Speed Cameras

I was travelling from Morecambe to Windermere two days ago, and as soon as I drove onto the motorway at junction 35 I could see standing traffic. The radio report told me that two lanes were closed around the next service station due to a lorry shedding its load of plastic bottles. When I passed the services 2 miles and 40 minutes later I could see some cans being cleared up. I could also see some spray coming from newly punctured cans. Fortunately I had given myself enough extra time to get to Windermere on time.

It looks like many drivers don't give themselves enough time for their journeys but I have never thought that static speed cameras do anything to improve driving. Swindon scrapped them a year ago and the BBC did a special report to mark that anniversary, headlined "is it the end of the road for the speed camera?" Their answer, it seems, was mostly "yes", though in the interests of balance they also included comments from PC Ian Tanner of the Devon and Cornwall police, giving his opinion that they do work. Whether you agree with him or not, though, the fact is that the government has cut speed camera funding significantly for this year, and is likely to do so even more in the future.

It looks like most of you agree with the BBC on this (and with me) and not with PC Tanner. Just look at the comments at http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/haveyoursay/2010/07/are_the_days_of_speed_cameras.html

Comments are already closed at the BBC site. This blog is always open for constructive comments, so if you have something to say on the subject you can say it here?

Change the world.

P.S. Driving in Preston yesterday I passed a fixed speed camera near Deepdale. It was hidden by trees. It may catch more people but the local racers will hit their brakes and accelerate afterwards. Is your camera hidden?