North Yorkshire speed camera vans to be reviewed

Philip Allott said a "rethink" about the use of speed camera vans was needed

There is to be a review of North Yorkshire's mobile speed camera van system, the incoming Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) has said.

Philip Allott, who was elected on 6 May, said there were "big concerns" over the vans, which were introduced in 2011.

He declined to explain exactly what those concerns were, but highlighted issues about locations.

North Yorkshire Police operates 12 vans and a motorcycle with speed cameras.

A common complaint about the vans is that they are deployed to places designed to maximise the revenue they generate rather than improve safety, which North Yorkshire Police has denied.

Mr Allott told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "People say the camera vans are in the wrong locations.

"People say their village doesn't get a camera van. People say there are other solutions.

"There will be a rethink in terms of how that is handled and that will be something that involves a consultation process."

Julia Mulligan, Mr Allott's predecessor, frequently defended the use of the vans and denied they were a revenue generator during her nine years in office.

Responding to criticism of them in 2020, she tweeted: "Any cash raised is spent on road safety but they are largely self funding, and certainly not 'cash cows'.

"We also have clear evidence of behaviour change and lives saved."

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