http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotlan ... 1681832006
Arson claims sixth Borders speed camera
ALASTAIR DALTON
TRANSPORT CORRESPONDENT (
adalton@scotsman.com)
A SPEED camera has been set ablaze on a Scottish country road, the sixth attack in the area in just three years.
Vandals used a tyre to set light to the fixed camera on the A697 in the Borders on Sunday.
Lothian and Borders Police said the fire near Gordon, on the Carfraemill-Coldstream road, was spotted shortly before 9pm. The camera is one of eight on the road, which were installed ten years ago.
The attack comes two months after a motorist was jailed for four months for blowing up a speed camera in Manchester because he feared losing his licence if he was caught speeding.
Lothian and Borders Safety Camera Partnership said five other cameras had been vandalised since 2003 on the two other Borders routes where they have been installed. There have been four attacks on cameras on the A1, and one on the A68.
The partnership described the toll as a "fairly low level of vandalism" and said they did not think they were related.
Colin McNeill, the partnership's manager, said it planned to replace the camera as soon as possible.
He said: "The recent act of vandalism was extremely disappointing and will be the subject of a police investigation. Safety cameras are located where there is a history of speeding and collisions. Where a camera is removed through the selfish act of vandalism it can pose a threat to the safety of other road users."
Mr McNeill said the partnership was now considering "specific security measures" to combat such attacks.
Brake, a UK road safety group, said it was horrified.
Rachel Burr, its campaigns officer, said: "It is appalling that someone has taken the time to vandalise equipment which exists to save lives.
"Speed cameras are proven to reduce speed, crashes and the devastating casualties that happen every single day on our roads. We hope this person is caught before their criminal vandalism puts more people at risk."
However, Paul Smith, the founder of the anti-camera Safe Speed campaign said speed cameras drove some motorists to such extreme measures.
He said: "While such vandalism cannot be condoned, speed cameras cause unreasonable pressure on reasonable people and this is one result.
"I am certain that speed cameras make road safety worse as they cause lifesaving resources to be misdirected towards a minor safety factor."
Is camera network justified?
YES SPEED cameras save more than 100 lives a year across Britain, according to their supporters.
A government-commissioned independent evaluation, which was published last year, showed deaths and serious injuries had been cut by 42 per cent over and above the national trend since the cameras were introduced.
It said this had cut deaths and serious injuries by 1,745 a year between 2000 and 2004, with average speeds at new camera sites falling by 6 per cent, or 2.2mph.
There was also a reduction in pedestrian casualties of nearly a fifth, with those killed or seriously injured being cut by 29 per cent.
The report said cameras "maintained high levels of compliance with speed limits". They were most effective in urban areas and fixed cameras performed better than mobile units.
The Scottish Safety Camera Programme, which oversees fixed and mobile speed cameras and red-light cameras, said they also delivered "substantial economic benefits".
It estimated the saving to society from injuries prevented per collision at £61,120.
NO OPPONENTS of speed cameras claim they force drivers to focus on their speedometers at the expense of paying attention to the road. They say some motorists brake sharply as they approach camera sites, causing a potential danger to following vehicles, before accelerating again after passing them.
This problem may have been made worse since cameras have had to carry high-visibility markings.
In England, police were criticised by MPs last month for an over-reliance on cameras, whose growth has been accompanied by cuts in traffic officers. Anti-camera groups also argue that there are statistical flaws in claims that cameras cut accidents, exaggerating their effect.
Paul Smith, of Safe Speed, said there was "clear and unequivocal" evidence that the benefits of speed cameras had been exaggerated.
He described cameras as "blunt and heavy instruments, like a hammer", which had caused immeasurable damage to the relationship between drivers and the police.
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
Members
well done, Paul.