Safe Speed Forums

Town's top speed cameras rake in £180,000
Jessica Beckett - December 21, 2010

Oldham's top 10 speed camera hotspots have raked in almost £180,000 from fines.
A total of 11,500 offences were recorded in these areas between August 2009 and August 2010 bringing in £177,420 – an average of £486 per day.
The figures were revealed following a freedom of information request made by the Advertiser.

It showed that 2,957 fines were issued while 3,212 drivers were sent on speed awareness courses. There are 20 fixed cameras in the borough and an additional 11 locations for mobile speed camera enforcement. The top earning camera is on Manchester Road in Chadderton. It captured 3,802 speeding drivers.
Nearly 900 of these were dealt with by a fixed penalty notice – a fine of £60 or more – meaning the camera raked in at least £53,000 in 12 months. Speeding drivers also receive penalty points on their driving licence with money from the fines sent to central government.

Any surplus cash is given in the form of a grant to Drivesafe, which operates, installs and monitors speed cameras across Greater Manchester.

But the Department for Transport has cut its national road safety budget by £38m and ended funding for new cameras.
Despite the cutbacks, Oldham's speed cameras will not be switched off.
Coun Jack Hulme, Oldham Conservative group leader, said: "There are other ways of making the roads safer."
"The road surface at the top of Ripponden Road is a clear example that road surfacing can be more important than the provision of speed cameras.
"In Chadderton we have recently implemented a school safety zone using a series of measures including vehicle activated signs which have been very successful.
"Research also shows that speed cameras can cause accidents as drivers get distracted by them.
"I am happy for the cameras in Oldham to stay switched on but I would oppose the provision of any new ones."

Karen Delaney, communications officer at DriveSafe, said: "DriveSafe would like to confirm there are currently no plans to switch off any of the safety cameras in Oldham.
"As a partnership we have received strong public support for our safety cameras.
"Since the partnership’s inception, safety cameras have been instrumental in helping to reduce the number of casualties on our roads.
"While a 27 per cent reduction in specific road safety revenue grant support has been imposed on road safety partnerships across the country, we are working to accommodate this cut without compromising on any road safety intervention within Greater Manchester."

Top 10 speed cameras:
* Chadderton, A62, Manchester Road, North of Drury Lane, 3,802 offences (889 fixed penalty notice, 1,206 speed awareness course)
* Coldhurst, A6048 Featherstall Road, near Westhulme Street, 2,085 offences(531 FPN, 654 SAC)
* Town centre, A62 Oldham Road, near Queen Street, 1,752 offences (338 FPN, 391 SAC)
* Werneth, A62 Manchester Road, near Derby Street, 1,719 offences (578 FPN, 526 SAC)
* Failsworth, A663 Broadway, near Oldham Road, 760 offences (281 FPN, 196 SAC)
* Royton, A671 Rochdale Road, near Thorncliffe Park, 470 offences (112 FPN, 47 SAC)
* Chadderton, A627 Chadderton Way, near Burnley Lane, 380 offences (133 FPN, 105 SAC)
* Werneth, A62 Oldham Road, near Derby Street, 187 offences (34 FPN, 38 SAC)
* Higginshaw, B6194 Higginshaw Lane, North of Milne Street, 177 offences (37 FPN, 46 SAC)
* Chadderton, A669 Middleton Road, West of Packwood Chase, 168 offences (24 FPN, 3 SAC)

With all these "speeding drivers", and as we are told speed is so dangerous, one would expect the accident rate to have sored . Did it? I am sure if it had they would be advertising the fact. It is exactly the same in Oxfordshire, we kept hearing of speeding motorists but no mention was made of an increase in accidents, so one can only assume accidents did not increase, but to mention that would show what a whole sham speed cameras really are.

Looking at some of those Top 10 camera sites in Google StreetView, it's not hard to see why they're such effective revenue collectors.
No mention of the number of accidents prevented, I see

This is the whole point; the only interest is how much money can be made..

Without expressing any sympathy at all with the scamera lobby I have to profoundly disagree with that statement. Just as there are people who think that magnetic bracelets will improve their health; people who think that drinking extremely dilute poison will cure disease; people who think they can foretell the future by looking at their natal star alignment; there are people who believe that reducing vehicle speed is as certain way of preventing accidents.

It is a very deeply held belief - it should probably be called a faith - and like other merchants of woo these beliefs cannot be changed by demonstrating mere facts to them.

* Chadderton, A62, Manchester Road, North of Drury Lane, 3,802 offences (889 fixed penalty notice, 1,206 speed awareness course)

* Coldhurst, A6048 Featherstall Road, near Westhulme Street, 2,085 offences(531 FPN, 654 SAC)