Safe Speed Forums

The spread in the number of speed cameras could be curtailed in an announcement due to be made by the Government.

Transport Secretary Alistair Darling is thought to be outlining a possible change in the way the Government-police-local authority camera partnership scheme is funded.

This could mean there will be no addition to the existing number of camera sites of around 6,000.

The camera partnership is currently allowed to keep a proportion of the money raised through fines as long as it is reinvested in more cameras.

Any surplus money goes to the Treasury.

There has been speculation that Mr Darling will say that the Government wants the partnerships to consider alternative means of improving road safety, such as better layouts at road junctions and more visible warning signs, with speed cameras only being put up as a last resort.

It is also thought that Mr Darling might say that revenue generated by cameras be collected centrally and redistributed to partnerships for a variety of road safety schemes.

Mr Darling's statement is likely to accompany a report on the fourth year of the camera partnership scheme.

The Safe Speed organisation said it had no confidence that the report would accurately describe the current situation.

It said the previous year's report had "wildly exaggerated" the benefits of the camera partnership