The proposal suggests that if SPECS cameras were installed on every motorway and motorists kept to the 70mph speed limit carbon dioxide emissions could be reduced by 1.4 million tonnes per year. Transport currently makes up 29% of all CO2 emissions. Other ideas in the report include teaching drivers to adapt their driving style to be more eco-friendly, install Intelligent Speed Adaptation devices in cars, improving public transport and make it easier for people to work from home.

The cameras will be sited at entry and exit points to residential areas and are capable of tracking a vehicle over 15 miles via their wireless network. They will provide a better way of controlling speed than the more traditional chicanes and speed bumps but critics of the idea say that motorists will still be prone to speeding as the system doesn’t factor in traffic lights and junctions.