Motorists are being warned of a cash cow speed camera which is bagging the government millions of pounds in fines.
The camera, located on the M1 between junctions 33 and 34 near Sheffield, is situated on a section of road that sees the speed limit drop from 70mph to 60mph. The reasoning behind the reduction in speed is to combat pollution, although with the sole camera raking in millions for the government during a so-called trial period, sceptical motorists could be forgiven for thinking that money is the overriding rationale.
The camera is located on the northbound carriageway near Brinsworth, and it’s reported that, should all the speeding fines collected by it been paid as they should, it has helped to generate more than £2m. The Telegraph reports that in total 119,204 fines were issued for either speeding or ignoring the red ‘X’ lane closure warning, and that over the four-year trial period this results in £11,920,400, or around £8,000 a day!
The section of road is well known since it was the scene of a number of fatal or serious accidents involving vehicles breaking down in live lanes and failing to reach an emergency refuge area. One such incident was the one that involved Jason Mercer, who was killed in 2019 when a lorry ploughed into his stationary vehicle. A judge later concluded that, had there been a traditional hard shoulder on that stretch of road, Mr. Mercer may well be alive today.
Mr Mercer’s widow, Claire Mercer, went on to set up the Smart Motorways Kill Facebook group, and thinks the government may have a financial interest in keeping Smart Motorways operations. She said “Is the massive revenue smart motorways provide the reason why the government defends them in the face of overwhelming hatred towards them from the public?”
