U-turn on ring road speed cameras

[catso]

http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/tm_objectid=14707025&method=full&siteid=50003&headline=u-turn-on-ring-road-speed-cameras-name_page.html


U-turn on ring road speed cameras Oct 1 2004

By Ben Griffin

Speed cameras on Coventry's ring road are being taken down in an astonishing U-turn by road safety chiefs.

At a time when drivers face being caught on film more than ever before, the ring road is to become a camera-free zone.

Safety experts say the cameras are hidden from drivers and would be better off elsewhere in the city.

The cameras, which have been on the city's ring road for 10 years, will be taken down on October 14 and 15.

They are the first of 10 cameras in the West Midlands to be uprooted because they are in places they are not needed.

Andrew Pearce, of the council-backed West Midlands Casualty Reduction Partnership, which is responsible for the cameras, said: "The idea of cameras is that you see them and you slow down.

"They are there to save lives not to take pictures.

"These cameras can't be seen in advance of the site, so they can't do their job in a fair and open way."

The cameras will be moved to areas in Coventry where there are speed-related accidents.

The ring road will be monitored once the cameras are taken away to see if speeds and accident rates change.

Mr Pearce added: "We will continue to install new cameras where speed is costing lives, and these units will be used somewhere else in Coventry."

[cdp]

It's October 1st. Not April.

[garygfx]

Andrew Pearce of West Midlands Casualty Reduction Partnership said:

The idea of cameras is that you see them and you slow down. They are there to save lives not to take pictures.

Oh really? Can I quote him on that in court to get me off? I agree with what he says but the reality is very different. Drivers can't see mobile cameras in advance because the vans/officers hide or use distance to their advantage, so drivers get zapped before they even have the opportunity of seeing the van/officier.

Cameras can't be a deterrant if you can't see them. The only advantage of hiding them is to increase the chances of making money. High visibility increases the chances of getting drivers to slow down. They can't have it both ways. Slower drivers or more cash. It's one or the other.

[V8 Archie]

Erm... isn't years since all cameras had to be clearly visible? That means they're taking down (moving) cameras that were illegal anyway!

[g_attrill]

V8 Archie said:

Erm... isn't years since all cameras had to be clearly visible? That means they're taking down (moving) cameras that were illegal anyway!

Up to 14% or summat can be outside of all the rules yet the revenue can be retained by the SCP's.

I suspect the cameras were so well-known that they were hardly activated. They will presumably now be moved to a more profitable sorry, suitable position.

The other possibility is that the stretches of road have (by chance) had a very, very low accident rate in the past year. They will move the cameras and surprise! The accident rate will go back up and they will get funding for brand new units.

Gareth

[joospeed]

I'd like to see the driving license points system changed to one of reward rather than the system at the moment ..

all new licenses should be issued with 9 points on them, then if you are a careful driver (or lucky!!) you get points taken off, say one point per year until you have a clean license. If you're an arse in your first few drives you get banned right away .. (would need some kind of proper ban enforcement to work, rather than ban-then-joyride we have at the moment) ..



joo

[safespeed]

Translation:

We need to get a regression to the mean benefit illusion, so we're moving cameras to different random clusters of accidents.

Oh, and by the way, we can't claim the cash back unless we move them because of the DfT's rules.

[cdp]

Or

"The congestion on the ring road is now so bad that people aren't travelling fast enough to set them off anymore."

[TripleS]

cdp said:

Or "The congestion on the ring road is now so bad that people aren't travelling fast enough to set them off anymore."

I was round there last Thursday afternoon, and the opportunity to get along at anything faster than walking pace would have been most welcome.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[Peter Ward]

Coventry inner ring road is a potentially lethal road because of the ridiculously short "sliproads" which serve both entering and leaving the road in the same length. However, speeds are low, people are generally familiar with it and with a confident approach very little actually goes wrong.

[WildCat]

Peter Ward said:

Coventry inner ring road is a potentially lethal road because of the ridiculously short "sliproads" which serve both entering and leaving the road in the same length. However, speeds are low, people are generally familiar with it and with a confident approach very little actually goes wrong.

I should imagine that there were series of minor rear end shunts etc - LanCASH££re has same tactic..... minor shunt - whack up a scam. There seems to be a new one each time I drive through Two on St Thomas' Road - now according to one pal - and three new ones appeared in Blackburn - no accidnet history according to locals ... und couple of new ones in Blackpool - according to relative who took kittens to lights recently .... am giving eldest long drive to Blackpool next week He has test coming up ....

[Size Nine Elm]

Andrew Pearce of West Midlands Casualty Reduction Partnership said:

We believe we can get a better return on investment elsewhere in Coventry. Ker-ching.

[hornet]

Peter Ward said:

Coventry inner ring road is a potentially lethal road because of the ridiculously short "sliproads" which serve both entering and leaving the road in the same length. However, speeds are low, people are generally familiar with it and with a confident approach very little actually goes wrong.

Coventry ring road is a total nightmare! You've got sliproads all over the place, worn out road marking, awful road signs and even direction signs placed right by a sliproad, so you're not sure where you're supposed to be going until you're on top of the junction. Sure the locals have figured it out by now, but it's a nightmare as an infrequent visitor. I'm always worried that there will be a Gatso tucked behind ever sign as well.

As a Watford native I'm used to hellish ring roads and nightmare traffic, but Cov is something else...

[mrmaggit]

hornet said:

Peter Ward said: Coventry inner ring road is a potentially lethal road because of the ridiculously short "sliproads" which serve both entering and leaving the road in the same length. However, speeds are low, people are generally familiar with it and with a confident approach very little actually goes wrong. Coventry ring road is a total nightmare! You've got sliproads all over the place, worn out road marking, awful road signs and even direction signs placed right by a sliproad, so you're not sure where you're supposed to be going until you're on top of the junction. Sure the locals have figured it out by now, but it's a nightmare as an infrequent visitor. I'm always worried that there will be a Gatso tucked behind ever sign as well.

I went to the Motor Museum in Cov with the EMTVRCC during the summer, and the ring road there was a nightmare on a sunday, so God knows how bad it is during the week. The length of the sliproads is the problem. That and the poor signing.

[cdp]

I have only been to Conventry once. It's one of the worst ring roads I have ever come across; I have to agree about the sliproad and signage comments.

[blademan]

cdp said:

I have only been to Conventry once. It's one of the worst ring roads I have ever come across; I have to agree about the sliproad and signage comments.

Can only agree.
I travel to Coventry for shopping about once a month. When I first moved to the Midlands in 1999, it was a confusing nightmare trying to find my way around; especially as their were major roadworks. I have got used to it now, but your observation and concentration have to be good to account for the constant changing of sliproads on and off of the ring road. To be honest, the system is so bad that most drivers seem to be within posted limits, so I doubt whether many people have been scammed, hence the relocation to more more suitable sights