A NEW speed camera will go live in the next few days in a bid to reduce the number of collisions on a notorious stretch of road.

The fixed camera on Beith Road, Johnstone, was put in place near the junctions of Rannoch Road and Quarrelton Road after the area was highlighted as a concern due to a number of crashes in which speed had been a factor in causing injury.

A spokesman for the Scottish Safety Camera Programme said: “Safety cameras are there to make our roads safer.

“They must be deployed primarily where they have the greatest potential to reduce injury collisions and where there is evidence of collisions and speeding.

“Following analysis, it has been agreed a safety camera should be introduced on Beith Road.”

The installation of the camera attracted some backlash a few weeks ago after it was announced it would only snare speedsters who were heading westbound, while those travelling east would not be surveyed.

Police have said the new camera should help to slow all traffic.

Alan Thomson, manager of the West Safety Camera Unit, said: “Responsible motorists have nothing to worry about. The camera is there to detect irresponsible road users who put their own and other lives at risk and need to slow down.”