New AI speed camera installed on Southend dual carriageway
It's part of a trial to assess emerging toad safety technology
A new AI speed camera has been installed on a Southend dual carriageway, as part of a trial to assess emerging road safety technology.
The council is supporting the use of the camera, as their monitoring data suggests vehicle speeds on the road exceed the speed limit.
The road is close to Cecil Jones Academy, a secondary school.
Monitoring shows that 85% of vehicles in Lane 2 of the road travel at close to 50mph in free-flowing conditions, above the 40mph speed limit.
The camera has been installed on existing street lighting on Eastern Avenue.
It is facing towards the Garon park roundabout.
The site was agreed with Essex Police, and advance warning signage is already in place.
The trial is one of the first of its kind in the country and is being delivered by the Safer Essex Road Partnership and Essex Police. Southend-on-Sea City Council is supporting the trial by providing access to its highway infrastructure and hosting the trial within the city.
The council says it does not operate or receive income from the camera and fines.
The device installed is a Redspeed Sentio, a modern traffic enforcement camera designed to accurately measure vehicle speeds. It does not require painted road markings, helping to maintain the appearance of the street while still enabling effective enforcement. Similar systems have been used at sites across the UK over the past few years.
The camera being trialled in Southend is configured to measure speed only. While the technology is capable of detecting other offences – such as red‑light violations, mobile phone use and seatbelt non‑compliance – these functions are not part of the current Southend trial.
Any potential offences detected by the camera are reviewed through established enforcement processes with human oversight. Responsibility for enforcement rests with Essex Police, not the Council.