Thursday 27th September 2007

Speed Camera Enforcement Down 14%

Mobile cameras used less this year

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The apparent crackdown on speeding motorists may not be all it seems after the revelation from Motor Cycle News that speed camera vans are spending less time on the roads.

On average they are now monitoring traffic for 14 per cent less time than they were last year. With one of the biggest drops in workrate being in South Yorkshire where the chief constable is the Association of Chief Police Officers’ head of road policing, Meredydd Hughes.

The county saw its mobile speed cameras deployed for 206 hours in the region in June 2006 but only 96 hours in June 2007, a fall of 53%.

Only three out of the 27 UK regions to provide data have reported a bigger reduction.

One of the regions which failed to provide any data was North Wales, home of controversial police chief Richard Brunstrom.

[TrevorH]

Is this the beginning of a quiet, tactical withdrawal?
I'm looking out for flying pigs, just to be sure.

[burwoodman]

Not a chance. I would wager someone is fiddling with statistics. Depends on the precise wording of the questions.They probably all went on holiday that month or used a different type of scamming device.

[MaximumJed]

I have noticed less vans locally, especially one that always sat across the bottom of Blue Bell Hill at Maidstone.

I assumed they weren't there as much because they don't get to keep the fines anymore?

[10 Pence Short]

I would imagine after a couple of years solid use, plus a change in the funding arrangements, Police forces have a better idea of the required role of mobile speed vans.

Weighing up the budgetry requirements to run the cameras against the necessary targets (and the target's comparable importance agaisnt other areas of crime), the amount of time they're on the road is bond to change.

Just don't go getting your hopes up- Cumbria, for example, have just invested in a fleet of new vans loaded with new equipment to replace the ones they'd had for the previous 4 years.

[jayzee]

what a load of rubbish...reduced camera vans my ae

[Juz]

I live in s yorks and have actually noticed that there seems to be far fewer speed traps around lately. I'm even driving 200% the miles I was doing this time last year and I haven't seen a mobile speed trap in quite a while.

What I have noticed is a much higher police patrol prescence (both in cars and on foot) around the town centre and outskirts, which imo is a far better use of resources.

Edited by Juz on Thursday 27th September 10:22

[Jasandjules]

Accidents will be down then...

[J111]

"One of the regions which failed to provide any data was North Wales, home of controversial police chief Richard Brunstrom."

My keen interest in road safety in the North Wales region has prompted me to put in a Freedom of Information Act request pertaining to this issue. There may be others who feel it important to educate themselves on road safety issues

North Wales Police Headquarters
Glan-y-Don
Colwyn Bay
Conwy
LL29 8AW

[TVR_nut]

10 Pence Short said:

I would imagine after a couple of years solid use, plus a change in the funding arrangements, Police forces have a better idea of the required role of mobile speed vans.

Weighing up the budgetry requirements to run the cameras against the necessary targets (and the target's comparable importance agaisnt other areas of crime), the amount of time they're on the road is bond to change.

Just don't go getting your hopes up- Cumbria, for example, have just invested in a fleet of new vans loaded with new equipment to replace the ones they'd had for the previous 4 years.

New vans that will most likely be used on the empty open bits of the M6 in nice weather to catch people recklessley doing 79mph, instead of being used on the bits of road in Cumbria that are actually dangerous. I notice they are no longer publishing schedules on their website either (maybe to hid drop in use - more likely to improve the revenue stream).

I'm hopeful but sceptical....

N.

[Chrisgr31]

TVR_nut said:

I notice they are no longer publishing schedules on their website either (maybe to hid drop in use - more likely to improve the revenue stream).

I'm hopeful but sceptical....

N.

Kent used to publish the schedule on their website. It was remarkabe helpful and really informative. It used to tell you which Borough they would be operating in, and on every day they were operating an around 75% of the Boroughs in Kent. Oh and their was a rider that they might be deployed elsewhere! So all in all the information was about as useful as a chocolate teapot.

[VeryRisky]

There's a lot of shifty behaviour. For instance for Devon and Corwall there's a note on the list of mobile sites:

"Please note that this page is currently under going some changes so the information shown may not be 100% accurate (Note created 27/01/2006)"

http://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/dcsc/mobcamer/...

so they've just not updated it for nearly two years then....

[chrisbr68]

Have the number of deaths soared as expected then?

[robwales]

VeryRisky said:

There's a lot of shifty behaviour. For instance for Devon and Corwall there's a note on the list of mobile sites:

"Please note that this page is currently under going some changes so the information shown may not be 100% accurate (Note created 27/01/2006)"

http://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/dcsc/mobcamer/...

so they've just not updated it for nearly two years then....

Similar story at Arrive Alive North Wales - 1998-2000 accident data on the website.

[NormanD]

'Speed Camera Enforcement Down 14%'


ONLY 86% to go !!!!

[mr motor]

Possibly the calm before the storm...

Motorists get used to driving slower looking out for these safety camera muppets so tax revenue falls. If the vans are taken off the job for a few weeks us motorist are lulled into a false sense of security before, getting nicked again for driving at that criminally insane speed of 35 in a 30 or 47 in a 40 when the scamera vans reappear.

Stuff the likes of Chief Constables like Richard Brunstrom who are hung up on petty speeding issues and licking the bottoms of our political masters instead of concentrating on instances of dangerous or reckless driving, and bring back the properly trained traffic divisions and the bobbie on the beat who can properly police our roads.

[Witchfinder]

TrevorH said:

I'm looking out for flying pigs, just to be sure.

Rozzers using spies in the sky?

[Frimley111R]

Here's an interesting comment from a friend in the Met: He said a lot of non traffic Police don't like the traffic plods because for most people this is the only contact they will ever have with the force, typically being prosecuted for minor offences. Needless to say people do not take too kindly to this but see the Police as all the same. Therefore their view of the Police overall is a negative one (even if subconciously they accept the good job they do).

[havoc]

Witchfinder said:

TrevorH said:

I'm looking out for flying pigs, just to be sure.

Rozzers using spies in the sky?

You've driven the Cat & Fiddle Pass recently then?


I have to say i've noticed fewer vans and more unmarked cars around Cov/Warks in the last year or so too...some particularly unsporting unmarked cars too (silver Focus ST, silver Scooby STi v.9, dark X-Type, dark Octavia vRS all spring to mind...)!
...but I'm all for that change! The unmarked trafpol I would trust to do a far more even-handed and well-targeted job than some civvy sitting in a van...

[XMG5]

Whilst driving along the M4 to Swindon I looked out for the usual Scamera Van on the bridge near J17 and instead just about caught sight of a white helmet and part of a flourescent jacket in place of the Scamera van.

It was a Trafpol motorcyclist weilding a hand held.

Judging by the number of vehicles accelerating down the incline towards him, East-bound in a temporary 50mph limit, he went unobserved by most. I wonder how many got a ticket and will be wondering why they didn't see the 'van'?

[oliveman]

I must agree with Frimley 111R, my daughter is in the police and they hate the camera vans, so much so one day they found one as usual parked on the verge so they gave it a ticket !!! Roll on.