TfL Ref: 2432-1617
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 6 March 2017 asking for information about whether the average speed cameras on the A2 from the Blackwall Tunnel to The Black Prince are enforcing the 50mph speed limit.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold the information you require.
The camera system on the A2 and A102 in Greenwich and Bexley went live at the start of March 2017. The corridor comprises of some 17 enforcement camera sites. The cameras monitor average speed over a distance, rather than at fixed points
TfL’s new Average Speed Cameras along vital roads in South London went live on 1 March to improve safety, driver behaviour and air quality.
The new camera system replaces older fixed speed cameras along the A2 and A102 between the Blackwall Tunnel Approach and Dartford Heath where the speed limit is 50mph.
Average Speed Cameras are already in use on motorways across the UK, as well as in London on the A40, A316, A406 and A13. The cameras are located at entry and exit points along this section of the A2 and A102.
TfL believes the new cameras will reduce road casualties as well as improving air quality and speed compliance across a wider area as a smoother driving style reduces heavy braking and inefficient speed changes. Average Speed Cameras tend to be more effective than spot safety cameras as drivers can slow down and speed up again once past the camera.
The cameras may also have an added benefit in reducing congestion as motorists drive uniformly through the Average Speed Camera area staying at a more constant speed.
TfL is using roadside message signs to alert drivers to the new system. Drivers found exceeding the 50mph speed limit over the distance will be issued with a notice from the Metropolitan Police. TfL has also worked closely with the relevant borough councils, including Bexley and Greenwich, to install the new camera system.
If this is not the information you are looking for, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely
Sara Thomas
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
