"WHEN I read it in the Grimsby Telegraph I thought it was April Fool's Day."
That was the reaction of the chairman of Laceby Parish Council, Councillor David Marshall after reading about the removal of average speed cameras from the A46 Laceby bypass after they were put up by mistake.
Contractors working for North East Lincolnshire Council disconnected the eight cameras from the bypass, just hours after completing their installation over the previous three days.
The cost of putting them up and taking them down has been estimated at up to £40,000.
A council spokesman admitted the mistake and said a review of average speed cameras in the borough is underway, following numerous concerns raised about those installed on Peaks Parkway.
The Laceby bypass ones had been planned, and consequently delayed due to the review, but a "communication error" meant they were still put up on the originally-agreed date.
Councillor Marshall said: "I can't believe something like that could happen. You don't expect this kind of thing to happen, especially at the time when there is an outcry over Peaks Parkway and all those people getting caught, including the Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Grove.
"Anything to do with safety on the bypass, I am all for and it is 97 per cent safer than it was. If the road is working safely why alter it?"
Laceby resident Mark Dixon said: "I do not see the purpose of average speed cameras. I accept 50 mph is a reasonable speed.
"But there was no warning the cameras were going up."
Lee Howard, of Irby said: "We travel the bypass everyday. It is a joy to travel. It is not as bad as it was. It is not the danger it was.
"So who made the decision to put the cameras up and then bring them down? It is disgusting."
Cook at Laceby's Little Teapot cafe, Andrea Garrard, 47, pictured right, of Yews Lane, next to the bypass said: "I thought the average speed cameras were a good idea. I am in favour of average speed cameras because you see them driving past the normal ones at the right speed, and then they zoom off.
"But putting them up and bringing them back down again is a waste of money. It is ludicrous."
Humberside Police casualty reduction officer, Pc Barry Gardner, said: "Since the road safety measures were introduced and the speed reduced to 50 mph, there has been a massive reduction in the number of casualties, but with the same volume of traffic. It has got to be a positive thing."
Safer Roads Humber roads safety partnership spokeswoman, Ruth Gore, said she expected the installation and operation of average speed cameras on Laceby bypass to "follow the same pattern" as the Peaks Parkway cameras.
She said: "This is a replacement of an enforcement system currently in place, so I want to emphasis enforcement can continue at the site while the new average cameras are installed.
"It would be wrong of us to give the impression that enforcement has stopped. It's important to remember that Humberside Police can enforce the speed limit on any road, at any time."
Resident David Lewis said: "Why is it that the council can erect average speed cameras so quickly on the dual carriageway, from Morrisons roundabout to Laceby roundabout, and paint lines on the road? It takes them months to repair potholes or other dangerous road conditions."
Laceby parish councillor Martin Greenbeck said: "It looks as if North East Lincolnshire Council has got a little bit obsessive about speeding.
"They have put up the reactive signs that tell you your speed on Laceby Road but the speed and the registration number are displayed after you have gone past and the only person to see it is the driver behind you."
He said Laceby parish council had not been consulted about the installation of average speed cameras.
As reported, the review comes as the average speed cameras on Peaks Parkway caught a high-profile offender – Humberside's Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Grove.
An NELC statement said: "Plans to install speed cameras on the Laceby bypass have been put on hold while NELC reviews issues raised by local motorists and residents.
"The installation of the digital cameras on both Peaks Parkway and Laceby Bypass are part of a road safety programme contained within the Local Transport Plan.
"The Peaks Parkway cameras were the first phase of installation, to be followed by the Laceby installation.
"However, as a result of the recent public concern with regards the Peaks Parkway camera operation, the council has instigated a review of the effectiveness of the new camera system in terms of road safety statistics.
"As such, the council had taken the decision to delay installation at Laceby.
"Unfortunately, due to a communications error with the contractor, installation had commenced as originally scheduled; those cameras have now been removed until a decision is reached pending the review."
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