I understand Transport for London is looking for four more areas in London to trial 20mph average speed cameras. Initial trials have been very successful in having collisions and injuries that involved illegal speeding. In Southwark the only trial we’ve been involved with is on Salter Road. Very successful it feels to. I’ve yet to see a definitive report on it.

Ideally Walworth road, which is meant to be 20mph, would have average speed cameras. We’d then see a further step decrease of injuries and collisions and crashes after its complete rebuild and redesign. It would complete the Walworth road project.

Equally, Southwark Bridge Road. It would ensure Cycle Superhighway no.7 which runs along it would be more successful and that a Cycle superhighway in Southwark means something tangibly better for people cycling. This is certainly what I ensured was put in the Memorandum of Understanding when I was the Cycle Champion councillor for Southwark.

Some people argue cameras should not be used but that a road should be self enforcing. Such self enforcing normally involves speed humps which can cause huge discomfort for people with back problems, etc. I’ve had one Southwark Council Officer say that the cameras and poles are ugly and that is the reason they fought against them.

Speeding vehicles really disect communities and make streets so unpleasant that only the poor and disadvantaged get left behind. So collisions disproportionately involve the poor. Unsurprisngingly the most vocal complaints against speed cameras come from those more well of who don;’t suffer any of the dreadful impacts.

But on balance I truly believe having speed cameras, despite the discomfort of better of people being caught for illegally speeding and the slashing of injuries and collisions is better than putting speed humps down everywhere and the real pain and suffering caused to generally poorer people lawfully going about their lives.

Where will the next trial in Southwark take place – we wait and see. I’ll be making a formal request on behalf of my group.