London Speed Enforcement Chaos....
Discussion
www.thisislondon.co.uk/traffic/articles/4339371?source=Evening%20Standard 
Oh dear.. what a tragedySpeed let-off for drivers
London's system for catching speeding motorists has been thrown into chaos, the Standard can reveal today.
Speed cameras in some key 30mph zones have been set so they only flash motorists who travel at 43mph because police cannot cope with the number of cases.
National police guidelines say that cameras in 30mph zones should catch drivers who exceed 35mph because these are the areas where pedestrians are most likely to be killed.
But in parts of London, drivers can speed without getting caught because the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) guidelines are being ignored, according to confidential documents.
It is not clear how many of the capital's 650 speed and red light cameras have been set with the high trigger limits, but one senior Metropolitan Police insider admitted: "Cameras are not being used anywhere near their capacity because the backroom machinery can't keep up."
The revelation has alarmed safety campaigners because of the clear link between higher speeds and increased fatal accidents.
Sources say thousands of speeding motorists are not caught on camera while many who are never receive fines as a result of "massive inefficiencies" at the police processing unit in Sidcup.
A senior official involved with the scheme said: "No wonder
drivers are getting away with it. The way it has been run is a scandal. The unit where tickets are processed is archaic."
The "cash for cameras" scheme went live a year ago and was expected to generate revenue to buy more cameras. Instead it was heading for a £1.4 million deficit within six months, documents reveal.
The Met made big cutbacks to get the scheme back on course and insiders say plans for new cameras at accident blackspots were postponed. A fleet of high-visibility speed camera vans that should have been patrolling the capital last autumn was also shelved.
Today transport experts urged motorists not to take their chances with cameras. They warned that some were now being set closer to the "true" speed limit.
Government research shows that in collisions at 30mph, 45 per cent of pedestrians are killed and that at 40mph, 85 per cent are killed.
Officials have warned the scheme's partners - including the Met, Transport for London, the City of London Police and the Association of London Government - to eradicate its inefficiencies.
Commander Jo Kaye, chairman of the Partnership, refused to reveal at what speed cameras were triggered. He said: "Given the size and complexity of London, commencing the operation has been extremely challenging. With about 660 speed and red light cameras, the Partnership is one of the largest in the country."
He denied camera installations had been postponed and warned drivers the Partnership was "moving towards" stricter trigger limits.
IMHO it is a tragedy that 30mph limits are not enforced. Most 30s are there for a reason, in marked contrast to many 40s and 50s. Personally I wish they'd sort the 30s (where there is some need for limits) and stop concentrating on enforcing 70s on empty dual carraigeways (where there isn't) 
BTW YHM Carzee
FastShow said:
Can news publications get away with printing absolutely anything they want these days without backing it up in any way whatsoever?
They've always been able to before. Journalists don't give a toss about truth, a balanced & reasoned argument, or whether they fcuk up an innocent person's life in the name of 'the public interest' - which is actually the editor-in-chief's interest - all they care about is selling advertising space and making sure their circulation/TV ratings numbers are higher than anyone else's.
The real tragedy is that Safety has long been forgotten in the saga of these Scamera Partnerships.
Setup to raise revenue and reduce the reliance on good old policing. Now cut back to save cash as a result of failing to meet financial targets. I dont see anything on maintaining Safety anywhere here. Bunch of wa*kers the lot of em.
Setup to raise revenue and reduce the reliance on good old policing. Now cut back to save cash as a result of failing to meet financial targets. I dont see anything on maintaining Safety anywhere here. Bunch of wa*kers the lot of em.
hertsbiker said: Obviously proves that cameras DO NOT make the roads safer - we've coped pretty well in London without them actually going off.... so why not just get rid?
Because little Kirsty Cheese was killed by a speeding car in London in 1985. Or had you forgotten?
Won't someone please think of the Children!
I am interested in the % figures. How do they know how fast a vehicle is travelling when it hits a pedestrian?
If the speed is calculated by skid marks dot hey use the before skid or impact speed? You must know from experience that some coming into yuor path is never hit at the cruising speed 'cos you slam on the anchors. And people walking out in front of you; it's evolution in action
If the speed is calculated by skid marks dot hey use the before skid or impact speed? You must know from experience that some coming into yuor path is never hit at the cruising speed 'cos you slam on the anchors. And people walking out in front of you; it's evolution in action
[quoteIt is not clear how many of the capital's 650 speed and red light cameras have been set with the high trigger limits
Since when have red light cameras been used for speeding offences? I know they do record the speed but AFAIK this is only used for 'sizing' the red-light offence.
Since when have red light cameras been used for speeding offences? I know they do record the speed but AFAIK this is only used for 'sizing' the red-light offence.
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