A new speed camera is announced by the body that runs it, not by the roadside housing, and it follows a set path: a site is chosen on collision and speed evidence, checks are made on the speed limit and the signs, and the operator then sets a start date. The Department for Transport (DfT) calls this pre-enforcement checking. This guide explains how that works and what the 2026 announcements from Police Scotland and GoSafe in Wales show about the newest kinds of camera. It covers announced installations only, never today's positions.
How a site becomes a speed camera site
DfT Circular 01/2007, the Department's guidance for England and Wales, recommends that sites are chosen on collision data over at least the most recent 3 years, preferably 5, with average and 85th percentile speeds collected within the last 12 months. Before enforcement starts it lists three checks: that the speed limit is appropriate, that the Traffic Regulation Order is legal and correct where one applies, and that the signing is lawful and correct. These checks are repeated before each period of enforcement and, where enforcement is not regular, at least every six months.
The circular adds that installing speed cameras is not development under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, so planning permission is not needed. It also says that temporary cameras to enforce lower limits at major roadworks should be seriously considered, which fits the temporary average speed sites below.
What Police Scotland announced in 2026
Police Scotland Safety Cameras publishes a news item for each new site. Four recent ones show different kinds of camera.
- Springburn Road, Glasgow, 24 March 2026. A Vector SR camera at the junction with Atlas Road targets both speeding and red-light running. The site was identified as a priority after 13 injury collisions in five years. The camera uses tracking radar to monitor several lanes at once.
- Kingsway, Dundee, news item dated 29 June 2026. Two fixed Vector SR cameras replace mobile enforcement. Police Scotland says a speed survey found almost half of vehicles above the limit, and that the 40 mph limit is enforced day and night. The system uses infra-red, so images need no camera flash.
- A9 roadworks, 16 September 2026. Temporary average speed cameras began enforcing within the 40 mph roadworks between Tay Crossing and Ballinluig, at the request of Transport Scotland and Wills Bros., 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- A82 and A85, 17 September 2026. Temporary average speed cameras began enforcing at Glencoe and between Tyndrum and Dalmally. They run on solar energy, which lets them go to places that had been too isolated for fixed infrastructure.
The Vector SR differs from the Gatso radar camera: Police Scotland says its virtual grid replaces the painted road lines. On motorways, HADECS cameras and roadworks checks follow their own rules.
How GoSafe introduces new fixed cameras in Wales
GoSafe publishes monthly lists of fixed cameras with their activation dates. Its July 2026 list, published on 13 July 2026, named a 20 mph speed camera on Rhyd Y Penau Road, Cardiff, with an activation date of 28 July 2026.
For the first 4 weeks after activation GoSafe issues advice letters instead of educational courses or prosecutions. It says the letters let it tell people the correct speed limit, and that an advice letter is offered only to people who have not already received one in Wales. The advice-letter period is a decision of the operator, not a rule of the law, and the limit applies from the day the camera goes live. The minimum penalty for speeding is a £100 fine and 3 penalty points, according to GOV.UK.
Where to see what is new
The operators are the source. Police Scotland's news page lists each new location, short term deployment and review as it happens. GoSafe's news page carries the activation lists. For England, the DfT guidance says road safety partnerships should publicise camera locations, so the website of the local force or partnership comes first. Speed camera locations and maps explains what the official maps show, and the overview of speed camera types covers the equipment.
BlitzBuddy and new cameras
BlitzBuddy has no speed camera warnings in the UK, Ireland or other countries outside the five where it warns, so it does not announce new UK installations; your speed, trips and reports from other drivers still work. Camera warnings switch on by themselves on arrival in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France or Türkiye. There, fixed cameras come from OpenStreetMap, Lufop.net and public government lists, and the signs on the road take priority over what an app shows. In Germany, § 23 (1c) StVO forbids drivers to use a speed camera warner while driving; the warnings can be switched off under Profile, Warnings, and the driver is responsible. In France, article R413-15 of the Code de la route, in paragraph V, has since 5 January 2012 also banned devices that warn of or inform about the location of the equipment used to record traffic offences; using these warnings is the driver's own responsibility. The rules in each country are in where speed camera warnings are allowed.
More guides on the same topic are collected under speed camera guides.
Sources
- DfT Circular 01/2007: Use of speed and red-light cameras for traffic enforcement, Department for Transport (pdf)
- New dual-purpose safety camera to target speeders and red-light jumpers at busy Springburn Road junction, Police Scotland Safety Cameras
- Fixed cameras now live on Kingsway, Dundee, Police Scotland Safety Cameras
- Average speed cameras commence enforcement on A9 Roadworks, Police Scotland Safety Cameras
- Temporary average speed cameras to enforce along A82 and A85, Police Scotland Safety Cameras
- News, Police Scotland Safety Cameras
- Camera Type, Police Scotland Safety Cameras
- Fixed Camera Activations, July 2026, GoSafe
- Speeding penalties, GOV.UK
- Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung, § 23, Federal Ministry of Justice (in German)
- Code de la route, article R413-15, Légifrance (in French, version in force since 5 January 2012)
- Camera data in the countries where BlitzBuddy warns: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Sources read on 11 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find out about a new speed camera?
The operators announce them. Police Scotland Safety Cameras posts news items for each new site, and GoSafe in Wales publishes a list of fixed cameras with their activation dates. In England, check the local police force or road safety partnership.
Do new speed cameras give a warning period?
In Wales, GoSafe says it issues advice letters for the first 4 weeks after a fixed camera is activated, and that a person is offered one only if they have not already received one in Wales. The limit applies from the first day.
Do new speed cameras need planning permission?
No. DfT Circular 01/2007 says installing traffic and speed cameras is not development as defined in the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, so neither planning permission nor permitted development rights are required.
What are the newest kinds of speed camera?
Police Scotland's 2026 announcements include Vector SR cameras, which track vehicles over several lanes and need no flash, and temporary average speed cameras on the A82 and A85 that run on solar energy.
