Speed Cameras on Radio 2
Discussion
One of the topics of debate on BBC Radio 2's Jeremey Vine show, 12:00 - 14:00 is "Should we scrap Speed Cameras?".
There's also a "Should we scrap Speed Cameras?" vote on the show's web page
There's also a "Should we scrap Speed Cameras?" vote on the show's web page
Woman's Hour today had an interesting interview with some woman who ran over and killed a pedestrian on a crossing. The main thrust of it was about just how hard it is to come to terms with having done something like that. The woman's description of the incident went something along the lines of "I saw a taxi decanting passengers and for some reason became fixated with it so I was looking at it in the rear-view mirror once I'd passed it. Because I wasn't looking at the road ahead I ploughed into the pedestrian". Almost the whole interview went by without anyone mentioning speed, and then Jenny Murray went and messed it up by saying something like "were you constantly imagining how things might have been different if you'd been looking where you were going, not speeding...".
I nearly threw the radio out of the car in rage.
>> Edited by V8 Archie on Wednesday 30th June 11:56
I nearly threw the radio out of the car in rage.
>> Edited by V8 Archie on Wednesday 30th June 11:56
Managed to catch almost all of this - on way to hospital for check-up. (Mama to be and kitten both fine - by the way!)
All in all a good debate - especially when Mr Vine dredged out admission from the pro-scammer that he had "been flashed"!
Wonder if it was a just over blip ...
He was so evasive that one wonders .... 
Our pro scam hero predictably said that these scameras were sited by schools and pubs
Nope - straw poll across firm here reveals "No scamera sighted anywhere near one!"
He said "They are sited mostly on 30mph urban roads"
Nope - straw poll across all firm's sites reveals: "Sited in the dual carriageways which were once 40-50mph and reduced recently to 30mph"
He said "They are all plainly visible"
Nope - Not all of them - we still get the ones hidden from view by road signs and bus shelters - even though painted yellow. Big give-away is paint on the roads. And what about the road which has 40mph painted on it and a 30mph lollipop - and has been like that for weeks and is a favourite mobile trap area.
He was not interested in training for drivers, the fairly dangerous behaviours that scameras seem to encourage, and even said:
"Motorists get 10% +2"" (Ah! so his speeding ticket may not have beeb a "blip" then!) And Speedos are getting more accurate! GPS are - but authorities do not seem to like us having these on grounds that they "warn us of scam sites well in advance!"
Not in Lancs and certainly at close of the programme another R2 presenter David ?? Missed his name said his wife got one for 34mph in a 30mph zone, adding that BiB would probably have been less strict.
We had the truckload of calls and texts: one punter (had to be a militant muesli munching cyclist) who called for us all to be banned for driving at 31mph! to those such as Barry who put case very straightforwardly - namely that the scam induces Pavlov do effect which means brake to well under speed limit causing problems for cars travelling behind. If you hid the darned things and they were spotted at last minute - probably result would be more rear end shunts!
Predictably - Ms Dunwoody (who admitted last time she was on this show that she does not drive) was on the phone with "think of the children" and still made no mention of teaching the Green Cross Code!, and there was a shopkeeper who called with view that scameras are best thing than sliced bread - and can catch mobile phone users!
All in all - highly entertaining!
And arguments from the pro-lobby did not really come across as convincing - even to the few people in this mad house where I work - who are (sighhhhh!) pro-scameras!
All in all a good debate - especially when Mr Vine dredged out admission from the pro-scammer that he had "been flashed"!
Wonder if it was a just over blip ... He was so evasive that one wonders .... Our pro scam hero predictably said that these scameras were sited by schools and pubs
Nope - straw poll across firm here reveals "No scamera sighted anywhere near one!"
He said "They are sited mostly on 30mph urban roads"
Nope - straw poll across all firm's sites reveals: "Sited in the dual carriageways which were once 40-50mph and reduced recently to 30mph"
He said "They are all plainly visible"
Nope - Not all of them - we still get the ones hidden from view by road signs and bus shelters - even though painted yellow. Big give-away is paint on the roads. And what about the road which has 40mph painted on it and a 30mph lollipop - and has been like that for weeks and is a favourite mobile trap area.
He was not interested in training for drivers, the fairly dangerous behaviours that scameras seem to encourage, and even said:
"Motorists get 10% +2"" (Ah! so his speeding ticket may not have beeb a "blip" then!
) And Speedos are getting more accurate! GPS are - but authorities do not seem to like us having these on grounds that they "warn us of scam sites well in advance!" Not in Lancs and certainly at close of the programme another R2 presenter David ?? Missed his name said his wife got one for 34mph in a 30mph zone, adding that BiB would probably have been less strict.
We had the truckload of calls and texts: one punter (had to be a militant muesli munching cyclist) who called for us all to be banned for driving at 31mph!
to those such as Barry who put case very straightforwardly - namely that the scam induces Pavlov do effect which means brake to well under speed limit causing problems for cars travelling behind. If you hid the darned things and they were spotted at last minute - probably result would be more rear end shunts! Predictably - Ms Dunwoody (who admitted last time she was on this show that she does not drive) was on the phone with "think of the children" and still made no mention of teaching the Green Cross Code!
, and there was a shopkeeper who called with view that scameras are best thing than sliced bread - and can catch mobile phone users! All in all - highly entertaining!
And arguments from the pro-lobby did not really come across as convincing - even to the few people in this mad house where I work - who are (sighhhhh!) pro-scameras!
deeen said:
And I particularly liked the logic of the guy who phoned in to say that road deaths had gone up nationally since cameras introduced... so obvoiusly we should have more of them! 
I'd love to believe you're joking about that, but I just *know* you're not. Sheesh, ya couldn't make it up, could you?
I missed a small amount of the debate, but thought the actual debate between Paul Smith and Mr Gifford was good, and both put their points well. The best bit was the evasifness from Mr Gifford as to whether he had been flashed, when he had, and Paul Smith saying he hadn;t been flashed!
Mind you I didn;t hear any mention of why if safety os so important so many traffic police have gone.
Mind you I didn;t hear any mention of why if safety os so important so many traffic police have gone.
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