Tentenths

is the headline on today's London Evening Standard.

Evidently the Met. has finally got the message that the motoring public has become increasingly cynical over the motives for selecting most speed camera sites.

As of today, in the Met's area only 260 out of 665 fixed cameras will be have film in them... but the others will continue to flash anyway just to keep us on our toes. However, there will then be another review, after which it is expected that the unloaded cameras will be removed completely.

The no. of mobile sites is also being slashed, this time from 127 to about 25.

A Met. spokesman said "From now on we will only use cameras at sites with a serious accident record, not where people are simply going a few miles per hour over the speed limit." [Thought that's what they were doing anyway ]

Evidently, this means that unless a the camera is situated at a site where there have been at least four fatal or serious injury accidents in the last 36 months it will be longer used.

As other forces tend to follow the Met's example, there is hope yet for those of us who don't live in London.

scoobchrissy

iTrader: (1)

It's about time something got done

andrewdelvard

As shallow as it is, this is going to turn into a serious voting issue for me come the next election.

unclebuck

Anyone spot the link here? New Labour cynical manipulators of government policy? Surely not.

UB

greasemonkey

That's probably why it's being done now Andrew. If it gets rolled out across the country it'll take some of the wind out of the Tories' proposed transport policy, major tenets of which would be a drastic reduction in cameras and an increase in the motorway speed limit to 80mph.

FrenchBoy

andrew, know what you mean mate!!
as an 'enthusiastic' motorist, i feel completely victimised by the powers that be in this country, its getting to the point where i feel so paranoid when i'm out driving that i'm beginning to question the point of having a fast car!

jaf01uk

Well excuse me but is that not the criteria they were supposed to meet before they could site them where they are in the first place?

Scoop! Are they now admitting that these cameras were incorrectly sited? and were purely revenue earning devices - surely something that everyone knew and the police and government have been denying for years!

greasemonkey

Yes, it was. I'd love to see the likes of Paxman put a copper on the spot about that little chestnut.

r32

It is strange that this is happening. I do feel that its the Govt. who have realised motorists are voters too........
Watch then spring back up after the election if Tony wins.

I do hope that other forces follow suit.......
STEVE............

Neanderthal

iTrader: (6)

Well in Northampton they've just announced more SPEC cameras on the A428

yipeeee!

T4molie

Neanderthal.....aren't they already up?

Saw it mentioned in the Beds on Sunday rag

Goochie

I dont think this will make any difference to the number of poeple that will get caught in the Met. area.

Everyone knows that not all the boxes have a camera/film in them so surely all they've done is reduce the number of empties whilst keeping the number of cameras the same. Hence, making it more likely that you'll get caught when going through one at speed.

At the end of the day its the camera/film that catches you not an empty box.

Brendan Hughes

OK, I noticed the wink, but AFROTFPMSL!

D'ya reckon if the Tories got into power they would start manipulating government policy as well? Or not????

Reminds me of the prospective opposition MPs in Zimbabwe who were campaigning for election, and got arrested for plotting to overthrow the government

Well, durrr...

what would scooby do

Excellent - now I'll only get busted for 20mph over the limit