Safe Speed Forums

Speed cameras are a major cause of traffic congestion and the technology to replace them already exists, Britain's new motorway "jambuster" has admitted.

Derek Turner, who was appointed by the Highways Agency last month to tackle congestion on major routes, said speed governors, similar to those used in lorries and coaches, offered an alternative way of slowing traffic.

He said the device could help prevent the traffic jams caused by drivers braking sharply as they approach a camera.

Mr Turner said: "Speed cameras do cause congestion. There is a lot of sophistication in the electronics field that you could introduce."

He also criticised car drivers who clog up motorways by taking short trips.

He said: "A lot of the problem is to do with people joining the motorway at one junction and coming straight off at the next junction. These are strategic roads, designed for longer-distance traffic."

He is considering placing more traffic lights on slip roads to encourage drivers to shun motorways.

"If people can't get on to the motorway so easily, they will probably choose to use totally acceptable trunk roads," he said.

Andrew Howard, head of road safety at the AA Motoring Trust, said the comments seemed to be a "little bit batty".

He said: "In a number of places ... previous roads have been replaced by motorways and have been seriously reduced in capacity in an attempt to stop people using them and in an attempt to make driving through surrounding villages less possible and less desirable."

And he added: "I am a trifle baffled by the speed camera comment. "The only way I can think they affect congestion, they do make people go slower to be safe - and the answer to that is remarkably simple: go and put up signs so people know what the limit is."

Tony Vickers, spokesman for the Association of British Drivers, said Mr Turner's comments came as "no surprise at all" as he had been one of the major lights introducing the congestion charge in London.

"He always made his priorities very clear. He sees private car users as the bottom feeders effectively, the people least entitled to any privileges whatsoever on the road."

He described government policy since 1997 as "negative" and a "war on motorists", which had completely failed to reduce the numbers of cars on the roads.


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Perhaps if we didn't have excessive speed enforcement and ridiculously low limits on our trunk roads drivers would not feel the need to join motorways for one stop.