Safe Speed Forums

The camera that lies...
A SPEED camera on the road dubbed the “13 bends of death” has been mysteriously felled.

The yellow box device on the A4074 at Cane End was discovered by the Standard on Saturday lying on the ground near the Palm Tree restaurant, partially uprooted but with the camera still intact.

Leaflets stating “police aware” had been stuck on the metal casing.
The incident comes just weeks before the speed limit at the notorious accident blackspot is lowered from 50mph to 40mph — one of 60 places in Oxfordshire where limits are to be cut by the county council.
The limit on the A4130 at Bix will be reduced from 50mph to 40mph as it will be on part of the A4074 near Benson. The road from south of the new 40mph limit to south of its junction with Benson Lane will be cut from 60mph to 50mph.
The county council consulted parish and town councils as part of a routine review of speed limits and the changes will come into effect from next month. Implementation will cost £240,000.

Councillor Rodney Rose, cabinet member for traffic, said that with towns and villages growing what might have been sensible speed limits five or 10 years ago may no longer be appropriate. He said: “It is common sense to periodically review speed limits.The need for a review in Oxfordshire was given extra impetus when the Government asked all highways authorities to look at speed limits in order to get some countrywide uniformity in line with the national guidelines.

“We listened attentively to comments from parish councils and made changes as a result. We are now very pleased to be in a position to start putting the new limits in place.” Meanwhile, speed cameras in Oxfordshire that were switched off in August are nearer to being reactivated.
County councillor Carol Viney told a meeting of Kidmore End Parish Council: “The police want them. They are going to find ways to make sure the funding is available — it won’t cost the county council anything.”

The 72 fixed and 89 mobile cameras were turned off after the council axed a £600,000 grant to the Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership, which is responsible for speed enforcement.
There are 17 fixed cameras in the Standard’s circulation area.

A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: “Speed continues to be one of the main risk factors on the roads and safety cameras form an important part of tackling driver behaviour.”