Average-speed cameras installed on Cat and Fiddle from Tuesday

Bike-catching average-speed cameras are to be installed on the A537 Cat and Fiddle run from Macclesfield to Buxton from next week.

The popular biking road will be one of the first in the country to get a new generation of average-speed cameras which are rear-facing so they can read motorcycle number plates.

Work will begin installing seven of the devices from Tuesday. They will also be put on a stretch of the A54 which joins the A537. Both roads have a 50mph limit.
All of the cameras will be linked together and vehicles constantly monitored within the speed control zone. Riders who progress between any two of the devices too quickly will be issued with a prosecution notice.

In the past average-speed cameras have only been linked in pairs, measuring speeds from one to the next along a single lane of traffic. The new cameras are expected to be operational before motorcycle traffic increases in April. 

Lee Murphy, Manager of the Cheshire Safer Roads Partnership, said:

“We want all road users to come and enjoy this scenic route responsibly and lawfully. Unfortunately, a minority of riders treat the road with a race track mentality — we have recorded bikers riding at speeds of 130 mph.

“This is not a knee-jerk reaction because we have tried all other measures. Short of closing the road, we couldn’t see any viable alternatives to the average-speed cameras to reduce the number of casualties along the Cat and Fiddle.”

Find more details on the scheme here: www.mysaferroads.org.uk/news_more.asp?news_id=21¤t_id=1