Drivers in Scotland hammered by speed camera fines

It’s estimated fines reaped in the lucrative control corridors could contribute as much as £1 million a year to the Treasury.

The yellow cameras in question cover the A90, at the Forth Road Bridge, the A77, which runs down through Ayrshire, and the M8/M73/M74, in Lanarkshire, where roadworks are currently in place.

With more than one driver caught an hour, furious campaigners have hit out at their use, calling for the brakes to be slapped on them.

Supporters, however, insist they are a vital and cost effective way of cutting carnage on our roads.

Expert Neil Greig, of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, fears such a high number of people getting caught is symptomatic of a wider issue.

“When you see figures this high you wonder if transport authorities are doing enough to make sure drivers know what speeds they should be doing,” he said.

The majority of people have been caught out on the M8/M73/M74, that links South Lanarkshire to Glasgow.

The speed on these roads was slashed from 70mph to 50mph last July for roadworks which are set to remain in place until at least 2017.

Transport Scotland hope the work will “upgrade the core of Scotland’s motorway network” and “boost Scotland’s economy by improving connections between the commercial centres of Glasgow and Edinburgh and beyond.”

The only boost so far, however, has been to the Government. Over the period in question, 4,656 motorists fell foul of the towering yellow cameras on the M8/M73/M74.

Of those, 2,878 were hit with £100 Fixed Penalty Notices (COFPN). It means the Treasury has made more than £250,000 on that stretch of road alone in just five months – or £1 every minute.

Incredibly one dangerous driver was caught doing 113mph on the M74 according to Police Scotland.

With such idiocy prevalent, Edmund King, of the AA, believes the cameras are essential “to protect both drivers and those working on the roadworks”.

However, he added: “You do need to question if drivers have been informed properly if so many are caught speeding . . . the numbers are incredibly high.”

On the A90, safety camera have been deployed “during construction on the live road network as part of the Forth Replacement Crossing project”.

Just 106 drivers were snared between July and September – but the number rocketed a further 839 between October and the end of December.

The leap coincides with the chaos surrounding the closure of the Forth Road Bridge on December 4.

Of those motorists, 282 were handed fines and 88 reported to the Procurator Fiscal.

On the A77, a 32 mile stretch of road is covered by the average speed cameras.

The first of its type in the UK – the cameras went live in 2004 – and are well known to motorists. Despite this, the network still caught 885 drivers speeding in the five month spell.

More than half faced £100 fines and 99 were reported to prosecutors.

Transport Scotland – the Scottish Government body which looks after the road network – said safety cameras deliver “excellent levels of speed limit compliance”.

“We want to see safe and responsible road use which would mean no fines being generated at all,” they said previously.

The number plate recognition technology the cameras use was first used to secure the City of London against IRA attack.