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Speed Camera News
Article by: Darren Griffin
Date: 19 Dec 2013
It looks like the great speed camera switch-off is making an about turn with news this week that speed cameras are to be reactivated in Bristol and the West Midlands and other councils look to expand their speed camera assets.
Bristol's cameras were switched off in 2011 after central government funding ended. Now Bristol City Council and Avon and Somerset Police are working to reactivate 26 speed and red-light cameras. Revenue from the cameras will be used to operate and maintain them.
Meanwhile, in the West Midlands, plans are being made to install digital speed cameras and mark a return to their use after the last one was switched off in April this year.
A reduce speed limit on the A180 in North East Lincs may be enforced by average speed cameras. The A180 has been included in a strategic sped review and councillors will now debate plans to police the reduced speed limit (down from 70mph to 50mph) using average speed cameras.
And finally, Essex, well known for its love affair with speed cameras, has announced plans to upgrade half of the county's speed camera to digital technology at a cost of £824,000.
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| Comments
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 Posted by M8TJT on Thu Dec 19, 2013 9:35 am |
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Is the revenue now going to the council? I thought that Dave had stopped that some time ago, having it put in the central gov coffers.
I also remember Dave saying that he was going to stop the 'war on motorists' 
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| Posted by Darren on Thu Dec 19, 2013 9:41 am |
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The revenue is ploughed back into running the cameras and enforcing the fines. So not actually going into council coffers as such. But, the more fines they issue, the more cameras they can deploy. And the more cameras they have, the more fines they can issue. Hence this sudden surge to re-activate them because motorists are evil (we're not), speed cameras save lives (they don't) and we're easy targets (that bit is true).
Give it 10 years and every stretch of road will have average speed cameras.
Good eh 
Darren Griffin |
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| Posted by M8TJT on Thu Dec 19, 2013 9:50 am |
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Have the rules on revenue 'disposal' changed to cause this? I thought that the (main) reason for switching them off was that they (the council/police/safety partnerships, whatever) were not getting the revenue, but it went to central government.
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| Posted by Darren on Thu Dec 19, 2013 9:54 am |
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| M8TJT Wrote: | | Have the rules on revenue 'disposal' changed to cause this? I thought that the (main) reason for switching them off was that they (the council/police/safety partnerships, whatever) were not getting the revenue, but it went to central government. |
Previously, central government part funded the cameras, presumably using the revenue they received. It was the removal of this funding that triggered the switch off of cameras.
Now they have devolved this and left the revenue and funding in the hands of local government. I don't know the fine detail, I wonder if all of the money will be ploughed back in or if some will find its way to other initiatives, Police funding etc?
Darren Griffin |
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| Posted by MaFt on Thu Dec 19, 2013 10:27 am |
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West Yorkshire is also upgrading a lot of their older (single direction) Gatso's to newer 'StreetSeen' style front-and-rear facing cameras with sensors and lines on both sides of the road - effectively doubling their presence...
MaFt
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| Posted by Graculus on Thu Dec 19, 2013 12:13 pm |
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Of all the authorities who turned off their cameras, and are now considering turning them on again, I wonder if they have any statistics on the number of accidents at the camera sites before and after switch off. In other words, can they show how much more dangerous those stretched of road are with no cameras, in order to justify turning them on and increasing their presence.
FoI request, anyone? Or could it be that they can't justify this approach?
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| Posted by M8TJT on Thu Dec 19, 2013 1:55 pm |
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| Graculus Wrote: | | I wonder if they have any statistics on the number of accidents at the camera sites before and after switch off. |
You bet they do. You can also bet heavily on the fact that they won't readily release them unless they the show that accidents have increased since switch off.
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| Posted by Quinny1 on Fri Dec 20, 2013 10:56 pm |
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| MaFt Wrote: | West Yorkshire is also upgrading a lot of their older (single direction) Gatso's to newer 'StreetSeen' style front-and-rear facing cameras with sensors and lines on both sides of the road - effectively doubling their presence...
MaFt |
Any idea in which area?
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| Posted by MaFt on Sat Dec 21, 2013 7:50 am |
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| Quinny1 Wrote: | | MaFt Wrote: | West Yorkshire is also upgrading a lot of their older (single direction) Gatso's to newer 'StreetSeen' style front-and-rear facing cameras with sensors and lines on both sides of the road - effectively doubling their presence...
MaFt |
Any idea in which area? |
Bradford, Huddersfield, Wakefield and others.
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