Safety Camera Warning Sign (lack of) Surrey Street

The request was successful.

Dear Norfolk County Council,

Firstly, thank you for your previous responses to my requests.

In your reply of 18 January you said that you would be happy to receive any information on signage that may be defective.

On Queen’s Road, Norwich, there is a safety camera facing towards Bracondale, near the junction with Hall Road. As drivers approach the safety camera from the north-west there is a camera warning sign that alerts them to the fact that there is a camera ahead. However, drivers driving through the centre of Norwich via All Saints Green, past John Lewis, are forced to use Surrey Street rather than the signed stretch of Queen’s Road referred to above. This is because they are not allowed to turn left from All Saint’s Green into Queen’s Road and are directed to use Surrey Street to access Queen’s Road.

It seems to me that drivers approaching the Queen’s Road camera from Surrey Street are disadvantaged as against drivers approaching it on Queen’s Road and this appears to me to be not only unjust and discriminatory but not in compliance with the DFT’s Handbook of Rules and Guidance. As traffic that has come from Thorpe/Prince of Wales Road/Rose Lane/All Saint’s Green is directed down Surrey Street it is hardly a side road.

Drivers on Surrey Street are doubly disadvantaged as there is no early view of the camera from Surrey Street.

It seems to me that that a camera warning sign should have been erected in Surrey Street for identical reasons to those for the one in Queen's Road.

On the basis of the information that you hold is the lack of a camera warning sign in Surrey Street, Norwich, correct, please?

Yours faithfully,

Ms S Smith

FOI, Norfolk County Council

Dear Ms Smith

 

Freedom of Information Act 2000 – Information Request

 

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request, received by us on 25
January 2012. 

 

Our twenty working day deadline for your request is 22 February 2012 and
we aim to respond as soon as possible within the time period.

 

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contact us at [1][Norfolk County Council request email] .

 

Yours sincerely

 

Julie Robinson

Freedom of Information and Data Protection Unit

 

A Four-Star Archive Service with a Designated Collection

 

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FOI, Norfolk County Council

Dear Ms Smith

 

Freedom of Information Act 2000 – Information Request

 

I refer to your request for information dated 25 January 2012. In
accordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I
have now processed your request.

 

Your request: On Queen’s Road, Norwich, there is a safety camera facing
towards Bracondale, near the junction with Hall Road. As drivers approach
the safety camera from the north-west there is a camera warning sign that
alerts them to the fact that there is a camera ahead.

 

However, drivers driving through the centre of Norwich via All Saints
Green, past John Lewis, are forced to use Surrey Street rather than the
signed stretch of Queen’s Road referred to above. This is because they are
not allowed to turn left from All Saint’s Green into Queen’s Road and are
directed to use Surrey Street to access Queen’s Road.

    

It seems to me that drivers approaching the Queen’s Road camera from
Surrey Street are disadvantaged as against drivers approaching it on
Queen’s Road and this appears to me to be not only unjust and
discriminatory but not in compliance with the DFT’s Handbook of Rules and
Guidance. As traffic that has come from Thorpe/Prince of Wales Road/Rose
Lane/All Saint’s Green is directed down Surrey Street it is hardly a side
road.

    

Drivers on Surrey Street are doubly disadvantaged as there is no early
view of the camera from Surrey Street.

    

It seems to me that that a camera warning sign should have been erected in
Surrey Street for identical reasons to those for the one in Queen's Road.

    

On the basis of the information that you hold is the lack of a camera
warning sign in Surrey Street, Norwich, correct, please?

    

Our response:

DfT guidance regarding the siting of camera reminder signs (from DfT
Circular 01/2007) states that a camera reminder sign should be located
within the same view as the camera and within 1km of the camera.  This is
the case on Queen's Road.  Side roads may or may not be excluded from
signing at the discretion of the safety camera partnership. Surrey Street
does not have reminder signing as it is a side road and is close (120m) to
the Queen's road safety camera which is clearly visible.

 

As mentioned in our response to you on the 18 January 2012 Norfolk County
Council is responsible for safety camera signing and we would be keen to
know of any location where there is a concern about the validity of either
the safety camera signs or road markings. For future problems with signage
that may be defective please can you use following weblink for highway
reporting purposes:

[1]https://online.norfolk.gov.uk/HighwayPro...

 

Should you have any queries regarding the information provided then please
contact:

 

The Freedom of Information & Data Protection Unit

The Archive Centre

Martineau Lane

Norwich NR1 2DQ

E-mail: [2][Norfolk County Council request email]

Telephone: 01603 222661

 

If you are dissatisfied with our handling of your request you have the
right of appeal through the Council's internal complaints procedure by
setting out the grounds of your appeal in writing to:

 

The Compliments and Complaints Manager

FREEPOST 1H 2076

Norwich NR1 2BR

E-mail: [email address]

 

An appeal should be submitted within 40 working days of the date of this
notice and should be identified as "FOI Appeal".

 

If you are dissatisfied after pursuing the complaints procedure, you may
apply to the Information Commissioner under Section 50 of the Act for a
decision whether your request for information has been dealt with in
accordance with the requirements of Part I of the Act.  Contact details as
follows:-

 

First Contact Team

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane, Wilmslow

Cheshire SK9 5AF

E-mail: [3][email address]

http://www.ico.gov.uk/

 

This response will be published without identifying any personal data on
the Norfolk County Council Freedom of Information website
[4]http://www.norfolk.gov.uk/Council_and_de...

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Julie Robinson

Freedom of Information and Data Protection Unit

 

A Four-Star Archive Service with a Designated Collection

 

 

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References

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