Swindon ditches speed cameras

[Ade B]

I've never really understood the logic behind the 'dangerous cameras' making you emergency brake. Should you not be aware of your road speed - especially given most cameras have a handy warning sign beforehand, and then they are bright yellow - and the satnav beeps before you go past them. In fact, come to think about it - how does anyone ever get caught these days by fixed cameras

Is the other reason for silly low speed limits on major roads to do with managing congestion?

Be interesting to see what the council does with the money saved.

Ade

 

[recycled]

maybe a sign saying no pedestrians is needed there as well.

 

[recycled]

I've never really understood the logic behind the 'dangerous cameras' making you emergency brake. Should you not be aware of your road speed - especially given most cameras have a handy warning sign beforehand,

it is psyshological. Once i had an arctic coming the other way, go through a large puddle and splash a huge volume of water into my direction. i saw the jet coming towards me and i ducked under the dashboard, forgetting i was protected by my windscreen. it hit the windscreen and splashed down but i could have lost it for that second.

 

[nick mercedes]

Is the other reason for silly low speed limits on major roads to do with managing congestion?

Won't that make it worse?

As it is motorists seem happy to limp around at 40 odd, queue up behind tractors and lorries - nobody having the balls or ability to overtake, short journies now seem to take me an eternity...

 

[verytalldave]

Like braking or swerving to miss a fox or rabbit. Its instinct.

 

[Dieselman]

That's a seriously unusual circumstance. A 30mph repeater sign, I'm not sure I've ever seen one.

What we don't know is what is out of sight of the camera both in front and behind the picture in question.

For example directly behind the camera this could be a fully built up area and there could be a school behind that hedge, thus the extension of the 30 limit.

 

[recycled]

True.true,true street lighting might help as well,

 

[TomTanderson]

Same old post same old BS

You break the law, you get caught, you take the punishment. Grow up and stop whining.

Where the money goes makes no difference in terms of your law breaking. YOU ARE STILL BREAKING THE LAW.

And don't think I'm some Mr Perfect, I've had at least half a dozen speeding convictions, I just don't come on here bleating about it.

And finally, why is it the same people who complain about speed cameras are often the same people who want harsher punishments for other LAW BREAKERS?

Oh and that last question was rhetorical - people's self justification of speeding and how hard done by they are (when they get caught BREAKING THE LAW) makes me puke!

<rant off>

 

[recycled]

well if you have nothing to fear and do not speed i guess that is the answer.
Right, how many people will like cameras to be installed on the streets that look into their bedrooms and living rooms to ensure they are not abusing their kids or beating up their partners? That is also against the law, and as the saying goes, if you have nothing to hide?

 

[st13phil]

That's a seriously unusual circumstance. A 30mph repeater sign, I'm not sure I've ever seen one.

Unusual in towns, maybe, but it's not at all unusual to have 30mph repeater signs. In fact, they're mandatory for a 30 limit if it's not a "Restricted Road". They're all over the place in Buck's and Oxfordshire where 30 limits have been introduced in place of NSL but there are no streetlamps.

 

[Ade B]

Won't that make it worse?

As it is motorists seem happy to limp around at 40 odd, queue up behind tractors and lorries - nobody having the balls or ability to overtake, short journies now seem to take me an eternity...

Dunno.

They have a variable speed limit on the M25 supposedly to stop the yo yo effect you get at peak times.

Perhaps you get less bunching of traffic as everyone is spread out further which eases congestion at junctions? Any traffic engineers out there?

Ade

 

[TomTanderson]

well if you have nothing to fear and do not speed i guess that is the answer.
Right, how many people will like cameras to be installed on the streets that look into their bedrooms and living rooms to ensure they are not abusing their kids or beating up their partners? That is also against the law, and as the saying goes, if you have nothing to hide?

Do you actually READ what anybody else posts or are you just in love with the sound of your own voice?

I posted that I do speed and have been caught on numerous occasions - I just don't whine when I get caught breaking the law.

And you don't improve your argument by making ridiculous comparisons. To argue that speed cameras are just the first step to having cameras in our homes is just pathetic.

 

[raymont]

I’m not against all cameras. I think they are a good idea in the right place at the right time. E.g. outside of schools at drop off / pick up times.

I am against cameras which fine motorists for transgressing arbitrary and inappropriate limits.

I am against the one dimensional approach to road safety and the reduction of casualties which seems to pretty much consist of blaming speed.

National government makes available a grant to local authorities to spend on road safety. The attached doc shows how various Safety Camera Partnership areas elected to spend that money.

 

[recycled]

Do you actually READ what anybody else posts or are you just in love with the sound of your own voice?

I posted that I do speed and have been caught on numerous occasions - I just don't whine when I get caught breaking the law.

And you don't improve your argument by making ridiculous comparisons. To argue that speed cameras are just the first step to having cameras in our homes is just pathetic.

i do read and i think that with your appalling driving record, you are the main reason and living proof why cameras do not work as you keep getting caught by them. so your argument does not wash and if you think cameras are not pointing into peoples homes, then think again.
There are more than 500 agencies that have the right to listen to your phone calls, read your emails and sniff through your post so get real and do not blame me for the situation. spy at your rubbish and spy at your kids on their way to school.

 

[TomTanderson]

Dunno.

Perhaps you get less bunching of traffic as everyone is spread out further which eases congestion at junctions? Any traffic engineers out there?

Ade

I am not a traffic engineer but my understanding is that by reducing the speed limit in congested areas or at congested times you avoid that ridiculous bunching of traffic with the start stop 5mph to 70mph to 5mph driving.

 

[Dieselman]

National government makes available a grant to local authorities to spend on road safety. The attached doc shows how various Safety Camera Partnership areas elected to spend that money.

Thanks for that. Now I'm really confused by the newspaper article as that says Swindon Council are withdrawing their subsidy towards the Safety Camera Partnership, yet they are subsidized by the Government.

Safety camera....... New grant....... Camera...... Road safety
Partnership Area..... 07 / 08 £m...... Spend........ Spend

Wiltshire................. 2.3................ 1.9 ............ 0.4

In what way are they subsidising the SCP.?

 

[raymont]

Don't really understand the interaction between central govt,local government and SCPs but I assume that central govt gave the money, ring fenced, to local authority to spend on road safety and the local authority decided how to spend it. In the main they appear to have spent it on cameras, by giving it to the local SCP I assume, instead of other safety measures such as road improvement etc.

Also note that the figures are for last year ( 07/08).

 

[TomTanderson]

i do read and i think that with your appalling driving record, you are the main reason and living proof why cameras do not work as you keep getting caught by them. so your argument does not wash and if you think cameras are not pointing into peoples homes, then think again.
There are more than 500 agencies that have the right to listen to your phone calls, read your emails and sniff through your post so get real and do not blame me for the situation. spy at your rubbish and spy at your kids on their way to school.

Thanks for your evaluation of my driving. I found it very helpful. As with most of your posts it seems based on the minimum of knowledge and the maximum of supposition. You know nothing about the length of time I have been driving, when I got the convictions, whether the convictions were the result of speed cameras or traffic police or the circumstances / road conditions / time of day that the offences took place. But I bow to your superior BS.

You also continue to completely miss the point that speed cameras are not a privacy issue so stop trying to justify your comments by trying to associate the two issues.

 

[recycled]

And don't think I'm some Mr Perfect, I've had at least half a dozen speeding convictions, I just don't come on here bleating about it.

i am sure most people will find this pretty apalling even if you have been driving for 100years.
Six speeding convictions. ( at least, so there may be more)
Not having a go just stating a fact .

 

[recycled]

Thanks for your evaluation of my driving. I found it very helpful. As with most of your posts it seems based on the minimum of knowledge and the maximum of supposition. You know nothing about the length of time I have been driving, when I got the convictions, whether the convictions were the result of speed cameras or traffic police or the circumstances / road conditions / time of day that the offences took place. But I bow to your superior BS.
.

Totally irrelevant what caused it and believe me i do not want to know. the number of convictions shows you may not be the best on the road