Parish Council Responds to County Council’s Refusal to Expand Speed Camera Scheme to Dunchurch

Dunchurch Parish Council has once again raised its concerns about road safety in the village following Warwickshire County Council’s recent decision not to include Dunchurch in its Average Speed Camera Pilot Scheme.

This decision comes despite the findings of a two-week traffic survey carried out in September 2024, which revealed deeply worrying data:

• 533,981 vehicles were recorded passing through Dunchurch in just two weeks

• 48% of those vehicles were travelling at 30mph or above

• 1,852 vehicles were recorded at over 50mph

• The highest speeds recorded included:

  • Coventry Road – 99mph

  • Rugby Road – 97.5mph

  • Southam Road – 88.9mph

In its recent letter to Warwickshire County Council’s Road Safety Liaison Officer, the Parish Council expressed profound disappointment at the decision to exclude Dunchurch from the speed camera scheme. While the Council acknowledges the county’s criteria for pilot sites, it firmly believes these should not be applied as blanket measures, particularly in historic villages where excessive speeds threaten both safety and heritage.

The Parish Council stated:

“We have demonstrated that 48% of the traffic surveyed exceeded the 30mph speed limit – with all five roads recording speeds in excess of 75mph – in a village! While we welcome mobile speed enforcement units, our position remains that these are inadequate.”

It further rejected the implication that action will only be taken after an increase in speeding-related injuries or fatalities:

“Waiting for serious accidents to occur before implementing proven safety measures is not prudent risk management – it is negligent.”

Dunchurch Parish Council is urging Warwickshire County Council and local councillors to support its campaign to make the village safe for residents, pedestrians, and all road users before tragedy occurs.

“Doing nothing is not an option.”

Read the full letter from Dunchurch Parish Council attached below.

View the full Traffic Volume and Speed Report attached below.