Thursday 5th August 2010

Speed Camera Switch-Off Gathers Pace

Is the 'Age of Austerity' set to be the catalyst for the end of the 'scamera'?

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All 72 fixed speed cameras and 89 mobile camera sites in Oxfordshire have been switched off, a move that comes a matter of weeks after Derby switched off three of its fixed cameras and put 17 others 'under review'.

As a result, Oxfordshire has also removed £600k of funding for its part of the Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership, the organisation that runs the cameras for Oxfordshire and several other areas.

Oxfordshire is not alone in looking at the effectiveness of speed cameras, either. Road safety grants have been dropped by roughly a quarter nationwide and that, combined with the end of central government funding for new camera sites, could cause a mass culling of speed cameras.

Buckinghamshire, Gloucestershire and Kent county councils have said that they are reviewing their options, and safety camera partnerships are feeling the strain.

The axe has already fallen for the Wiltshire and Swindon Safety Camera Partnership, meaning Swindon's six remaining fixed camera sites are now officially for the chop, while the Devon and Cornwall Safety Camera Partnership will not survive beyond the end of this financial year unless some extra funding is found for it.

It's not all good news, however. Cumbria county council has no plans to drop any of its six fixed sites, nor reduce its fleet of mobile camera vans, according to local government news site, localgov.co.uk

[mrlambo]

Best news for road safety. Now drives can concentrate on driving rather than looking down at the speedo.

[Shade]

Any news on Welsh gatsos?

[Ved]

Shade said:

Any news on Welsh gatsos?

I like your thinking.

[dazsmith69]

you have to be pretty stupid or not concentrating to be flashed by a clearly visible fixed speed camera. Its the mobile vans they need to reduce hidden behind signs etc, and the god awful average speed cameras that make you focus on your speedo rather than the road ahead

great news though, lets hope it continues further north

Edited by dazsmith69 on Thursday 5th August 11:27

[Denorth]

I am not a big fan of those. However, I don't like when something is done by the approach 'all or nothing'

Both installation and removal of speed cameras should've been done basing on safety rather than money only. Currently it is a bit like from one extremem to another. I am sure there are places were cameras are helping to keep speed down (like 20 or 20mph living areas)

So far it is about money. Be sure, when the government realise that it was profitable to give funds to local councils in order to get money from our pocket - cameras will be back overnight. As soon as the gevernment has initial funds to maintain them.

[havoc]

dazsmith69 said:

...the god awful average speed cameras that make you focus on your speedo rather than the road ahead...

Hold that thought. Why does all this sudden 'good news' make me think there's something more nefarious waiting in the wings?!?

[drewbagz]

havoc said:

dazsmith69 said:

...the god awful average speed cameras that make you focus on your speedo rather than the road ahead...

Hold that thought. Why does all this sudden 'good news' make me think there's something more nefarious waiting in the wings?!?

You remember the talk about the black boxes that were going to be put in each and every car, just like Toyota do in the USA, which when you buy the car the black box remians the property of the motor company and can be called upon by the police and any time they wish, and also happen to track your every movement and speed.............

I really hope for every motorist's sake this DOES NOT HAPPEN!!!

[mlj]

Because they are "turning them off", does this mean more mobile police camera's and speed guns?

[Twincam16]

havoc said:

dazsmith69 said:

...the god awful average speed cameras that make you focus on your speedo rather than the road ahead...

Hold that thought. Why does all this sudden 'good news' make me think there's something more nefarious waiting in the wings?!?

I can't see the spread of 'black boxes' - way too expensive, but I have a feeling we'll see three things.

As expected, an increase in the number of manned mobile speed patrols (although I suppose at least we'll have proper officers who can respond more intelligently to stupid driving within the limit).

Possibly, an unwelcome practise of leaving the average speed cameras up long after the roadworks have gone on motorways. There's a section of the M62 between Oldham and Stockport that is 50mph for no reason whatsoever, rigidly enforced by average speed cameras. Brings the flow of the motorway to a grinding halt and makes it very difficult to change lanes as the cars become tightly packed and refuse to go at any speed other than 50.

Worst of all, in the Big Society spirit of volunteering and community action, Cameron somehow allows curtain-twitching busybodies to operate their own community scameras and put the cash raised into local 'causes'. Expect the retirement areas of your local towns to see an increase in 10mph zones on main roads and some very rich branches of the Cats' Protection League if this happens.

[wildatheart]

I suspect number plate recognition systems will become more prevalent; if there's too little time between two points, however far apart, you're toast. Big Brother only tightens its reins; all in the name of public safety/war on terror/other bull crap.

[MarJay]

wildatheart said:

I suspect number plate recognition systems will become more prevalent; if there's too little time between two points, however far apart, you're toast. Big Brother only tightens its reins; all in the name of public safety/war on terror/other bull crap.

Haven't you noticed that the current government is all for "the need to be libertarian" unlike the previous government who started the whole Speed camera thing? The Labour government of the past 13 years was the most authoritarian government we've ever had in this country (apart from perhaps during world war 2).

Its all about libertarianism people, and I for one am right behind it.

[drewbagz]

MarJay said:

wildatheart said:

I suspect number plate recognition systems will become more prevalent; if there's too little time between two points, however far apart, you're toast. Big Brother only tightens its reins; all in the name of public safety/war on terror/other bull crap.

Haven't you noticed that the current government is all for "the need to be libertarian" unlike the previous government who started the whole Speed camera thing? The Labour government of the past 13 years was the most authoritarian government we've ever had in this country (apart from perhaps during world war 2).

Its all about libertarianism people, and I for one am right behind it.

AGREED!

[supermono]

I've heard the bozos in Norwich are still manning the talivans. Who's paying their wages if not their victims?

Presumably it's a drain on council tax payers money now.

Surely if the invoices they're raising are being paid into central government the local council tax payers have a right to demand a thorough review of this spending along with any other daft projects dreamed up by similar idiots?

SM

[TheArchitect]

so are all mobile camera wagons down aswell now?

my biggest concern over this is now the muppets will drive even worse as they will feel they cannot be caught speeding in oxfordshire now. however i am against the cameras and happy they're down.

[Snoggledog]

MarJay said:

wildatheart said:

I suspect number plate recognition systems will become more prevalent; if there's too little time between two points, however far apart, you're toast. Big Brother only tightens its reins; all in the name of public safety/war on terror/other bull crap.

.... unlike the previous government who started the whole Speed camera thing?

Beg to differ but the very first speed camera was installed on the A40 (Uxbridge) when Thatcher was still in power.

[jezzaaa]

Snoggledog said:

MarJay said:

wildatheart said:

I suspect number plate recognition systems will become more prevalent; if there's too little time between two points, however far apart, you're toast. Big Brother only tightens its reins; all in the name of public safety/war on terror/other bull crap.

.... unlike the previous government who started the whole Speed camera thing?

Beg to differ but the very first speed camera was installed on the A40 (Uxbridge) when Thatcher was still in power.

True, but the mass roll out of the damned things went crazy under Blair...

[jezzaaa]

Denorth said:

I am not a big fan of those. However, I don't like when something is done by the approach 'all or nothing'

Both installation and removal of speed cameras should've been done basing on safety rather than money only. Currently it is a bit like from one extremem to another. I am sure there are places were cameras are helping to keep speed down (like 20 or 20mph living areas)

So far it is about money. Be sure, when the government realise that it was profitable to give funds to local councils in order to get money from our pocket - cameras will be back overnight. As soon as the gevernment has initial funds to maintain them.

It's only about money at a local level though...in the context of treasury revenue, the speed camera revenu was insignificant. I think it was more about jobs for petty bureaucrats and New Labours desire to control every aspect of our lives.

[Clivey]

Kill 'em all!

As payback for their dirty & dishonest ways, I hope that all of these "safety" partnership employees get taken to task tidying-up roadside verges and picking the used condoms out of our sewers. Conniving Bds.

On that note, why can't we force prison inmates to repay their debt to society by doing community service under armed guard, like they do in the 'States? It would mean that councils would be able to maintain their communities much more effectively with the same resources and at least the taxpayer would get something in return for spending £20+k we spend on housing each prisoner every year. They could even "hot bunk" like sailors do in submarines, which would allow 2 or 3 times the amount of prisoners to be incarcerated without the need to build new prisons.

However, back on topic: As others have already said here and time and time again in other threads, the real problem is not the fixed boxes, but the mobile vans and the average cameras on motorways. THEY are what we need to concentrate on getting rid of. The areas that are getting rid of the mobile vans are the lucky ones!

[James Junior 14]

wildatheart said:

I suspect number plate recognition systems will become more prevalent; if there's too little time between two points, however far apart, you're toast. Big Brother only tightens its reins; all in the name of public safety/war on terror/other bull crap.

I think now might be a good time to invest some venture capital into a company making revolving number plates...

[don logan]

I have this terrible nagging feeling that a road network fully kitted out with SPECS of some sort is not far away and that would be that! we would all be longing for the old days with Gatsos where we had some chance to drive according to conditions etc

In the meantime.........