Friday 4th February 2011

Three-Quarters Of UK's Speed Cameras 'Inoperative'

Survey reveals more than 75 per cent of fixed camera sites are not in use

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Consumer Magazine Which? has undertaken a survey that shows country more than three-quarters of the UK's speed cameras are inactive.

It seems that your chances of getting flashed greatly vary depending on where you drive, however.

All 20 permanent cameras in West Mercia were operational, and you'd be snapped by 96 per cent Lincolnshire's, while 94 per cent of Avon and Somerset's speed cameras were found to be switched on.

Nottinghamshire and Bedfordshire also ranked pretty highly in the cameras-on stakes, with 78 per cent and 77 per cent respectively.

On the other hand, a scant 11 per cent of Staffordshire's cameras were working, with Gloucestershire, Thames Valley and Derbyshire on 12 per cent and Surrey running on a mere 24 per cent of its potential number of fixed speed cameras.

So the moral to the tale seems to be that you're safest from scameras just west of London (or in the north-east Midlands), but that you'd better be darn careful in Lincolnshire or Somerset.

A small word of warning, though; Dorset, Hertfordshire, Merseyside, Norfolk and Suffolk all refused to reveal just how many of their cameras were working...

[tomv1to]

Give me enough money and a Zonda and I'd be more than happy to find out which camera's are and aren't working in the counties that refused to hand over any information.

[TobesH]

tomv1to said:

Give me enough money and a Zonda and I'd be more than happy to find out which camera's are and aren't working in the counties that refused to hand over any information.

You won't need a Zonda! 25 in 30 = 3 points.

[NismoGT]

How will i sleep tonight knowing the majority are not operating? My heart bleeds for the poor bds who's salary depends on them.

Oh wait. No i won't.

[jake15919]

If I was running my force off the back of unsuspecting motorists I'd tell you none of my cameras were working. Then I'd sit back and watch the money roll in.

You have been warned.

Evenin' all.

[Dr G]

TobesH said:

You won't need a Zonda! 25 in 30 = 3 points.

You sure about that?

Thames Valley can have a -1 for the camera that was torched in Slough this week

[3ftandclean]

The trouble is, we don't really know which ones aren't working. I'm certainly not brave enough to test the theory. Will they eventually take them down or will they stand as follies that will prompt us to reminisce 'd'you remember when those things worked...?'

[Ash333]

Is there any way of finding out which ones are working/not working?

[LukeBird]

Ash333 said:

Is there any way of finding out which ones are working/not working?

Yeah.

I can imagine it'd get expensive and you'd get banned at some point though...

[fwaggie]

Wasn't this covered ages ago?

The camera cases are about half the cost of the internals, which can be swapped round from camera case to camera case.

A lot of counties can afford say 10 cases and 2 internals and then cycle the guts round.

[ellisd82]

kinda old news...not publicly admittadly, but most of the Cameras put up where inactive from the word go?

[mylesmcd]

Here, big lad..


Wha bout Norn Iron?

[FishFace]

Puts further holes into the argument idiots use that they exist 'to make money'.

[Kazlet]

FishFace said:

Puts further holes into the argument idiots use that they exist 'to make money'.

You can be sure the ones switch off/not maintained are the ones that dont produce enough income to pay for themselves...Fishface.

[ginettajoe]

3ftandclean said:

The trouble is, we don't really know which ones aren't working. I'm certainly not brave enough to test the theory. Will they eventually take them down or will they stand as follies that will prompt us to reminisce 'd'you remember when those things worked...?'

This has been the case for years, and I can vouch that the road from Macclesfield to Ashbourne which has 16 Gatsos, generally only 5 or 6 will be working at anyone time. They do move the cameras occasionally, into a different "housing", and coincidentaly, the one outside a small police station (30mph) is working 99% of the time. I have a snooper in my car which confirms which are "live" & which aren't!!

It may be of interest also, ... the "variable" cameras on the M6 gantries, around Birmingham, only 1 or 2 work!!

[ginettajoe]

Ash333 said:

Is there any way of finding out which ones are working/not working?

Buy a snooper before they become illegal again, .... it will confirm which "Gatsos" are live, & those that aren't!!

[Corsair7]

Cant afford the fuel needed to drive anywhere 'fast' anyway....

[cazzer]

FishFace said:

Puts further holes into the argument idiots use that they exist 'to make money'.

And the fact that there isn't carnage on the roads with death at every turn puts further holes in the argument that they save lives too.

[Mikko]

I am sure this was on the today program last week still it said only 25% working in hampshire but even the ones that dont work still flash so its russian roulette time.

[V8rumble]

If you look into the housing (driving the oppostie way) you can generally tell if the housing is empty or has a camera in it. The trouble is when you drive back you dont know if a camera has been fitted in the meantime. The mobile gang are still around though.

[Gunk]

All ours in Oxfordshire have been turned off, well so they say!!!