Speeding tickets up 36,000% after new 30mph limit

The number of speeding tickets issued to motorists on a major Dorset route went up by 36,131% in the first full year since the limit was reduced from 40mph to 30mph.

Responding to a Freedom of Information request, the county's road safety team revealed that the camera on the A348 Ringwood Road in Bournemouth resulted in 11,594 fines in 2024.

This was after Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council changed the speed limit in May 2023 following a public consultation.

In comparison, 32 tickets were issued in 2022 and 55 in 2021.

The council said it did not receive any income from fines and that the speed limit change had formed part of travel improvements from Poole town centre to Ferndown and Wimborne.

The camera is located northbound opposite Turbary Retail Park.

The FOI also revealed that more than 3,000 speeding tickets had been issued to motorists caught exceeding the limit so far this year.

It showed that a total of 14,774 were issued from 2020 until now. The figures do not include cancelled offences.

Richard Herrett, portfolio holder for destination, leisure and commercial operations at BCP Council, said: "The speed limit reduction on Ringwood Road formed part of BCP Council and Dorset Council's Transforming Cities Fund sustainable travel improvements from Poole town centre to Ferndown and Wimborne.

"We also recently installed a new toucan crossing on Ringwood Road to encourage more people to visit the nearby retail park on foot more safely and help lower congestion."

Mr Herrett added that the measures "have made this busy dual carriageway safer and more pleasant for all road users" following on from fatalities in 2018 and 2019.

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