Safe Speed Forums

I was informed by my girlfriend yesterday that a camera on Hook Road in Chessington, Surrey - which has been in place for a number of years but only activated in June, NIP'd 3200 offenders in just 23 days.

I'll find out more today, but for those pro camera on this forum, not one single accident happened during this supposedly dangerous speed travelling.

The road is a dual carriageway courted by houses on one side, and a park on the other - in fairness, during school start/school end hours it's fair to say that it'd be reckless to travel at much above 30 as 2 secondary and 1 primary school have their students walking along it (no barriers - though I doubt the money raised will go towards putting that in place) but other than those 4 hours of the day it's very empty along there and 40 (30 limit though) would be the average speed of motorists.

If it's not been in action for as long as you say and, as you say there have not been any accidents in this area, it's obvious drivers must be driving safely, so why the need for a speed camera?

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Useless laws weaken necessary laws.

No idea. My girlfriend lives at the end of the road and she can't recall the last time there was an accident, having lived there all her life. It's a right money grabber though, it's one of the ones in the middle of the road so they have been turning it around on a weekly basis to catch people who saw it facing other way the day before etc.


Just for point of reference, the road leads up to the A3, which should be famous for it's density of speed cameras. a 10 mile journey from Chessington to Southfields on the A3 means you pass 7, count em!, 7 speed cameras on the east bound carriageway alone, whilst seeing 5 on the west bound carriageway. The A3 is 3 lane each side set at 50mph limit. 2 cameras on blind bend, 3 at bottom of down hill sections

How do you know? Were you there 24 hours a day 7 days a week?

I'm told it was in a newspaper report, no accidents were reported in that road for the month of June. Sarah travelled that road every day, twice (morning + evening) and not once did she come across an incident. The weekly papers (of which there are 2) reported nothing about accidents during June, so if there was one then I'm sorry to tell you (as I know you'd love it to be speed related) it will have been minor low speed impact knocks.

I think you'd find that the police/partnership would most certainly have chipped in on the piece if there had been incidents which they could brag about during this time of mass revenue collection.

A good question - doubtless asked for completely the wrong reason.

If I can get some information about the source of the figures, I may be able to 'do something with it'.

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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'll find out where the figures are from this evening when I go over there and let you know.

Thanks.

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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

The source is the Surrey Comet.

http://www.surreycomet.co.uk/news/local ... rivers.php



The website is terribly slow, so here is the phone number for you Paul if you need/want it

Main Switchboard : 020 8329 9244

Surrey Comet :
Email the newsdesk - newsdesk@surreycomet.co.uk

Editor: Sean Duggan
Tel: 020 8330 9589
Email: sduggan@london.newsquest.co.uk

Deputy Editor: Alan Wraight
Tel: 020 8330 9590
Email: awraight@london.newsquest.co.uk

Assistant Editor: Colin O'Toole
Tel: 020 8330 9546
Email: cotoole@london.newsquest.co.uk

Assuming this is the one just before you get into the shops at Hook (when coming from A3) I have been driving that road for over a decade and am sure that camera's been flashing regularly before now. I don't think it's a particularly silly place to have a camera - going south you're about to get into a run of traffic-lighted junctions with shops either side, going north there's a hidden junction over the rise and then you have all sorts of weird lane-hopping as people manoeuvre for the A3 junction.

The one outside Chessington World of Adventures where the limit used to be 40 and got reduced to 30 at the same time they put a camera in, I can see more of an argument about (although it may be sensible to encourage people to slow before the main WoA exit).

The camera I have a real problem with is the one on the A3 southbound between New Malden and Tolworth - I only drive to work about half the time so there could have been double the number of incidents, on at least 3 or 4 occasions the whole A3 has been blocked southbound because of accidents right by the camera - people presumably panic-braking in rain at the sight of the camera and causing rear-end shunts?

This is the one I'd be interested to know the accident figures for! Ironically I bet they regard this as one of the most justified cameras there is, given the number of accidents right by it.

NB. When I moved to this part of London the A3 was 70 limit up to Robin Hood, this was probably a sensible section to reduce to 50 - tight lanes, built up and awkward junctions at Hook and New Malden - though it opens up again between Coombe Lane and Robin Hood.

Ian

I can see why some people would be in the mindset that lights / crossings coming up, so stick a speed camera in, but this would be because you have been brainwashed to think they are actual safety devices... surely if a crossing is coming up (or lights, shops, people crossing) you want people focussing on the road, not their speed. I imagine the most NIP's are issued going A3 bound on hook road because on the other side it IS just before the lights which are red half the time so people are already slowing for them. Having the camera before a crossing (which is outside a park) is taking drivers attention from the road for the time it is most crucial that they are looking out for hazards, rather than focussing on their speedometer.

They used to have a lollipop person at those crossings by the school (St Pauls) to help the kids across... I can't say I've seen this in a while - replaced by a camera maybe?

Again, I raise the point that if they unfairly caught over 3,000 drivers in less than 4 weeks and yet there were no crashes, then the 'safety camera' is not there for safety, it's because they can raise money there.

If the council was genuinely concerned about safety along the road they would 1) install railings along the pavement 2) would not have removed the lollipop person for kids and 3) improve the road planning to stop the occasionally erratic lane hopping. 2 Lanes changing into 3, without actual widening of the road, is not thoughtful planning. 2 Lanes would suffice.

The hook camera has been there for years, I long suspected it to be a dud, To be honest the speed limit should be 40 along there. There is no justification for the 30 other than the newly implemented cycle lanes.

I guess the newly implemented VAS (which has now gone) told them the avg. speed was above 40.

There are 3 cameras a long that stretch of road. The one outside Chessington world of adventures has the most questionable placement.

Its placed on a bend so you can't see it on the approach. There are regularly shunts on the approach (people slow down for the camera and then someone pulls out). The speed limit should be 40/50 when the park is closed.

If anyone gets pinged by this camera - challenge it, it regularly goes off when I travel the other way