Thousands of drivers are being slapped with speeding tickets after councillors in Dorset changed speed limits on a popular dual carriageway. According to a Freedom of Information Act request, speeding tickets increased by an eye-watering 36,131% after limits were changed on a route in Dorset.
Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole (BCP) Council changed the rules on the A348 Ringwood Road in 2023 after a public consultation. The maximum speed limits were lowered from 40mph to 30mph, but many drivers have been caught out with motoring fines since. Before the changes, just 32 speeding tickets were issued on the road in 2022, with 55 handed out in 2021.
However, since the new rules have been in place, cameras have picked up thousands of offences with 11,594 fines issued in 2024.
Ahead of the consultation, BCP Council stressed there were a series of reasons why chiefs wanted the speed limits cut.
First, they claimed the move would deliver a series of pedestrian and cycle improvements on the Ringwood Road.
They said new limits would also help prevent the likelihood of any danger arising, including boosting the safety of pedestrians.
The changes would also help preserve and improve the amenities of the area through which the road runs.
According to the BBC, the council claimed it did not receive any income from fines.
However, analysis from The Times has suggested the camera has generated an additional £1.6 million in fines.
Richard Herrett, a spokesperson for BCP Council stressed the changes had “made this busy dual carriageway safer and more pleasant for all road users”.
He added: “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."
According to GOV.UK, the minimum penalty for speeding in the UK is a £100 fine with road users also at risk of having three penalty points applied to a driving licence.
But, this could be enough to see road users disqualified from driving if the speeding penalty would see them cross 12 penalty points on their licence.