Speed cameras ruled out on notorious New Forest animal fatality black spot road the B3078 Roger Penny Way
FOREST organisations have slammed a decision not to install speed cameras along a road notorious for animal fatalities.
The Commoners Defence Association and the New Forest Roads Awareness group have both pledged to continue campaigning for cameras on the B3078 Roger Penny Way, which has one of the worst safety records for animals in the New Forest.
It comes after Hampshire County Council concluded a feasibility study which found the route did not meet the criteria for installation of cameras.
Announcing the decision, HCC highways chief Cllr Nick Adams-King, said: “At the request of local residents and groups, an investigation into the practicalities of locating average speed cameras on Roger Penny Way in the New Forest has been undertaken.
“This included an analysis of collisions on this route in recent years. Following this, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary has now confirmed that this stretch of road does not meet the specific national criteria for the installation of permanent speed cameras.
“The criteria, set out by the Department for Transport, emphasise that incidents that result in human injury remain the key benchmark for interventions of this type. I recognise this conclusion will be disappointing for New Forest residents who have felt that average speed cameras are needed to address the incidents that have caused the very distressing death of animals on Roger Penny Way.”
In December 2020, four sheep and four ponies were killed on the stretch of road within the space of two days. Then two years ago, nearly 52,000 people signed a petition calling for average speed cameras, set up by commoner Sarah Weston following the loss of her pony Juma on the road near Fritham.
New Forest Road safety campaigner and commoner Gilly Jones said: ”We are, of course, disappointed at the outcome of the feasibility study, as the ones out there doing the speeding operations, we would have liked to have had some input, so we could have shown what we have seen.”
“In our opinion this does not take into consideration the unique roads within the New Forest.”
Commoners Defence Association chair Andrew Parry-Norton also condemned the decision: “As commoners we lose stock every year on this stretch of road, often several animals in one accident. As yet a human life has not been lost but it’s a matter of when, not if.”
He continued: “The CDA recommends in the strongest terms to the police that they review their decision; we, the CDA, will support the verderers in every respect to get this decision reversed.
In 2022 Hampshire police joined forces with the New Forest Roads Awareness group, Forestry England, the national park authority and other groups to launch multi-agency initiative Operation Mountie to tackle speeding along Roger Penny Way. This joint initiative has been credited with reducing the number of accidents and casualties.
Ms Jones said: “We may have become a victim of our own success. As it stands, accidents involving livestock are still at a very low level compared to previous years.”
New Forest groups are now calling on the public to collect evidence of people driving dangerously through the national park via dash cam footage. Ms Jones also asked motorists to lead by example – by keeping to the speed limit and passing animals wide and slow.
She added: “Have your views heard, talk to your parish council, attend meetings and make some noise. Contact the police and crime commissioner, her details can be found online. It’s worked for me.
“As it stands, the speed enforcement on Roger Penny Way has been left to our Community Speed Watch teams, Operation Mountie and Countrywatch. Working together, we should be able to push that rock a bit further up the hill.”
