'Scrapcam' petition - again

[safespeed]

Folks, I need your help again. The Safe Speed campaign is going well - DfT has disowned speed cameras and cancelled their research into side effects. But that's not enough. We need to maintain the pressure and win the whole war, not just the battles.

There's a big publicity push planned for the last week in June, when the 'Scrap speed cameras' petition closes. It's the same week that national 2006 road deaths figures will be announced, and the news won't be good.

So if you don't believe that speed cameras help road safety and you haven't signed already, [b]please sign the 'Scrap speed cameras' petition now. The greater the number of signatures the more publicity I can generate. If you have signed already, please consider what you might be able to do to promote it. Perhaps send an email to your friends? Or tell workmates about it?

Some folk have said that these petitions are a waste of time... 'they won't change anything'. They are right in as much as the petition won't change policy in itself. But I have to put the idea that we CAN and MUST 'Scrap speed cameras' on the map. And I am. With a minute of your time, you can help.

For those of you who don't know, I've been running the Safe Speed campaign full time for about 4 years. It's funded only by memberships and donations and the funding is very slim. Nevertheless most of the effort goes into news, broadcast and PR and it's very effective indeed. For example, in the last two weeks:

- quoted ten times in National Newspapers
- quoted in South Africa, UAE and Qatar
- quoted by PA Press and Reuters
- 2 TV appearances including a five minute debate on Channel 4 News.
- 15 radio interviews

See the 'media log' at: http://www.safespeed.org.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=...

If you would like to support the campaign, memberships and donations are at: http://www.safespeed.org.uk/join.html - we need all the support we can get! You folks have been great in the past and we couldn't have got this far without you - thanks.

Best Regards,
Paul Smith
Safe Speed Road Safety Campaign
[e-mail]
http://www.safespeed.org.uk
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/scrapcam

We must scrap speed cameras now, for safety's sake!

[-Z-]

Done mate, only £10, hope to do more in the future! Hopefully the turning point is soon.....

[safespeed]

The Tuscan Rat said:

safespeed said:

- DfT has disowned speed cameras

Paul, we run out of loo roll at work so had to use the LSCP magazine the other day and found this article mid wipe....

London Safety Camera Partnership said:

Business as usual at the LSCP!

See the front page of the Safe Speed website: http://www.safespeed.org.uk

DfT HAS disowned cameras. The funding is CAPPED and NOT RING FENCED for road safety, let alone for cameras. The big budget squeeze has only just begun, but it has begun.

DfT would rather save face than save lives.

Edited by safespeed on Monday 28th May 11:28

[safespeed]

Folks, check this out... Safe Speed PR issued today:

pr said:

PR493: Vehicle registration process is latest speed camera casualty

news: for immediate release

The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) are calling for changes to the
vehicle registration process because cameras are causing drivers to evade
vehicle registration requirements, the BBC reports [1].

Paul Smith, founder of SafeSpeed.org.uk, said: "This problem was entirely
predictable and we have been warning about it for FIVE YEARS [2]. Technical
solutions will not work and will cost millions.

"In the TWO WEEKS ALONE we have learned that camera enforcement is damaging the
justice system [3], the licence points system [4] and, today, the vehicle
registration system. How long will it be before the authorities wake up to the
collateral damage caused by speed cameras? How long will it be before the
authorities admit that our road safety system itself is also being seriously
damaged?"

"Speed cameras are to road safety what a hammer is to clock repair."

"We don't need clever vehicle registration. But we do need to scrap the failed
speed camera policy, as a matter of extreme urgency. No wonder our 10 Downing
Street petition has gained 24,000 signatures:
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/scrapcam .

<ends>

Notes for editors

===========

[1] BBC Report:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6707367.stm

[2] http://www.safespeed.org.uk/dangers.html
paragraph 7.15, last updated November 2002.

[3] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SafeSpeedPR/message/...

[4] http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_styl...

Everything we have ever said at the Safe Speed campaign is coming true. If you agree, please sign the petition if you haven't already. It's all coming to a head and every signature helps.