Purpose of traffic cameras installed in Chelmsford Road, South Woodford
Request ID: FOI-2006-2324 Date published: 19 September 2023
You asked
Traffic cameras have been installed on street lighting columns at each end of Chelmsford Road, South Woodford, London E18 2PL. They are connected to smart transport hubs.
Please provide any information held by your authority regarding the purpose of the cameras. Are they for enforcement or traffic monitoring? Specifically, could you please provide copies of any documents, officer reports, committee reports, survey terms of reference or contract specifications relating to their use and installation.
If the cameras have been provided to facilitate the implementation of any adopted policies of your authority, could you please indicate which policies these are.
We answered
TfL Ref: EIR-2006-2324
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 7th September 2023 asking for information about cameras installed in Chelmsford Road, South Woodford.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) and our information access policy.
Specifically you asked:
“Traffic cameras have been installed on street lighting columns at each end of Chelmsford Road, South Woodford, London E18 2PL. They are connected to smart transport hubs.
Please provide any information held by your authority regarding the purpose of the cameras. Are they for enforcement or traffic monitoring? Specifically, could you please provide copies of any documents, officer reports, committee reports, survey terms of reference or contract specifications relating to their use and installation.
If the cameras have been provided to facilitate the implementation of any adopted policies of your authority, could you please indicate which policies these are.”
I can confirm that we hold the information you require. However, in accordance with the EIR, we are not obliged to supply any of the information as it is subject to a statutory exception to the right of access to information under regulations R12(5)(a) – “international relations, defence, national security & public safety” (in this instance specifically public safety); regulation 12(5)(b) – “the course of justice, the ability of a person to receive a fair trial or the ability of the public authority to conduct and inquiry of a criminal or disciplinary nature” (in this instance specifically the course of justice); and regulation 12(5)(e) – “confidentially of commercial or industrial information where such confidentiality is provide by law to protect a legitimate economic interest.”
The rationale for this is explained in more detail in a published response to a previous information request which is available on our website here:
Note that these exceptions are being applied to all current requests about camera related infrastructure on London’s roads, not just those specifically related to the Ultra Low Emission Zone.
More general information about our use of cameras - including Data Protection Assessments in relation to our Road User Charging schemes - can be found on our website here:
