Traffic Calming or not?

I see Walsall Council have gone potty again - recently flashing signs were installed on a stretch of the Broadway about 20 metres away from existing speed cameras (before you get to the speed cameras) and are fitted with ANPR technology to enable reading of number plates and it looks like the signs will display vehicle registration numbers.
Within a week of these going up someone came along and removed the camera bit off the top and it was reported they were not working correctly - now given that these and two other signs in Aldridge have cost us council tax payers £60,000 that makes it £15,000 per camera and within a week they weren't working!! What a complete and utter farce.
The other thing is why nothing on the rest of the Broadway? Speed is more of an issue along the rest of it as there were already cameras on the stretch these new signs are on and in general terms this stretch was reasonably within the limit for most drivers.
Another triumph for the powers that be at Walsall Council I reckon.