Tuesday, July 15, 2008
The backlash against speed cameras?
The Daily Express reports on Swindon Council's decision to stop spending money on speed cameras but instead put the cash into designing out speed on its roads. They estimate that this will release up to £400,000 for road safety measures that will deter drivers putting their foot down in built-up areas. Options include improving road designs, particularly on bad bends, easing cambers and assessing speed limits and training for new drivers.
As sensible as this sounds I do not think that it is quite that straightforward. In reality the Council will need to do all of this and maintain speed cameras, at least in the short run. It is likely too that the Council will need a lot more than £400,000 to make the sort of difference that will enable them to move to this new regime.
As for their motives for this shift in policy, well that is not straightforward either. It seems that the appeal of speed cameras has been hit by the Government’s decision last year to end self-funding for road safety partnerships. Almost 30,000 people in Wiltshire received speeding tickets last year, generating £1.76million in fines, of which £252,300 came from Swindon.
So is this a genuine and sustainable policy shift or one brought in to spite the government? You decide.
As sensible as this sounds I do not think that it is quite that straightforward. In reality the Council will need to do all of this and maintain speed cameras, at least in the short run. It is likely too that the Council will need a lot more than £400,000 to make the sort of difference that will enable them to move to this new regime.
As for their motives for this shift in policy, well that is not straightforward either. It seems that the appeal of speed cameras has been hit by the Government’s decision last year to end self-funding for road safety partnerships. Almost 30,000 people in Wiltshire received speeding tickets last year, generating £1.76million in fines, of which £252,300 came from Swindon.
So is this a genuine and sustainable policy shift or one brought in to spite the government? You decide.
Comments:
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Or maybe it's something to do with this story:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/jul/02/localgovernment.conservatives
Anders
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/jul/02/localgovernment.conservatives
Anders
As a resident in the middle of the Village of Penyffordd, nr Mold I welcome methods to slow down the 2000 vehicles a day who pile through our village.
North Wales Police and Arrive Alive remain an irrelevence.
keywords: Inspector Essi Ahari, Airbus, Raytheon, Charles Hughes Head of Engineering Flintshire County Council, rat run,
North Wales Police and Arrive Alive remain an irrelevence.
keywords: Inspector Essi Ahari, Airbus, Raytheon, Charles Hughes Head of Engineering Flintshire County Council, rat run,
Much better to spend the cash on road safety. Could do with some new measures in Salisbury.
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