'Public should have been told about speed camera'

More should have been done to inform the public about a fixed speed camera trial in North Yorkshire before it began, a council boss has said.

The camera was installed on the A64 in Sherburn, near Malton, on 30 June and was due to go live the next day.

However, just hours before the switch on, the camera was toppled in an act of vandalism.

Head of highways and transport Malcolm Taylor said: "Given the profile and interest that a fixed camera trial was likely to generate, I agree that more ought to have been done to advise the local community ahead of its going live date."

North Yorkshire councillor Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff, who represents the area between Scarborough and Malton, raised concerns about the transparency of the trial.

At a meeting yesterday, she said: "The location of the camera, just before a junction with traffic lights where cars must naturally slow down, has prompted genuine questions from the public."

She asked that the evidence for assessing potential sites for a fixed camera and the outcome of the trial be made publicly available.

Taylor said it was National Highways which manages the A64, rather than North Yorkshire Council.

He added: "As this council is only responsible for the local road network, we have had no involvement in the decision-making process around the fixed camera trial, the site selection process, or the trial in any way."

However, he recognised the concerns and agreed more ought to have been done to inform the public and the area's elected representatives.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, North Yorkshire Police's Assistant Chief Constable Ben Moseley said the location on the A64 was chosen due to the high volume of speeding offences captured by mobile vans.

He added: "When working in tandem with fixed cameras, they can make a significant contribution towards safety by moderating a driver's speed in the local area."

The force informed the public about the fixed camera the day before the trial was due to start.

Supt Mick Roffe previously said: "The fact that we are promoting the exact location of this camera shows that this isn't about a quick way to generate money, it's about enforcing the 30mph limit on a route which has historically seen several serious and fatal collisions."

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