The new two-way ‘ultra’ speed camera drivers must watch out for! What they look like and how they work

There is a new ‘ultra’ speed camera being installed at the side of roads across the UK that is the most advanced of its kind yet.

The device can identify speeding drivers travelling in both directions, doesn’t flash when it snaps and can also catch motorists not wearing a seatbelt or handling a mobile phone at the wheel.

Having received approval for use in Britain, it looks and works very differently to typical roadside cameras – which means many drivers will be blissfully unaware of what they are.

Motorists in Manchester need to be clued up on them, as more than 100 have been installed across the city already. 

Called the VECTOR-SR, it is the latest in ‘spot camera’ technology from German manufacturer Jenoptik Traffic Solutions.

The company is already known for producing the SPECS average-speed cameras often seen at the side of motorways or mounted to overhead gantries to calculate if motorists are exceeding the national limit.

However, its latest device – dubbed the ‘ultra camera’ – is very different. 

The VECTOR-SR can double for both speed and red-light enforcement, making it one of the most versatile cameras on the market today – and one that will be very attractive to cash-strapped police forces and local authorities.

It uses a video-based system that works in tandem with an intelligent virtual grid to judge if a driver is speeding.

Measurements from Jenoptik’s radar technology is then validated by secondary independent and image-based evidence. 

That means there is no need for road markings – which have typically been one of the biggest tell-tale signs to let drivers know the whereabouts of speed cameras.

The system uses infra-red technology which allows images to be captured via still photos and video recordings, which eliminates the need for a camera flash, even at night and in bad weather.

As such, they will be in operation 24 hours a day, 365 days a week, and drivers won’t be aware they’ve been snapped by the tech.

And because the camera records footage of a driver breaking the limit, any visual evidence showing motorists driving without a seatbelt or using a mobile phone can be used for further offences.

Driving or carrying passengers without a seatbelt can be penalised with a fine of £500 per person, while using a handheld device at the wheel now carries a penalty of six points and £200. 

Unlike previous cameras which only capture vehicles travelling in left-hand lanes, the new model captures up to three lanes of traffic going in both directions. This means one installation can enforce an entire section of road. 

It will also be able to identify speeding vehicles and their owners quickly, too, as it has built-in Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) tech. 

Described by the manufacturer as an ‘integrated’ camera system, the devices can be attached to existing roadside furniture or a pole and do not need to be hard-wired into the existing road network with sensors installed into the carriageway – making them a cost-effective solution for authorities.

While they will be painted yellow, as is the requirement for speed cameras, they are far smaller than conventional devices and likely more difficult to spot on the move. 

The VECTOR-SR received Home Office Type Approval for use as a speed camera in Britain in 2019 and for red-light enforcement in the spring of 2021, with Geoff Collins, Jenoptik Traffic Solutions UK’s deputy managing director, saying 

 ‘This is the product our customers have been waiting for – a modern, digital and non-invasive Red Light enforcement system.

‘We can now offer fair and accurate Red Light, Spot Speed and Average Speed solutions using a common core of known, reliable components, providing responsible drivers a safer journey.

‘Supported by Infra-Red illumination, lightweight enough to mount on a passively safe pole or existing street furniture and with no need for in-road sensors or signal head connections, VECTOR SR represents a step forward in Red Light enforcement technology.’

Where are these cameras already being used? 

Having received type approval, the cameras are already being put to use across the country.

Transport Scotland has signed a contract worth nearly half a million pounds to install them in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Cornwall Council and Devon & Cornwall Police are using the new tech on their roads, and there are installations in Deeside and Wales.

And this week it has been confirmed by Greater Manchester Police that more than 100 of the speed cameras have been installed in the city, having received funding through the Mayor’s Challenge Fund (MCF) to improve road safety and support Greater Manchester’s commitment to ‘Vision Zero’ – its target of eliminating all road fatalities and serious injuries.

Superintendent Gareth Parkin of Greater Manchester Police’s Safer Transport Team said: ‘The new and upgraded speed cameras across the city-region will ensure that drivers adhere to road speeds and do not engage in reckless or anti-social driving.

‘Speed limits are put in place to ensure our roads are safe. Excessive speeds increase the chances of driver error, increase the time it takes for a vehicle to stop and can also increase fatalities in the event of a collision.’

Peter Boulton, transport for Greater Manchester’s head of Highways, added: ‘By investing in these safety cameras, we are underlining our commitment to Vision Zero, our ambition to reduce and eliminate deaths and serious injuries on our roads, therefore making Greater Manchester a safer place for pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and motorists.

‘However education is just as important as enforcement when it comes to tackling speeding, and I would strongly advise drivers to consider their behaviour when on the road to keep themselves and others safe.’