South: Village speed vigilance

Peter Henley Politics Editor, BBC South

Love them or loathe them, they are here to stay

John Redwood has a confession to make.

He is a motorist, and enjoys driving. But he is fed up with speed cameras that are there to make money.

"Five years into the camera madness," he says "deaths are up on our roads."

"The government is targeting speed but its own figures show that speed is not normally the cause of accidents."

Divided opinion

The "Gatso speed camera" was invented by a racing driver, Dutchman Maurits Gatsonides.

The Department for Transport (DfT) say his device for recording two images of a passing vehicle, and thereby automatically determining its speed, has saved more than 100 lives in Britain since the first camera was installed in Britain.

And the number of people killed or seriously injured at speed check sites has fallen by 40%, according to the DfT.

But the speed camera provokes deeply divided emotions. Some hate it, yet others see it as a lifesaver.

Alistair Darling, the Transport Secretary, said the vast majority of cameras had brought "real benefits in safety and prove that they are justified".

Village vigilance

The New Road Safety Bill proposals include graduating speeding fines (with two-six point penalties) and the banning of speed camera jammers and detectors.

The bill has cross-party support.

The Government is also putting the emphasis on local action.

Could this new pastime grow throughout the country?

Twenty-two volunteers in the West Sussex villages of West Hoathly and Sharpthorne have been trained and equipped by police.

They will report on drivers travelling above 37mph.

Offenders get a ticking off from police but cannot be prosecuted based purely on this data.

But putting police radar guns in the hands of volunteers is just one way forward.

Computer aided fines

At the other end of the scale the latest digital speed trap uses two cameras set some distance apart.

A computer recognises individual cars and calculates average speed between the two points.

The first a motorist knows of his offence is the £60 fine in the post.

It are the fines that provoke most anger, with claims the cameras are simply a money-raising exercise.

The number of fixed penalty fines issued in England and Wales has increased seven-fold from about 260,000 in 2000-2001 to 1.8 million in 2003-2004.

The revenue has risen too, from £10m to £68m to £112m in the last three years. After costs are removed the Treasury will keep £20m from 2004's fines haul.

Safety or revenue

A Royal Automobile Club poll found that 72% of motorists thought speed cameras were "more about raising revenue" than safety.

Half of motorists surveyed admited to regularly breaking the speed limit.

Which is why the Conservatives will be campaigning on the Speed camera issue at the next election.

They want to abolish the organisations set up with the profits from cameras, the Safety Camera Partnerships, and carry out an audit of all camera sites.

They also want speed limits reviewed, with an 80 mph motorway limit, some 30 mph zones changed and a reduction to 20 mph in others.

Redwood ridicules

Residents will use the same speed guns used by police officers

Like Mr Prescott, Mr Redwood is a fan of Jaguar cars. But One-Jag, if we can call him that, has a very different view of our roads to Two-Jags.

John Redwood says the place of the car in society should be celebrated, and increasing regulation slashed back.

Mr Redwood said: "Motoring is being regulated to death by people who do not understand that, if you live in the suburbs or the countryside, you need your car to go to school with your young children.

"Or to go to the shops or to get to work because there is no bus or train running past the bottom of your garden."

The government is trying to reduce the Big Brother feel of the cameras that it believes to be life-savers.

They are giving local communities, like the ladies of Sussex, greater control over road design, and looking again at variable fines - to better ensure the penalty for speeding matches the danger caused.

Some of our viewers commented...

If a speed camera is to make money, why not ? If the money is well spent for good why are we complaining? Or are we that stingy?
Y, Sussex

Village Speed Limits - I believe the most effective are the flashing signs on the village approach to those over 30mph saying "Please drive at less than 30mph in this village" or similar and thanks at the exit. Examples are Corston on the A429 near Malmesbury and Exton or Warnford on the A32 north of Fareham.
David Webb, England

I cannot for the life of me think what all the fuss is about. If I commit a crime and I'm caught, I expect to get punished. If drivers break the law by driving faster than the speed limit and are caught, whether it by a Policeman in a car or by one of these cameras, they deserve to get punished.

I personally think that the punishment is not severe enough and anyone caught excessively speeding, i.e. 10 mph faster than the speed limit, should automatically, no matter who they are, lose their licence for up to 5 years. the simple solution is drive within the speed limits.
Tony Gunn

There is only one speed camera in my local area that is positioned in a danger hotspot. It is difficult to have faith in cameras when they are positioned clearly in areas that we have never heard of an accident in.
Kelly Lewis, West Sussex UK

I am sick of these non elected camera partnerships mugging motorist. Speed cameras are just revenue collectors.
Richard Colquhoun, Kent

Why do speed cameras have to work 24 hours a day? Surely late at night, when there are fewer cars and pedestrians, they could be switched off. Also, why can't limits be higher at quiet times.
Al, UK, Weymouth

The roundabout in the A229 into Chatham (40 mph limit) had an accident with a car leaving the road through speed at least once a week. A speed camera has completely stopped this - no accidents since. Cars doing 60+ mph can be seen to brake to be within the limit instead of racing each other through the dual carriageway.

John Redwood's views are unrealistic. There is a "speed habit" that needs to be curbed so that people do start to choose the correct speed for the road conditions instead of going as fast as they can.
Jack Ruler, England

Politics Show

Join Peter Henley on Politics Show, BBC One, Sunday, 27 February, 2005 at 12.30pm.

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