Police motorbikes fitted with speed cameras are to be used to trap speeding motorists in the Burnham-On-Sea area.
Avon and Somerset Police announced on Thursday that three bikes will enable the force, for the first time, to monitor roads that its speed camera vans cannot easily access.
The bikes will supplement nine speed enforcement vans across the Somerset police force area which catch more than 66,000 speeding motorists a year.
Also, a number of road-side cameras across the region will be switched back on in the next few months. They were deactivated in 2011 after the area’s safety camera partnership was dissolved.
Police and Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens said the move has come because road safety is the most commonly-raised issue by local people.
Sue Mountstevens said that road safety was the most common issue residents raised with her, “it is only right that these plans for local policing tackle the issues that most affect residents. Road safety is something that is continually raised with me and it will now be reflected in all nine local plans,” she said.
Temporary Chief Superintendent Ian Smith, who leads the Constabulary’s speed enforcement department, added: “We’re really pleased to have these motorbikes as they will extend the support we are able to offer communities affected by speeding. Often we have to decline requests from local residents to do enforcement activity in their area because our vans cannot be deployed due to their size.”
“As the motorbikes are smaller we’ll now be able to support many of those places. We’ll have more vehicles and flexibility on the road so it really will make help us build on the critical work we are already doing to make sure roads in Avon and Somerset are as safe as they can be.”
