THE brakes have been put on the introduction of new speed cameras in Lancashire to see if they are proving effective.

Some 100 speed cameras are being introduced this financial year to March 2004, taking the total in the county to 320.

But from April 2004 no more will be installed for a year as the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety evaluates the continued effectiveness of fixed-site cameras at reducing accidents.

During this period of analysis, the partnership will focus on tackling speeders and bad drivers in residential areas rather than main roads with some new and innovative techniques.

One tentative suggestion is to give drivers caught speeding on residential roads a warning and suspended punishment rather than a fixed penalty fine. But, with the legal ramifications of this still to be explored, it is not certain to be imposed.

Another idea is placing cameras on traffic lights to catch drivers jumping red lights. There are also proposals to give lessons in road safety to workers at major employers to encourage them to take more care in communities.

The year-long analysis of speed cameras is planned because the partnership, made up of local councils, health services and the police, will then have reached its target of 320 fixed sites in the county, announced last year.

The pause will allow experts to assess the impact of the cameras at reducing accidents and whether they are in the right places.

Decisions on whether Lancashire needs more cameras or just needs a reorganisation of its current sites will be made following the study.

A spokesman for the partnership confirmed that no camera sites were being scheduled for 2004-2005 to allow the evaluation and none had ever been scheduled.

He added: "The partnership is not changing its stance on the current roll-out of safety cameras.

"The installation of a number of camera sites proposed for 2003-04 will continue as planned.

"However, the partnership intends to introduce a number of educational initiatives and will work closely with communities to carry out speed enforcement at sites of community concern."

According to the partnership, there was a 54 per cent drop in speeding vehicles, nine fewer deaths and 265 fewer injuries on the county's roads in 2002.