Just how many times can the cameras get it wrong before something is done about it? We shouldn't be putting up with hearing about these errors almost on a weekly basis:
Speed camera blunder
Motorists have been urged to query speeding tickets after a Suffolk bus driver was falsely accused of hurtling through a 30mph limit at 81mph on the A140 Norwich to Ipswich road.
Trevor Martin was actually travelling at 29mph when the fixed camera flashed his vehicle, at Earl Stonham, near Stowmarket.
The 43-year-old, of Preston Drive, Ipswich, was able to prove his innocence, as the bus he was driving was fitted with a tachograph, which recorded his speed, and a device preventing it going above 62mph.
Suffolk SafeCam, the group responsible for speed enforcement in the county, admitted the blunder and assured road users it was the first case of its kind in the county.
But Motorists Against Detection, a national lobby against the inappropriate use of speed cameras, said it knew of at least 10 other examples from elsewhere in the UK.
A spokesman said: "There are discrepancies and inaccuracies due to technical breakdowns within the system.
"The cameras are not foolproof and this is the reason why people should fight every case. People should check every detail about it before accepting fines and points."
Tony Fowler, Mid Suffolk district councillor for Earl Stonham, said this particular camera had proved controversial ever since it was installed, in August 2003, with its position the subject of local debate.
He said: "Although it has made that particular area a lot safer, it's a worry to think they aren't as accurate as we'd like to think."
It was at about 8am on January 18 that Mr Martin was said to have hurtled along the Norwich-bound stretch of the road. A week later he received a letter warning him he was to be prosecuted for the offence.
After proving the error, he received a further letter, dated January 31, saying no further action would be taken.
But for Mr Martin, who has always had a clean driving license, it offered scant consolation.
He said: "The only response I had was a short and sharp letter, which was not satisfactory in my opinion.
"I was completely shocked when I received the notice, when you consider driving is my livelihood. I knew going 81mph in a 30mph limit would lead to a loss of license or suspension from work. It created quite a lot of stress and worry."
"In a way I'm relieved I was in a bus. It made it easier because there was no way I could've been doing that speed. It would've been harder to prove if I was in a car."
Mr Martin wanted to highlight his case to show the system is not infallible.
Suffolk SafeCam said it was a combination of technical and human error that led to Mr Martin being sent a speeding ticket.
It is believed the camera may have recorded vibrations being made by a panel on the back of the bus, instead of the speed of the vehicle. This would have caused the camera to flash, sending an image of the bus back to partnership's central ticket office.
It was at this point that a further check should have been made, measuring the speed of the vehicle using the white lines painted on the road. But this did not take place.
Michelle Finnerty, communications manager for the partnership, said procedures have been reviewed with the intention of ensuring that such a mistake can never happen again.
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