Even motorways where it is relatively safe to creep over the speed limit is to be invaded by speed cameras raising CASH for this anti-car NewLabour government.

Starts Midday tomorrow .... 13.04.2005

here's the link...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1565657,00.html

wheel.

 

 

Edited, as ever, to activate link.

 

Have Your Say On M4 Scams On The Beeb

 

Wednesday 13th April 2005

A row has broken out over a new police clampdown on drivers who go above 70mph on one of the country's busiest motorways.

North Wiltshire Tory candidate James Gray has condemned the scheme as being done for Labour's "politically correct, money-making reasons".

The soft approach to enforcing the law has come to an end on the M4 between junction 14 and 18.

Drivers face a £60 fine and three penalty points on their licence for speeding by as little as 9mph.

Usually motorists can go above the official speed limit on motorways unless it is significantly above the limit.

Mr Gray said that if the Tories won the election they would raise the speed limit on motorways to 80mph.

He said: "If speed cameras are designed to reduce accidents, then I support them.

"However if they are designed to raise revenues for the Government or to be politically correct - saying 'Aren't we being good, putting up speed cameras?' - then I don't."

He added: "The M4 is virtually straight between those junctions.

"I cannot think of any dangerous stretches. I am not aware of any safety reason why cameras should be there."

The Wiltshire Safety Camera Partnership is putting marked vans along a 40-mile stretch between Bath and Hungerford.

It says it hopes the scheme will reduce the high number of deaths on the route.

Saira Khan, of the Swindon and Wiltshire Safety Camera Partnership, said: "I'm sure Mr Gray is aware, as is everyone else, that we have to comply with the rules.

"We know that if we have cameras then the speeding rate goes down and the severity of casualties goes down too."

Paul Fox, the Liberal Democrats' parliamentary candidate, said speed cameras worked.

He said: "They are a good thing because they are the one thing motorists take notice of and speed kills."

From:

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-13328376,00.html

 

My emphasis.

 

23rd April 2005

A Campaign group has demanded an end to the use of controversial mobile speed cameras on the M4 ahead of a go-slow protest on the motorway. Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Camera Partnership became the first speed enforcement campaign in England to use mobile speed cameras to enforce a 70mph limit on the motorway last week.

But the decision to station mobile cameras at seven sites along a 32-mile stretch of the M4 prompted a major outcry from motorists, many of whom argue the decision is nothing more than a money-making exercise.

M4 Protest, which is planning to stage a "go-slow" protest next Saturday in opposition to the use of speed cameras, has published a list of demands which it claims will improve road safety and "end the oppressive and counter productive overuse of speed cameras".

They include:

- The immediate suspension of all speed cameras on open motorways;

- The scrapping of the partnership which they describe as "greedy" and cash driven;

- The publication by political parties of their policies on camera use.

Robin Summerhill, from M4 Protest, said: "£700 million of fines issued by speed cameras have not made the roads safer.

"We believe that the speed camera programme is dangerously flawed and causes more problems than it solves.

"Officials are not looking at the big picture and prefer to rely on narrow and misleading statistics.

"While they do this road deaths are rising. Enough is enough."

But despite the criticism and continuing opposition the camera partnership says the cameras have been effective in reducing speed.

In a single hour of monitoring only five motorists were detected driving at more than 85mph, a figure described by the partnership as considerably lower than before camera enforcement. Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Camera Partnership project manager David Frampton said: "Our aim is simply to get people to drive within the legal speed limit and to reduce the number of casualties and that is what we will be judged on."

The Department for Transport said it was unable to comment on Government policy prior to the general election.

The go-slow protest begins at the West at Leigh Delamare services just outside Chippenham (junction 17) at 10am travelling along the M4 eastbound to Membury Services just past the Hungerford junction 14. A protest will begin at the same time travelling westbound.

From:

http://www.thisisbristol.com/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145176&command=displayContent&sourceNode=144906&contentPK=12286192