Safe Speed Forums

http://www.thisissheffield.net/ViewArti ... eID=891807

Why we need hidden speed traps

SOUTH Yorkshire's chief constable admitted today he has been hit with two speeding tickets from roadside cameras.
And his official chauffeur was also convicted of speeding at court earlier this month.
Chief Constable Med Hughes was handed three penalty points and a £60 fine after speeding past one camera in South Yorkshire.
He was caught on another occasion by a portable camera while on a trip to south Wales, he said.
Mr Hughes picked up the Sheffield ticket as he drove into work around 6am, when the roads were empty of both heavy traffic and pedestrians.
His driver was caught breaking the speed limit while driving former Chief Constable Mike Hedges and went to court.
But despite falling foul of the current speeding law himself, Mr Hughes would like to see a harsh crackdown on speeding - with all cameras both completely hidden and mobile.
Current rules dictate cameras must be highly visible, with most in South Yorkshire housed in fixed roadside boxes.
Mr Hughes insists his own errors give his radical standpoint credibility.
He said: "At least you can't call me a hypocrite. If I had my way all speed cameras would be completely hidden and mobile.
"If we are serious about speed cameras, we will have to think about that."
In addition to stricter speed enforcement he is also suggesting a total overhaul of national speed limits and the way they are signposted on the roads.
"I want to take forward the wider agenda. Signage used to identify correct speeds needs to be reviewed nationally," he said.
"I am looking to ensure motorists get more consistent signage warning when they are entering a restricted zone. There are more opportunities to remind motorists of the speed limit.
"I am interested in the broad picture of accident reduction and I think people fix too much on speed cameras. We have to change the culture of drivers in th e UK.
"Many people are still killed on the roads and speed cameras are just one way of enforcing the law.
"If I didn't have speed cameras I would be obliged to put officers at accident hotspots and that would mean fewer resources to investigate burglaries or deal with other serious crime in South Yorkshire.
"Speed cameras release officers for other activities."
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Actually we're now spending around £140 million pounds each year on speed cameras - enough to run over 600 fully staffed and supported traffic cars 24 hours per day. Release officers? I should coco!

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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

What an idiot. He can't spot a highly visible camera and manage to drive past it at or below the speed limit, how will he cope with hidden cameras? Then again, if he gets his way he will probably be the first ever Chief Constable banned for speeding.

I think it is called "politics"

Trying to deflect attention from his own stupidity back to the road safety issue. I notice he did not give an account of why he was speeding in the first place.

...errr no

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Speed camera policy Kills

Well I'm calling him one. Either you believe speeding is seriously dangerous (regardless of circumstances) or you don't. This guy seems to think it is. If you think speeding is inherently dangerous, you should be in favour of treating it like a serious crime with severe penalties, which would mean a senior policeman convicted of this would have to be sacked, just as if he had committed a burglary.

Or if, like me, you believe speeding in itself is not dangerous, and speed cameras are just cash points to fleece the motorist, then you can't turn round and call for more of them as a road safety measure.

The guy seems to be saying "speeding kills and is a crime, and we must stamp it out, but when I did it, that was different, it was just a mistake".

I see he is using that in his defence. I believe that we are ridiculed by the pro-camera mob when we use that as an example of unfare enforcement.

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Speed camera policy Kills

The idea of having speed cameras visible is to prevent people speeding, if they can't see them, then how is this prevention, or is Mr Hughes proposing to change the role of policing from prevention?

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Semper in excreta, nur quantitat variat.

It's like shooting someone then calling for a ban on guns!

Andrew

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


Homer Simpson