New speed cameras for Thorns Road

Approval has just been given for the introduction of average speed cameras along the Thorns Road.

In response to ongoing campaigning and a petition for road safety interventions, Dudley Council has received approval to install average speed enforcement cameras on Thorns Road.

Approval for such schemes are made at a regional level, and the bid has now been approved by the West Midlands Joint Working Agreement Board, which is made up of representatives from West Midlands Police and the region's seven local authorities.

Following approval, the authority will now work West Midland Police Camera Enforcement Team with a view to implementing the scheme by March 2027.

Average speed cameras use automatic number plate recognition technology to record when a vehicle passes two or more camera points and calculate its average speed over that distance. Drivers who exceed the speed limit across the monitored section of road may face enforcement action.

The authority has already been successful in installing average speed cameras along two routes and they are proving effective deterrents. These are A4123 Bham New Road and A458 Park Road/Drews Holloway.

So far in 2026, 3554 speed offences have been detected across the two routes, with 2546 drivers issued with fines or asked to attend a speed awareness course.

The 3-year collision record along the A458 has reduced from 26 injury collisions to 7 in the most recent three years. Killed or serious injury collisions have reduced from 7 to 3.

Although affected by the Metro works, similar benefits have been achieved on the A4123 with the number of injury collisions in 3 years dropping from 32 to 12 injury collisions and KSI’s dropping from 5 to 2. Overall speed compliance has improved on both routes.

Councillor Simon Phipps, cabinet member for economy and infrastructure, said: “We’ve been pushing for average speed cameras for this stretch of road for some time, and we’re so pleased to have got approval.

"We know this is a significant result too for the community campaigners who have been petitioning and working with us to build a case for the cameras.

“The installation of the cameras, alongside the existing road safety measures we introduced a few years ago will help to make this stretch of road safer and we hope will educate motorists to drive safely and responsibly for everyone’s sake.”

Thorns Road was already on the current local safety scheme programme and  was include on the capital programme in 2023. The council had previously installed additional safety measures including additional signage and road markings outside Thorns Primary, Thorns Secondary and Old Park School and an upgrade to the pedestrian crossing by the entrance to Stevens Park. It also worked closely with the police who carried our regular mobile speed enforcement operations to deter speeding motorists.