Safe Speed Forums

Campaigners voice concerns after speed cameras are switched off in South Gloucestershire
By Alexandra Womack - 8:40am Thursday 7th April 2011

THE switching off of South Gloucestershire's speed cameras has been met with concern by campaigners and people who live and work near the sites.
The district's 13 fixed cameras were turned off last Friday after Safecam, the safety camera operator in Avon and Somerset, was disbanded the previous day.

The four councils of Avon had funded the project but South Gloucestershire Council, alongside North Somerset and Bristol council, said it could no longer afford the £140,000 annual bill.

Road safety campaigner Lynda Hudd, whose 11-year-old daughter Rebekka died in a car accident in 1996, said she feared the move would lead to more accidents.
"I think this will lead to more accidents in certain places," said Mrs Hudd, from Pucklechurch.
"We definitely need speed cameras in dangerous places but there are some locations where they are not needed."

Andy Bethell, acting co-headteacher at Castle School in Thornbury where there has been a fixed speed camera for many years, said he was concerned for students’ safety.
"Anything that helps reduce speed near a school is a good thing," he said.
"In that sense, this is a concern. Most drivers in Thornbury are sensible and considerate near schools but it only takes one person to put a student’s life in danger."

But James Gale, landlord of The Swan at Nibley, did not think turning off the speed camera outside the pub on Badminton Road would cause any problems.
"I don’t see why there is a speed camera here at all because the traffic is pretty bad," he said. "Since the new council offices opened in Yate the traffic is backed up most of the time so people can’t speed."

Avon and Somerset Constabulary was due to take over camera enforcement in April but has only committed to mobile speed cameras.
A spokeswoman said: "Fixed cameras are the responsibility of local authorities. We maintain our position that should one of our local authorities wish to fund any fixed camera sites, we would process the penalty notices and facilitate either a prosecution or a referral to a driver programme.
"Our commitment to working jointly with partners on reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads remains absolute."

South Gloucestershire Council said it was prioritising where mobile speed cameras should be located.
A spokesman said: "There are around 25 of these sites in South Gloucestershire, located in places where there are the most accidents and highest speeds, so drivers who put others at risk by driving at excessive speed are likely to be captured by these safety cameras.
"The council is committed to road safety and the cameras are just one element of a wider strategy."