12,000 Birmingham drivers caught speeding in 12 months

Almost 12,000 drivers have been caught speeding through Birmingham’s ‘smart motorway’ network in the last 12 months.

Many of them were spotted speeding through roadworks where the speed limit was reduced to 40mph and the normal variable cameras were switched off.

Smart motorways, including parts of the M42 and M6, are designed to ease congestion, managing traffic flow by changing speed limits and utilising the hard shoulder at peak times.

By far the most people were caught between Great Barr and the M5 junction on the M6 – between junctions seven and eight – where major roadworks were taking place. The road was reduced to two narrow lanes each way to repair motorway bridges and surfacing.

9697 speeding tickets were issued for drivers along that stretch of road between the introduction of speed cameras in July and November.

Highways England emphasised that protecting workers was a key part of the project, with the reduced speed limits and cameras part of that.

But motoring organisations such as the AA have questioned the scheme, suggesting it might do more harm than good.