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Axe falls on Swindon's speed cameras
8:47pm Wednesday 22nd October 2008
SWINDON Council’s cabinet has unanimously voted to scrap speed cameras.
The landmark decision to withdraw from the Wiltshire & Swindon Safety Camera Partnership, which runs speed cameras, was made at a meeting tonight.
It will see the end of static cameras across the borough, although the council has vowed to introduce other methods to control drivers’ speeds.
In a poll earlier this week, 60 per cent of Adver readers backed the plan to abolish speed cameras.
For a full report from the meeting and reaction, see tomorrow’s Adver.
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Your Say YourSwindon
BWB, SWINDON says...
10:47pm Wed 22 Oct 08
Now lets see some police activity
over speeding.
But dont hold your breath,
I Too, Swindon says...
10:47pm Wed 22 Oct 08
Now Swindon will be famous (briefly), for something other than roundabouts and over developed housing sites
SpeakUp, Swindon says...
1:14am Thu 23 Oct 08
Everhopeful, says...
6:41am Thu 23 Oct 08
NotALoony, says...
7:19am Thu 23 Oct 08
Bobfm, South Marston says...
7:53am Thu 23 Oct 08
If this decision, as we have been told, is based on the sound evidence in the public domain for all to see then this is indeed the correct one.
The facts cannot be disputed. Speed Cameras do not aid road safety, if they did fine revenue would go down not up, as has been the case. It therefore follows that other methods that do achieve a reduction in speed, flashing signs being just one example, the council is right to use road safety funds to implement them.
I just hope now that SBC do not invest more money in getting a Halcrow report for what should be blindingly obvious, and get on with the job of installing flashing signs on all residential areas and their approaches, where possible traffic calming, added to this a rolling programme of mobile speed checks in these areas. This combination will reduce road accident casualties.
firkhamhall, Out Of Swindon says...
7:55am Thu 23 Oct 08
NotALoony wrote:If you are someone who doesn't speed, then there is a lot to shout about. As long as the money spent on the cameras is actually spent on other policing the road issues.
If you are someone who doesn't exceed the speed-limit, what is there to cheer about? Are the Police going to be out there and will there be a posse of Traffic Cops as in some other towns and cities ? If not, the roads might well be even more dangerous than they are now. Let's hold back on the cheers until we see the consequences that unfold from this decision.
Let's get the car tax dodgers and those idiots who don't pay their insurance as well.
Now you can afford to have the ANPR camera in the area more often as well as police patrols.
sn5, swindon says...
8:18am Thu 23 Oct 08
Big Mac, Old Town says...
8:41am Thu 23 Oct 08
I have never been fined for speeding, I've never been 'caught' by a speed camera and yet I am very pleased the cameras are going to be removed. Why? Because it now means attention can be focussed on uninsured drivers, drivers without Road Tax, drivers without an MOT, drunk drivers, drugged drivers, tired drivers, foreign drivers without the correct license and/or incorrectly registered vehicles, unconfident and poor drivers and outright dangerous drivers.
None of those drivers, the ones most responsible for crashes and accidents, had anything to fear from Speed Cameras.
DarkAuror, Swindon says...
9:03am Thu 23 Oct 08
ourtone, says...
9:30am Thu 23 Oct 08
7:19am Thu 23 Oct 08
If you are someone who doesn't exceed the speed-limit, what is there to cheer about? , , , , the roads might well be even more dangerous than they are now.
It is an indisputable fact that only 5-7% of RTA’s result from excessive speed as a causative factor. By far the largest proportion comes from driver error, otherwise known as carelessness.
Speed Cameras do nothing about careless drivers, and so depending on Speed Camera makes the roads more dangerous. The possibility of encountering real coppers in real marked police cars makes drivers more careful and makes the roads safer.
Other things that speed cameras do not do anything about are untaxed, uninsured, defective cars driven by unlicensed drivers. These make the roads more dangerous, and only real coppers in real marked police cars have a chance of doing anything about these, and making roads safer.
In conclusion therefore, the Police now need to respond to this challenge from SBC in the appropriate way. They need to put feet on the street, or at least, working the pedals of patrol cars. By doing so they will do us all a favour, and make the roads safer for us all.
Withdrawing the Speed Cameras is not giving people carte blanch to speed, although if anyone wants to do that, 5.30 a.m. is usually a good time. That is the moment when every traffic policeman in Swindon seems to be in the Holiday Inn at Coate Water mooching free coffee.
Mum's The Word, Walcot, Swindon says...
9:46am Thu 23 Oct 08
trustnopolitician, swindon says...
10:29am Thu 23 Oct 08
should speeding car criminals be treated any differently than those who mug assault and theive - I think not.
Irresponsibilty will forever be associated with conservative greehalgh as far as i'm concerned.
What will he say when the first speeding related death occurs where the cameras have been removed.
Bobfm, South Marston says...
10:47am Thu 23 Oct 08
As I said previously flashing signs are just part of the solution. Where there are these flashing signs, the mobile cameras could be deployed on an adhoc basis. Anyone then caught could not possibly have any defence and could be heavily fined and lose their license.
It is now up to the police to embrace this decision and work with SBC to ensure roads are safe.
As for this being about money, (cameras covered), I think you find, they were covered before the issue raised it's head as they did not comply with the law.
The Chrominator, Swindon says...
10:57am Thu 23 Oct 08
trustnopolitician wrote:When was the last time a speed camera stopped a an uninsured, drunk, unlicenced, untaxed or underage driver?
If the police start using mobile speed cameras I suspect they will rake in much more cash than from 2or3 fixed cameras.
should speeding car criminals be treated any differently than those who mug assault and theive - I think not.
Irresponsibilty will forever be associated with conservative greehalgh as far as i'm concerned.
What will he say when the first speeding related death occurs where the cameras have been removed.
When did a speed camera check a cars mot certificate, notice bald tyres and defective lights?
Trustnopolitician asks: "should speeding car criminals be treated any differently than those who mug assault and theive"
No, they shouldn't, so why assume that speed cameras are the answer when ALL a speed camera can do is record a speed offence?
Speed cameras are BLIND to all other offences......
Why is it irresponsible to ask for real police officers to police our roads again?
Not all of us possess the blind faith in static cameras that trustno has.
Drivers and pedestrians must remember or learn how to be responsible for their own, and each others safe use of the roads.
The belief that we can rely soley on automatic gadgetry to police the roads is moronic.
Even Angrier Monkey, Swindon says...
11:02am Thu 23 Oct 08
Yes. If you believe that travelling at 33 in a 30 is as serious offence as assulting another person or mugging them then you need help.
Big Mac, Old Town says...
12:35pm Thu 23 Oct 08
What will he say when the first speeding related death occurs where the cameras have been removed."
He will correctly say, 'Road deaths happen with or without speed cameras and 95% of road accidents don't even involve illegal speeds'
Councillor Greenhalgh has acted bravely and responsibly. I genuinely believe that his aim is to make our roads safer and he has taken steps to achieve that aim.
It's all too easy to just keep the cash cow speed cameras churning out their photos and pretend everything's OK.
Well, it wasn't - at least now we can move forward, progress, embrace new ideas that actually work and help SAVE lives.
lollygaggle, bristol says...
8:53am Sun 26 Oct 08
Your sayYour Swindon
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Big Mac, Old Town says...
9:28pm Wed 22 Oct 08
A fantastic day for Swindon and, what I'm sure will prove to be, a historic day for the country.
Proof that, on occasion, there is still semblance of democracy in this country.
I do hope that Ms Snelgrove and Mr Wills now back the council and people of Swindon and don't use road accident casualties as sick policical pawns.