Hammond: We will end the war!
Tory Secretary of State for Transport Philip Hammond has confirmed the new government's intention to withdraw all central funding for new fixed speed cameras. Local authorities will still be able to fund cameras, but any revenues will go to the treasury, and not into local coffers.
It is thought the removal of this revenue incentive is likely to significantly reduce the appetite for camera installations, as the so-called 'Road Safety Partnerships' that currently flourish around the country are squeezed.
Hammond has also confirmed his intention to introduce the fuel price stabiliser pledged before the election, in which fuel duty paid to the treasury will rise and fall to counter fluctuations in the oil price, although no further detail has been released on the scope of the scheme.
Money for new cameras will disappear
According to a report in today's Telegraph, Hammond has also rushed to rule out motorway tolls and other road pricing schemes (except perhaps on any privately-funded new roads).
"We will end the war on motorists. Motoring has got to get greener, but the car is not going to go away," he says.