Safe Speed Forums

From tonights Stafford Express and Star (Local version of the Wolverhampton Express and Star):

[START QUOTE]Speed Cameras in Staffordshire have been hailed a success after netting the second smallest profit in the country.

Road safety bosses say the low profit indicates that fewer motorists are speeding and being fined in the county, so the cameras are doing their job.

Britain's speed camera network made a total of £17 million in the year 2004-2005.

But Staffordshire's Casualty Reduction Partnership, which runs the county's network of safety cameras, made the second lowest surplus in the country - just £7,458 for the year.

According to the latest figures, the 6,000 roadside cameras across Britain caught two million speeding drivers in 2004-2005, raking in £120 million in fines.

After maintenance, staff and other costs were deducted, many of the speed camera partnerships were left with massive profits which have to be put into central government coffers or spend on more cameras.

Figures released today show that Northumbria's speed camera partnership made the most profit, £1,713,923, and took £4 million in fines. Six areas made more than £1 million, while West Midlands made £645,551.

Northamptonshire was bottom of the profit table of 35 partnerships, having made even less than Staffordshire - just £2,846.

Staffordshire Casualty Reduction Partnership is made up of representatives from a number of organisations, including the police and councils.

County council spokesman Richard Caddy said today that the new figures showed the speed camera network in Staffordshire was working.

"We have always said that these safety cameras are not there to make a profit, or to catch speeding motorists," he said.

"They are there to deter people from speeding in the first place - that is what we want"
[END QUOTE]

Apart from the wealth of contradictions in the article from a local viewpoint (not least NO mention of whether the partnership had suceeded in reducing CASUALTIES - as per its name) - it will be fascinating to see how those partnerships with big surpluses spin their "success".

isn't this is exactly what you'd expect to see if cameras were only placed where it was actually dangerous to exceed the limit?

Only around 15% of the cameras in staffs are even switched on. They like to use mobiles including the ones hanging around at the end of the A500 roadworks. I assume the money has been spent on self promotion. The quarter with the biggest spending showed them making a big noise in the local papers. Now they have gone quiet, probably because deaths haven't really fallen and people are getting brassed off with getting tickets for a couple of mile an hour over a usually stupidly set limit. They have been going for about 5 years so RTTM has slowly but surely been biting them in the bum too.

ahh, silly me, it's profit not revenue.

I don't think the profit is any measure of a partnership's success at all - they could simply have reduced enforcement levels because were under-staffed and didn't have the resources to process tickets at full-tilt. I doubt any would have deliberately wound back the ticketing to avoid posting a profit, but it would be impossible to prove anyway, unless it was written down on paper and released via a FoI request.

I find it hard to believe that some partnerships only just broke even by chance, they would be carefully monitoring the throughput to avoid posting a loss at all costs - that would be a bit of a PR disaster because it would mean the partners would have to bail out the SCP from their own budgets.

Gareth

edited

Indeed!

No speed camera should ping if they are the success they claim to be at speed reduction.

Also - if they are really reducing KSI - then logically you would expect the figure of 3500 to reduce accordingly - and it isn't. We are just moving the problem around and driving standards are much worse as as a result.

Here - our public are aware we are lurking somewhere , are aware that we are firm but very, very fair in our dealings with them - and it does make a difference on the general ambience on our roads. But - our motorbike hell patch - still causing us problems and we even have our camera van there too!

_________________
Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

A SMILE is a curve that sets everything straight (P Diller).

A Smiley Per post
FINES USfor our COAST!

Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.

My county of Bedfordshire which is one of the smallest is amongst the 'over a million pounds club' and I would be very interested to know if there has been a disproportionate drop in deaths or serious injuries.

It would be very interesting to see a comparison by county if accidents have gone up or down.

_________________
Shooting is good for you and too good for some people.

Local authorities know full well that surplus is a bad thing and government will take it off you and reduce next years budget.

SCP's are no different. They are now learning to ensure that surplus is bad if you want to protect your empire.

utter tripe!