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Speeding drivers have to 'learn their lesson' says minister who had nine points

Roads Minister Stephen Ladyman has admitted he once did not take speed limits seriously at roadworks.

As a result, the Labour MP for South Thanet was slapped with two fines in the space of a week.

But he said he learnt his lesson from the fines and six points on his licence he received from the two incidents in 2001.

He was talking to kentnews.co.uk after new figures revealed more than £1.4 million of fines were given to motorists speeding through roadworks on the M2 and M20 last year. Nationally, more than £5m of fines were issued in 2006 for speeding through motorway roadworks.

Dr Ladyman said five Highways Agency road workers were killed in 2005 - the year he was made transport minister.

"I'm afraid I've got absolutely no sympathy for anybody who's been caught speeding going through roadworks. They've only got themselves to blame."

However, the minister was himself caught speeding through roadworks twice on the M2 between Canterbury and Gillingham.

He said: "It was over six years ago now, it was at the start of camera enforcement and I was probably like everybody else - I didn't see the seriousness of it and didn't slow down quickly enough.

“Well, I learnt my lesson and everybody else has to learn the same lesson."

Dr Ladyman went on to have nine points on his driving licence after being caught speeding by a camera on the A2 coming out of London in 2002. He now has a clean driving licence.

Brian Macdowall, Kent secretary of the Association of British Drivers, said that speed cameras at roadworks in the county provided "rich pickings" for the Kent and Medway Safety Camera Partnership.

He said that the authorities should do a better job of removing roadworks sooner.

"Kent camera partnership's existence is entirely dependent on increasing income from fines," said Mr Macdowall. "Clearly, roadworks give rich pickings. However, and most importantly, any sense of urgency to complete roadworks in the shortest time possible is virtually absent.

The Kent and Medway Safety Camera Partnership said 24,268 fines were issued to motorists who sped through roadworks on the M2 and M20 last year. They were for £60 each so came to a total of £1.4m. However, the partnership said one in five fines are not paid so the total generated was nearer £1.1m.

In a statement, Chris Rogers, project manager, Kent and Medway Safety Camera Partnership, said he was becoming increasingly concerned about the public's "apathy" towards temporary speed limits.

"It is important to obey the speed limit for the motorists' own safety and also that of any workers.

"Nevertheless drivers who are ticketed ring us up and say things like, 'I thought that the speed limit started at the first traffic cone' or 'There were no workers there so I didn't think that the speed limit needed to be obeyed'."

Mr Rogers added: "Drivers seem to be making up their own rules and then falling foul of the actual law."

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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

I'd be interested to know how these five workers were killed. I'd also be interested to know how and why any others (if there have been any others) may have been killed since.

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Useless laws weaken necessary laws.

If Ladyman was on 9 points - how did he manage to get no more ? Can we get his driving mileage per year - methinks he's got the ministerial car to thank. I don't see him risking more points I doubt if he's been behind the wheel much in the last few years.

Richard

You don't have to look far to see why.

- Miles of cones with no work going on.
- Unrealistically low limits imposed.
- Restrictions to protect workers remaining in force while no workers are on site.

The "public" are not uninterested in the temporary limits but, instead, are using their own judgement about safety.

I note that Ladyman seems not to know about the research showing cameras in roadworks making things more dangerous. Still, he might be out when Brown takes over so I imagine this is occupying his mind rather than road safety.

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

Exactly. I've found that most most drivers DO observe 50mph temporary limits reasonably well when they go past workmen. But when drivers go past miles upon miles of 40 limits with concrete barriers protecting no workmen, then funnily enough the speed limits aren't observed (unless there are cameras).



Has Brown, Blair or anyone at the top of government thought much about speed cameras, or even just road safety in general? Would be nice for them to mention it for once.

http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/transport/blair-joins-call-un-road-death-action-$1078608.htm

note that he stopped well short of suggesting a worlwide proliferation of scameras.........maybe can't buy his gatso shares until 27th June!

One might think that the PM, his deputy, and other senior ministers have much more important issues to consider than what speeds we should be allowed to drive at and how those speeds should be enforced. On a national political basis, sped limits are fairly well down in the list of importance when compared to Iraq, Cash-for-Honours, Education, Health Service, Crime Levels, Foreign Policy, Immigration, etc.