Safe Speed Forums

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/lond ... 20Standard

Speed camera crisis

By David Williams Motoring Editor, Evening Standard
31 March 2005

Scotland Yard cannot cope with the number of drivers being caught on its speed cameras, it was revealed today.

It has been left struggling to cope throughout the past year and at times has had a backlog of thousandsof fixed penalties. Today road safety campaigners said Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair should bring in outside help to prevent the system coming to a halt.

But drivers' groups said Scotland Yard should concentrate on frontline policing and not spend more money "persecuting" motorists.

The number of vehicles caught on speed cameras has exceeded all expectations. At present, the Met relies on an army of backroom staff in Sidcup to fine the drivers caught on "gatsos" in London.

Collection rates of fixed penalties are only 40 per cent - meaning six out of 10 drivers escape without paying their fines.

Today Mayor Ken Livingstone's road safety adviser, Jenny Jones, called on Sir Ian to take up an offer from Essex police to help out before the situation gets worse.

The move is being blocked by the Met which fears being branded "anti-motorist", despite lobbying by the Mayor and Len Duval, chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority.

Ms Jones said it was "absolutely vital" the London Safety Camera Partnership outsourced all or part of its operation. It would allow the Met to set its cameras at lower trigger speeds to catch motorists who get away with speeding at well over the 30mph maximum.

"Without the expansion of the safety camera scheme, people will die who could have lived to a ripe old age," said Ms Jones.

"It is the Met's responsibility to find a way of saving those lives and if it means using another force like Essex, then we have to grit our teeth and invite them in."

But Paul Smith, of Safe Speed Road Safety Campaign, said: "Motorists will feel outraged by any attempt to spend more money to drive up speeding fines."

The partnership has already been forced to freeze plans to hire 30 extra officials following a government ban on staff recruitment.

More than 600 lethal road sites in the capital are still not covered by cameras. Together they are estimated by transport experts to account for more than 2,400 deaths and serious accidents a year.

Only a quarter of LSCP cameras follow guidelines and flash at 36mph and above in 30mph zones.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

That is interesting. I thought they could do what they wanted to so long as they made their 5% margin.

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Speed camera policy Kills

Just how high are the camera thresholds, if they need to lower them in order to catch vehicles travelling well over the limit? Or is Ms Jones simply using the Livingstone-Sandalista method of speed over-estimation hype and spinnery, where "well over" equates to "a slight blip over the limit, which wouldn't even register on the average speedo" in reality...

Ms Jones is a Green party activist. VERY anti car.
http://www.greenparty.org.uk/index.php?nav=individual&n=86

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Speed camera policy Kills

Bloody little Hitlers....




It is expanding but just not in areas where speed kills but in areas where speed earns....money! And anyway what's the point in living to a ripe old-age? We won't have a pot to piss in and we will be getting mugged every 10 minutes by junkies and asylum seekers + the Government.....one is legal SCUM



To shift the blame and make the system as complex for appealing motorists as possible...welcome to scum camera operators limited if you would like blah de blah press 1, 2, 3, etc....



Ohh sounds like a little pre-election bribe? Once the election's over get more staff in




Is that inclusive of the murder rate and killings by bus in the capital It's all about slipping a knife right in there!!


Regards

Andrew

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It's a scam........or possibly a scamola


Homer Simpson