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UK sees light on scourge of camera traps

December 16, 2005

London, England - The spread of camera speed traps across Britain could be about to end after the government announced changes to the way the cameras - which some motorists say do little to improve road safety - are funded.

Transport secretary Alistair Darling has said new cameras would no longer be funded from fines; instead, the money would have to come from a central road-safety fund.

At present some of the money raised by the 6000 traps is used to buy new cameras and the surplus goes to the government.

"I want cameras to be linked more closely to wider road safety," Darling said. "In some places cameras will still be the solution; in others there will be alternative solutions which this funding can cover."

Darling also said there would be new requirements to improve the signposting of camera traps.

The UK department of transport said research at 4000 sites across the country found road deaths fell by 42 percent at locations with a camera and there was a 22 percent reduction in accidents causing injuries.

Revenue generators

However some motoring groups believe the cameras cause problems by distracting drivers' attention from the road to constantly monitor their speedometer.

The government has acknowledged that public confidence in speed cameras has waned and many drivers viewed them simply as revenue generators; cameras have even been vandalised.

Safe Speed road safety campaign founder Paul Smith said: "If the department of transport still believed speed cameras save lives then why don't they continue to blanket the country?

"Clearly they have realised that speed cameras don't work but they lack the courage to shut down the greedy camera partnerships."

The Conservative Party opposition welcomed the announcement but said all fines should go to road safety and not to the treasury.

Shadow transport secretary Chris Grayling said: "We welcome the government's recognition that camera traps have been used as a stealth tax.

"We have long pointed out that they are not a magic wand for ensuring road safety – the increase in their number is because the government actually makes money out of them." – Reuters

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Paul Smith
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The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety