Safe Speed Forums

The penny's starting to drop I see. I read this today...

"Labour was last night accused of 'milking the motorist' after it emerged speed cameras are netting £10,000 for the Treasury every hour. Home Office figures show the number of fixed penalty notices handed out for speeding has increased by 100 per cent in ten years.

The vast majority were given to drivers caught by speed cameras, of which there are now around 6,000. The total cash raised by fining 1,462,235 speeding motorists was almost £88million in 2007 - compared to only £28.5million from 713,000 in 1997. As well as presiding over a huge increase in the number of tickets, the current Government has also raised fines from £40 to £60. The total amount raised under Labour is a staggering £840million.

Tory police spokesman David Ruffley, who compiled the figures, said: 'Labour are milking the motorist, who have been treated as a cash cow for the last ten years. 'Motorists have been milked by a Labour government desperate to fund a decade of spend, spend, spend. 'No wonder cameras on our roads are so unpopular with the British motorist.'
Around 1.2million of the 1.462million tickets issued in 2007 went to drivers caught by speed cameras. The number of cameras has increased from 1,935 as recently as 2000, to around 6,000. "

"Until April 1 2007, camera partnerships operated by police and local authorities were allowed to keep a proportion of fines to pay for more cameras. Since then, they have received a fixed amount for all aspects of road safety.
All the money raised by the fines is taken by the Treasury, which enjoyed proceeds of £10,000 a day in 2007. "

"Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'The fact that more speeding fines are handed out every year suggests that speed cameras are more about raising revenue than reducing speeds on the roads. 'If any other policy had so clearly failed in its objective it would be scrapped but it seems that the authorities are too keen on the money speeding fines screw out of motorists. 'This is not just hugely expensive, it is dragging the reputation of the law through the dirt.

Fining anyone should be about justice, not fund-raising.' Over the past decade the number of speeding fines has risen in 38 out of the 43 police forces in England and Wales. In Nottinghamshire, there has been a sixfold increase from 4,625 in 1997 to 34,750. In Warwickshire the figures went up thirteen-fold from 1,857 to 27,468.

Northamptonshire has also seen a thirteen-fold increase, from 3,722 to 48,833. In Surrey the increase is five-fold, from 5,340 to 28,941. And in the West Midlands there has been a four-fold increase from 9,378 to 45,357.
The Government insists the purpose of the cameras is to save lives, not raise money. Officials point to statistics showing road deaths fell in 2007 to 2,943, the lowest since records began in 1926. However, road safety campaigners have warned of an increased risk to cyclists after the number who were seriously injured rose by 6 per cent to 2,428.

Experts welcomed the fall in deaths but said more cyclists on the roads could lead to more accidents. Road safety groups have attributed the decline in deaths to improvements in car safety and increased penalties for offences such as using mobile phones while driving. "

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ivers.html

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

I don't know about milking the motorist but they are certainly doing something FAR WORSE and in my opinion it is IRREVERSABLE damage to our road network. Around Shropshire there isn't a main road where you can travel for more than about 5 miles without going through a 30 or 40MPH limit that wasn't there until 12 or 18 months ago.Once they introduce these unrealistic limits, often in areas of just 4 or 5 houses, they then continue to extend the limit every 6 months or so until one hamlet seems to run into the next. Its getting to the state where there will be very little NSL road left soon and no matter which government takes over they will find it impossible to return the limit back to NSL. At least with a blanket 50MPH NSL it can be overturned at a stroke and returned to 60,70MPH whatever but returning 30 and 40MPH limits will never happen.

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.

It's all part of a new omnipotent group called 'The Coalition of People Who Want to Ruin Everything'.

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

Exactly this has happened locally and I have witnessed more risky overtaking in a few days than for years previously.

What will actually happen is mass flouting of the inappropriately low limits thus bringing properly set ones into disrepute.

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

Exactly, these "artificial" limits cannot demand any respect from the experienced motorist. I always used to try and respect speed limits where they were appropriately set but I have no time for these ridiculous limits and have noticed more and more people ignoring them but as Malcolm correctly states this will result in lesser experienced motorists start to ignore all limits, not knowing whether it is a "safe" limit or a mickey mouse one.

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.

What I am also seeing more of is older drivers who seem happy to tootle along at 40 MPH, feeling safe and righteous in these now reduced limits, but they are now wandering all over the road and paying little attention, it's almost as if they feel "safer" in these lower limits and they are not concentrating as much as they would have done in a faster limit so becoming a danger to themselves and others and in over 35 years of driving, I have never noticed so many careless older drivers.

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.

In my case (old and wandering) it's because I tend to avoid the holes, all of which are on the nearside. So, I wander over towards the middle.
If anyone wants to stop me and complain, they are free to so do.
I will then complain about trucks doing nearly 60 when they should be doing 40.
Or maybe, after they've all been disqualled for doing nearly 60 on a local d/c with a 40 ROADWORKS limit they may get the message ? (and yes, the speed camera vans have been sitting on the bridges while the cars/vans and trucks have been bombing along at d/c normal speeds) (bedford tends to take roadwork limits seriously.....)

Oh, and 'The Coalition of People Who Want to Ruin Everything' are called the green party....whose official slant on things is that it should be made so inconvenient to use cars that people walk instead......

But do not think that a returning conservative gov will be any different....don't forget...the people who RUN the country are NOT elected.

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

The type of wandering that I see isn't just to avoid potholes, but aimless crossing the centre line of the road and then almost hitting the kerb again, caused more by inattention than spotting potholes....I don't think they spot them anyway.As to stopping these type of drivers , unfortunately something coming the other way on a blind bend may stop them eventually.

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.

http://www.greenparty.org.uk/policies/transport.html

And beware: Most of these are also other parties policies.

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

Ohhh I know jomukuk. Believe me, I know.

But only people of my age, experience or interest in political matters will know and understand how it has unfolded over the years/decades IMHO. I have heard many say if Labour get re-elected they will abscond to greener pastures abroad. I am old enough to remember: Wilson, Heath, Tha£cher, Major, Blair.

Think things will change with another Gov? It will favour some and screw others, as usual. Same circus, different tent...

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

[Apostrope police]When I saw the thread title I was thinking "Milking the motorists' what?"[/Apostrope police]

One good way to avoid being "milked".

I'm not going to repeat it!

I know a better way.

I'm also not going to repeat it!

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Views expressed are personal opinions and are not necessarily shared by the Safe Speed campaign

I suppose that you are one of those people who believes that if we all reduced our use of utilities (Gas, Electricity, Water, And even road fuel) we would all save money!

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"The road to a police state is paved with public safety legislation"

Well let's make it real simple...

Unless the posted speed limits are decided upon based on the worst case scenario, (which they are not!), then it is an absolute truth that a safe speed can be higher than that shown just as it can, and should, sometimes be much lower when conditions dictate.

But I wouldn't expect you to agree with me.

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

Initially, we would save money. But since the price of electricity depends on cheap production of same we would all pay a lot more in the long run.
The same with gas and water.
What is not often mentioned, especially in the mainstream media, is that electricity is generated with a view to the amount needed at peak times, and plant is allocated to generate the maximum needed at THAT time and not at nightime.

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

From my time working at the old CEGB I would say that that, whilst not wrong, is a little simplistic. The two main imperatives in "conventional" generation are these. Large plant, especially nuclear, is most efficient when run near full load; there must always be sufficient spinning reserve to cope with reasonably foreseeable failures. (That second point is what make wind generators mere tokens).

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

To drift a little more…

I must say since I had a water meter fitted I have become very aware how wasteful I have been.

I know many people object to them but I asked for mine to be fitted when I found out I can half my annual bill, from £530 down to an estimated £220! The saving probably wouldn’t help families but I live alone in a relatively large house.

While I was looking into it, I also found out the bill varies immensely for some unknown reason. Within only a few miles where I live I found people not on a meter are paying from £230 to over £600!

I don’t understand why so many people expect to pay for all other resources but for some reason they want the right to waste perfectly good drinking water whilst half the world thirsts for it? Nowadays I tip the washing-up water on my plants, which do very well on it, and use only enough to do whatever needs doing.

The next step is to get a dual flush loo fitted and I’m looking into getting a 220 litre water butt to collect rain water for the garden and maybe also for the loo. (Will need a bit of clever wiring and stuff).

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

[quote
I don’t understand why so many people expect to pay for all other resources but for some reason they want the right to waste perfectly good drinking water whilst half the world thirsts for it?][/quote]

I suppose the fact that over one million gallons of water fall on my property every year disinclines me to think of it as a scarce resource

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

Ah right.

I'm guessing your way is to rip out all speed cameras and remove them from cops so drivers who want to do so can break the law with impunity.

My way suggests people actually obey the law.

Which one do you think will win out?