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Update - the 60mph limit has been reinstated for reasons unknown.

Before and after pictures can be found on the Speed Limit Reduction page.

To make things worse one of the cameras is hidden behind a sign.

The most controversial one was on the A45 at Stonebridge which is completely obscured by a sign. This picture shows the camera in question, only the lower half of the post is visible.

Around ten years ago there were plans to build a bypass to relieve the congestion through the village but this was killed by local NIMBYism. Then a few years ago the speed limit was cut from 40mph to 30mph and the three lanes were reduced to two by means of hatching and cycle lanes which I have never seen anyone use.

Update December 2004 - the cameras have now been removed and the scamera partnership no longer shows them on their website.

Virtually all the main roads in this area have had their speed limits slashed in recent years.

Update 8 October - the speed limit is still 50mph. Hopefully the proposed limit has now been abandoned.

Update 6 June 2006 - two years later the new speed limit is in place and so another sensible speed limit is now but a distant memory.

The major cause of the congestion is the A34/A4041 junction known as the Scott Arms. The traffic lights have 4 phases and a lengthy wait is required if you've just caught the red light. As a result a lot of traffic avoids this junction and uses nearby side roads. Over the years there have been several plans to improve this junction by means of various flyovers and underpasses, none of which have come to fruition. To exacerbate the problem the junction is in a neighbouring borough to the lanes so the councils have different solutions when it comes to congestion. The only 'improvements' to the junction that are likely are bus lanes and red routes, hardly likely to make a scrap of difference and the recent policy of removing bus stop laybys and making buses stop on the main carriageway simply causes traffic to bunch up behind a stationary bus.

Update - Two Truvelos have now gone up. They are situated on the approaches to the side roads.

Update Oct 2005 - One Truvelo has now come down after it was demolished by vandals.

The camera on the A459 which was attacked a few days earlier has been repaired.

Work is currently progressing on reducing other villages to 30mph and this will mean the end of decent speed limits in Warwickshire.

Once again the authorities will claim these measures will have slashed the accident rate. In fact if only the gap was closed and nothing else was done then the number of accidents will still fall. As other similar schemes in Worcestershire have shown, reducing the speed limit and number of lanes simply increases frustration and forces everyone to travel behind the slowest tractor.

There is now only a half mile stretch of 70mph dual carriageway north of Ombersley.

The latest accident involved a minibus which landed on its roof. For this to happen it must have been travelling well over the speed limit so lowering the limit won't make any difference.

Forget about these penny pinching quick fix schemes, the only long term solution is to dual this last remaining stretch but in the current political climate this will never happen.

This isn't the first dual carriageway in Worcestershire to receive this treatment. The A449 near Ombersley suffered the same fate a few years ago.

A further two Gatsos have gone up on Holyhead Road to the east of the M5.

This picture shows one of the cameras during installation which can be seen above the cab. The remaining three await their turn.

This sort of incident is bound to happen again and is inevitable due to the constant persecution of the motorist. Whilst I can't condone any method which would cause injury, it must scare the living daylights out of those who service the cameras. They now face the prospect of a Gatso blowing up in front of them.

These reduced speed limits are no substitute for a proper grade separated dual carriageway which has been on the cards for years now. I doubt very much that this will ever be built so traffic will still have to negotiate the congestion through Studley.

On a separate note, at least five new Gatsos have appeared in Dudley over the last few weeks. Some of them are in controversial locations such as those on Pedmore Road where a 50mph limit applies on an otherwise rural quality dual carriageway. I can't see these lasting long as there are no houses fronting the road which makes it ideal for saboteurs. UPDATE - since this article was written the speed limit has been reduced to 40mph which is even more pathetic.

Until now the West Midlands was free of such attacks but the backlash against the speedtrap plague is reaching all parts of the country.

DS2 consists of three strips in the road and a small grey post. An unmarked vehicle parks nearby with a wire running to the post.

The latest installations are on Buffery Road in Dudley. Several others were installed on the A452 in Balsall Common a few months ago. Although some neighbouring police forces have used them for years, these are the first for the West Midlands.

All the 40mph limits on the north western edge of Sutton Park were reduced to 30mph several years ago.

The B4189 towards Wolverley has been cut from 60mph to 40mph.

Part of Chester Road South has been cut from 40mph to 30mph and speed camera signs have appeared.

The existing 40mph limit in Rushton Spencer has been extended south of the village, although to be fair, it is hard to exceed 40 on these bends.

And a new 40mph limit has been imposed through Bosley. This is hardly a village, more a scattering of a few houses. There is a school which could be the excuse for the new limit.

These so-called safety measures are part of a scheme to reduce accidents on the A523 between Leek and Stockport. However, the problem is not with speed but volume. A lack of overtaking opportunities causes frustration and makes the situation worse, the traffic often travels in processions with the leading vehicle holding up several others behind it.