Safety Cameras ‘Go Live’ on M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project

Average speed cameras will encourage a safe and steady traffic flow by monitoring the average speed of vehicles through the works to ensure the safety of both road users and road workers.

The safety cameras are expected to go live 20^th July and will remain in place until the completion of the project in spring 2017.

Scottish Roads Partnership (SRP), the consortium responsible for designing, building, financing and operating the project roads, is installing safety cameras to reflect the significant increase in construction works scheduled in the months ahead.

The safety cameras are being installed in phases across the project, beginning on the M74, and will be rolled out at the following locations over the coming months. On approach and throughout the roadworks, signs will advise drivers of the speed restrictions.

Cameras will ‘go-live’ on the first section of the M74 northbound and southbound from Junction 3, Carmyle to Junction 6, Hamilton, within the coming weeks, followed by:

• M73 both directions from Junction 1, Maryville to Junction 2, Baillieston
• M8 both directions from Junction 10, Easterhouse to Junction 8, Baillieston
• A8 both directions from Baillieston to Shawhead Junction
• A8 both directions from Shawhead Junction to M8 Junction 6, Newhouse

Graeme Reid, Project Sponsor for Transport Scotland, said: “We know from our experience of major road infrastructure projects that safety cameras are a tried and tested approach that improves safety for both road users and the adjacent construction workforce during what will be an extremely busy period in terms of construction.

“Not only do the cameras create a safer environment for all concerned, they can also help improve the flow of traffic through the works. With more than 100,000 vehicles using these key routes each day, we are acutely aware of the challenges involved in keeping the traffic moving whilst delivering a project of this scale and complexity. However we will continue to work closely with Scottish Roads Partnership to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum.

“Once complete, congestion across the central Scotland motorway network will be significantly reduced, with travel time reliability between the main route of Glasgow and Edinburgh improved.”

Chief Inspector Fraser Candlish of Police Scotland, said: “The reduced speed limit is necessary to ensure that drivers are able to cope safely with the inevitable effects of the road works such as narrowed lanes, changing lanes, contra-flow and construction traffic. Highly visible average speed cameras are an effective way of encouraging motorists to respect the reduced speed limit.”

Mark Miller, a spokesperson for Scottish Roads Partnership, said:

“Given the close proximity to the live road and the space constraints across the site, we believe that it is necessary to install safety cameras and reduce speed limits to ensure the safety of road users and that of our workforce. We would like to take this opportunity to thank road users for their patience while we deliver these significant improvements works.”

Transport Scotland, together with its partners, is currently delivering more than £1.5billion of investment in the biggest ever package of projects to improve the country’s transport infrastructure on both the road and rail networks. This investment will boost Scotland’s economy by improving connections right across the commercial centres of Glasgow and Edinburgh and beyond.

The £500m M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project represents a substantial part of this investment, and aims to tackle congestion problems on the A8/M8, M73, M74 and at key junctions including Raith (M74) and Shawhead (A725/A8).

When complete, congestion across the central Scotland motorway network will be significantly reduced, with travel time reliability between the main route of Glasgow and Edinburgh improved.

Two lanes will remain operational in each direction across all project roads during peak times, although traffic management and speed restrictions will be in place.

The M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project began in February 2014 and is scheduled for completion in spring 2017.

Details of the traffic management programme and the phased roll out of safety cameras will be available on the Transport Scotland and Traffic Scotland websites www.transportscotland.gov.uk/m8m73m74 and www.trafficscotland.org.