Poll - Speed Cameras: Are Swindon doing the right thing?

Gorgeous_George

Swindon's council has voted to press ahead with plans to pull out of the town's safety camera partnership and restructure road safety. The cameras will go from June and be replaced with vehicle-activated signs. (link)

Do you support this initiative? Please vote and add comments below.

GG

Rolandtheroadie

Any money saved should be put into road policing. Bring back the traffic cop.
A speed camera only makes people slow down for 50 yards.

anewman

I think their reason for pulling out of the scheme is more interesting

flang

yes they should be removed.
They do not work and everyone only slows at the camera then shoot off again.
The same for mobile cameras! why are they always at -40 to 30 or 50 to 40. Nothing to do with road safety.

Gorgeous_George

FWIW, I wholly support Swindon's stance.

I think a flashing speed warning sign is a much better and more immediate deterrant than a fine a week or two after the event. How angry would you be if the speeding motorist that hit you or your child was covertly captured exceeding the speed limit moments before the collision - with the fine in processing? Much better an instant reminder of the speed limit IMHO.

I hope the people of Swindon show respect for their Council's decision and do not abuse the lack of speed cameras.

For me, it is the abuse of the cameras as a cash-generator that is the greatest threat to road safety. I used to have the greatest respect for the Police but that changed when I was stung for £60 for being clocked at 35mph on a bright, dry , January morning with not a pedestrian in sight at the bottom of a gentle slope in the road.

GG

Shoshannah

Gorgeous_George wrote: »

I hope the people of Swindon show respect for their Council's decision and do not abuse the lack of speed cameras.

Would be nice, but I can't see that happening.

With the cameras, people slowed down for the few yards where they could get caught. With no cameras, they won't bother to slow down at all.

I agree that speed cameras don't work. Yet personally I am amazed that people get caught by the fixed cameras, considering the fact that they are bright yellow with abundant warning signs. :undecided If you didn't see it until it was too late, or didn't see it at all, then you were not only speeding but were also not paying attention. Not a good combination.

Mobile cameras are another matter.

One of the most common themes that arises in the arguments of the anti-camera brigade is the moneyspinning. I would be interested to know, if fines were abolished and only penalty points were handed out to those caught by the cameras, would they hate them any less?

Gorgeous_George

My argument is that speeding is not a problem. Inappropriate speed is.

Cameras do not make allowance for commonsense.

GG

anewman

I love approaching a speed camera on the Haffodrynys to Pontypool road near Pontypool. You can see two distinct long tyre marks where someone's obviously slammed on the anchors when they saw the speed camera at the last minute and gone all over the place. Judging by the marks ending before the lines on the road I think they slowed enough for the camera.

But if you think about it. If someone's stupid enough to do that speed and can't see the speed camera till the last second then something's wrong with their driving. Appropriate or inappropriate speed...

tomstickland

Cameras might have their place. But, sadly, we've been treated like idiots via a pr campaign and statistics have been misrepresented, hence the backlash.