By Rebecca SheppardTWENTY-TWO extra speed cameras are to be installed in Essex as another campaign is launched in the county to improve road safety.The move comes with the death toll on the county's roads this year currently at 29, a figure which Essex Police said was "absolutely unacceptable".

By Rebecca Sheppard

TWENTY-TWO extra speed cameras are to be installed in Essex as another campaign is launched in the county to improve road safety.

The move comes with the death toll on the county's roads this year currently at 29, a figure which Essex Police said was "absolutely unacceptable".

The new speed cameras will be installed by the Essex Safety Camera Partnership and will be positioned to reduce the number of crashes in the county.

Roads that have a serious accident history and speeding problems have been targeted, as well as places where there is restricted visibility or changes in the road layout.

As well as the 22 speed cameras, six cameras will also be installed on traffic lights throughout Essex to catch motorists jumping red lights in built-up areas.

The locations for the new speed cameras, which will be painted yellow, include:

The locations of the new cameras in north Essex are as follows:

n the A1232 Ipswich Road in Colchester

n the A113 London Road in Clacton

n the B1027 St John's Road, near Cottage Grove, in Clacton

n Frinton Road, opposite Queensway, in Holland-on-Sea

n Waterhouse Lane in Chelmsford.

Each camera costs between £30,000 to £40,000, but Kelly Fairweather, the partnership's safety camera and liaison officer, insisted it was not a profit-making scheme.

She said: "This is a cost-recovery operation so all the revenue from the £60 penalties go back into the partnership for road safety measures.

"The whole idea of the scheme is to get people to slow down and stick to the speed limits as then the risk of an accident is reduced. But if there is an accident, it will be less severe.

"It is also the matter of sustaining peoples' quality of life. Many people ask for safety cameras to be installed near them as drivers are speeding.

"There is not necessarily a bigger problem with speeding in Essex in comparison to other counties, but it is a big place and a busy place."

AA spokesman Simon Woodings said the partnership should only deploy speed cameras at known trouble-spots and where they could be clearly seen.

"It has also got to make sure the revenue is re-invested wisely. This cannot simply be a quick and easy way to get a revenue boost," he added.

"The important thing is to maintain credibility with the public. From our perspective, it is better to have 1,000 motorists slowing down for a camera than have 1,000 motorists speeding up and risking life and limb."

Meanwhile, Essex County Council has launched its Share the Road scheme in an attempt to instil a culture of more sensible and courteous driving among the county's motorists.

It encourages people to pay more attention to the presence and needs of other road users, including motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians.

Council chairman Anthony Peel said: "The Government has set robust targets to reduce the rate of casualties and fatalities on the roads. It is important for everyone to take a positive approach toward preventing accidents and saving lives.

"If all road users make an effort to be sensible and courteous, everyone's journey could be an altogether safer and better experience."