
With all the excitement of the elections I overlooked quite an important story about speed cameras, which although related to the fair town of Swindon, is of national significance given that the borough council is now the darling of the Jeremy Clarkson lobby and the right wing press for completely switching off speed cameras in the town.
The Daily Mail is claiming that because there is no overall reduction in accident rate since turning them off on the affected roads, then this proves that speed cameras are unnecessary.
The Mail quotes Swindon Council leader Roderick Bluh saying:
‘Fixed speed cameras are more about fund-raising than road safety. These figures completely vindicate our position.’
The council admits that with only four fixed camera sites, the figures could be ‘a blip’, but Mr Bluh insisted the move was for the good of local motorists
In fact there were nine accidents in the six month period before turning them off, and nine accidents afterwards.
But speeds on these roads have definitely increased, and the only motorists to benefit, as Rod Bluh puts it, are those breaking the law and driving too fast. Rod Bluh has himself lost his driving licence in the past for persistent speeding.
The Mail reports:
“A comparison of speeding fines issued over the two six-month periods reveals a drop of 42 per cent - from 3,681 to 2,120.
“Of the 2008-09 total, 1,393 motorists were caught by the fixed cameras that have now been deactivated - the rest by mobile cameras, which remain in use.
“The fall was revealed in figures released under the Freedom of Information Act. It means the Government - which receives income from the fixed cameras - has lost revenue of around £80,000. “
The council said they would spend the money they saved by not running the cameras on improving road safety in other areas of the town.
In fact, on key strategic roads in the town, the average speeds have increased, and there is no enforcement mechanism to stop maniac-driving by a minority of anti-social people.
But what of the council’s overall road safety campaign, that should by their own reckoning have been enhanced by extra spending?
The council spent £45000 on consultancy to devise 20 MPH speed zones in some residential areas. Then it ignored the results of the research that it commissioned itself, and ignored the advice of the police!
According to the Swindon Advertiser
“Wiltshire Constabulary’s head of roads policing, Chief Inspector Ian Copus, took the drastic and unusual step of handing the council a formal police objection with several reservations about the scheme.”
The problem is that there is inadequate signage, the stretches of road with 20 MPH limits are not continuous, and there is no enforcement mechanism. Local residents confirm that the police’s predictions have come true, that while residents obey the 20 MPH limit, other motorists ignore it with impunity. The reason the zones are discontinous – in defiance of the recommendations council’s own research and police objections - is to minimise inconvenience to motorists.
The zones surround Lethbridge Primary School (which my two boys attend) and children are lulled into expecting 20 MPH traffic, but many motorists still regularly speed.
What is remarkable is that while Swindon’s Tories original objection to the speed cameras was the financial cost, the 20 MPH schemes have been a complete cock up financially. Of the allocated budget they spent £45000 on consultancy and only £17000 on implementation; and they failed to apply for available matched funding that could have provided a potential budget for road safety improvements of £240000 !
Clearly Swindon’s Tories simply cannot be trusted with public safety, and are prepared to put our children at risk to placate boy-racers.