one of four mobile safety camera vehicles is used.
There were 4,037 detections at this location alone during the time period featured.
Only one other location had in excess of 1,000 and that was at Armagh Road, Portadown, where another mobile safety camera vehicle is in use. A total of 1,179 drivers were clocked speeding here.
The other two mobile safety camera vehicles in the borough are on the Armagh-Monaghan Road, at Middletown, where 831 detections were made, and at Gosford Road, Tandragee, with just 38 drivers caught.
Other cameras included those at community concern sites. which are enforced where there is “a well-founded concern, raised through the local Policing and Community Safety Partnership or the PSNI Area Commander, that a failure to reduce speeds will result in collisions causing death or serious injury”.
Once approved for enforcement, camera operators use temporary signs at these locations.
At Scarva Road in Banbridge, there was a total of 427 detections.
But this figure applies up to July 1 last year only. It is now one of four ‘dormant sites’ in Northern Ireland, and will be assessed again this July and, depending on the results , either the camera signage will be removed or it will be reinstated on the list of enforceable sites.
The lowest number of detections was actually at Moy Road, Armagh, with just four, while there were 57 at Armagh Road, Moy.
Speeding at Madden Road, Tandragee, resulted in 785 drivers paying the penalty, while at Portadown Road, Tandragee, there were 470, a further 32 at Red Lion Road, Loughgall, 105 at Moy Road, Scotch Street, Portadown, and 16 passing through Middletown.
Other locations included the following: Banbridge Road, Loughbrickland – 62; Banbridge Road, Kinallen – 21; Banbridge Road, Waringstown – 610; Donaghcloney Road, Blackskull – 41; Gilford Road, Lurgan – 243; Glenloughan Road/Main Street, Scarva – 89; Hilltown Road, Rathfriland – 295; Scarva Street, Loughbrickland – 54; and Whinney Hill, Gilford – 310.
