SDB

ABD calls for Britain to follow, but veil of secrecy
falls on UK police plans.


Six years after the province of Ontario removed speed
cameras from its roads, Canada has again shown that,
in some parts of the world at least, there is some
common sense regarding law enforcement on the roads.
This time it's British Columbia where sanity has
broken out, with the incoming Government honouring
election pledges to scrap photo radar.

The Governments of Ontario and British Columbia have
ditched all forms of photographic speed detection,
such as the GATSOs used in the UK, because they've
realised that:

1. it is motivated by revenue
2. it has no safety benefits
3. it must be propped up by a well funded spin machine
to survive
4. it is heavy handed and arbitrary
5. it undermines respect for the law and law
enforcement
6. it invades privacy as a 'big brother' device


When speed cameras were abolished in Ontario, the
incoming Premier, Michael Harris, called photo-radar
"a Government cash grab" and "an Orwellian cash
machine". In this latest outbreak of intelligence,
British Columbia's Attorney General, Geoff Plant, said
of photo-radar "From the day it started it undermined
public confidence in the rule of law and law
enforcement".

The Association of British Drivers wholeheartedly
agrees with the views expressed by these two
gentlemen. ABD Chairman, Brian Gregory, commented
"Few, if any, of Britain's drivers now believe that
speed cameras are there for safety reasons,
recognising instead that they're there to make money
for the police. This is fleecing, not policing - a
cynical 'dash for cash' by the police, aided and
abetted by local councils who obligingly lower speed
limits to unreasonable levels to increase the number
of drivers caught and maximise the 'take'".

As Canada does away with their speed cameras, what are
the British police planning to do? Install another
4,500 cameras and treble the number of tickets issued
to ten million a year! These plans were announced a
few weeks ago and are being championed by Richard
Brunstrom, Chief Constable of North Wales Police, who
has since admitted on national radio that he himself
exceeds the speed limit.

In a worrying development on Monday (July 2nd) the
Police decided to ban the Press from their 'Safety
Camera Roll Out Conference', to be held at Sedgebrook
Hall, Northampton at 11.30 on Wednesday (July 4th].
Leading motoring journalist Robert Farago, whose place
at the conference had been confirmed, was suddenly
told he would not be allowed to attend after all. ABD
Spokesman Russell Eden said "This is scary - what are
the police up to? We know this conference was to sell
the 'roll-out' of thousands more profitable speed
cameras to other police forces, but they've either
realised just how unpopular those plans are with the
public or they're planning something worse than we
ever imagined, and they've adopted a 'bunker
mentality' and locked themselves away." He added
"Whatever happened to policing by consent? Now we
have policing by intimidation, from a police force
which operates in secret because they're frightened to
let us see what they're doing."

The ABD's Roads and Traffic Spokesman, Mark
McArthur-Christie, revealed "We are hearing from more
and more serving police officers who are concerned at
the effect which concentrating efforts on speed is
having on road safety, and the damage which large
numbers of speed camera prosecutions are doing to
relations between the police and the public".

The ABD believes that the Home Secretary, David
Blunkett, realises the damage speed cameras are doing
to police-public relations and respect for the law
generally, and urges him to follow the example set by
Ontario and British Columbia and scrap the mugging
machines lying in wait beside Britain's roads.

From : The Association of British Drivers

Neil Smalley

What's the immigration criteria for Canada

Ian Cook

I have family there hmmm sounds like a cool palce to live !!!

SCOSaltire

With SUL about to hit 90p per litre, 3 times more speed cameras being brought into service, ud think that we would have the cleanest and safest roads on earth.

As it stands, we now buying more and more tesco value type food and there have been 4 deaths on the road i travel every day in the last year... and only 1 in the previous 5 years.

Overall it seems that driver roadcraft skills are lowering yet driver speed camera spotting skills are increasing.

It used to cost me 25 quid to get to the town i work in.... 5 years ago. It now costs me 37 quid.

How can a target be to catch more drivers speeding? Surely the target is to reduce accidents and deaths?

Surely the government could instruct the police to identify accident blackspots, and feed this into the Godsey (spelling) type systems... and inform(!) drivers of upcoming dangerous roads.

Theres a bend on a road near where i live.. where 10s (and i mean it) of people have died in the last decade. Theres no warning, theres no crash barrier, and i warn each driver i am passenger to of this bend when we approach it. Its off-camber with a 20 ft drop.

When i drive down to england (i live in scotland) and go on the motorways (roads I dont know)... i find traffic going fast, the all slowing down when a speed camera spot approaches that they know about (typical drop is 85mph to 70 mph) then they all speed up again.

This makes me nervous... no warning.. people slowing down - like theres an accident... im waiting for everyone to stop. then they dont.

but later on there may be an accident... and u may be waiting for everyone to speed up again just as they stop!

firstly... we all deplore (sounds like John Major) speeding in towns.

2ndly... how can so many drivers be wrong... going at 85mph in good conditions, in better cars than before, on roads built for that speed.

3rdly... how can main roads be at 60 mph limited, with motorways (no oncoming traffic, run-off areas, 2/3 lanes, more warning signs, no (should be no) tractors, be only limited with 10 mph more?

remove the speed cameras at random places on motorways, and put speed limit up, put in more warning signs for accidents and accident blackspots, interface with those godsey type devices... and lets get our roads safer!!!

oh, and cut this stupid fuel tax... Government.. ur not spending that money correctly.

once we have addressed these issues... introduce more driver training / testing to get some (!some!) money back... u can swing that one as driver training.

phew

Me.

ca

SCOSaltire,

I know what you mean. This country is just getting ridiculous. In my home town 5 pubs have clubbed together to pay police overtime overtime for extra police so that Thu/Fri/Sat nights have a better presencce.

I mean what type of message does that send? Police Chief: Sorry, love, we've got no budget for catching burglars but we do have a nice new chunk of money from the lowest of the low - people speeding!

I'm sorry the lunatics really are runing the asylum.

I would strongly enourage anyone who isn't already a member to join the Association of British Drivers (I sit on the National Committe) - They are the only organisation doing something for the motorist!

C

SCOSaltire

what are ABD going to do?

Markus

Pity canada does not get the STi (or does it?) Nice country, nice people, sensible driving laws, sounds like the ideal place to live.

Jerome

I'm planning to emigrate to Canada next year. Even more reason to go now.

Particularly pertinent for me having been flashed by a camera only 2 days ago.

From what I gather Canada may get the STi in a few years time, but nothing confirmed/denied yet.

BTW the standard MY01 WRX (MY02 in North America) has 227bhp as standard.

ca

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by SCOSaltire:
<B>
what are ABD going to do?[/quote]

Attacking on all fronts! Have a look at our website

Neil Smalley

It also makes it have less members than the SIDC Imagine an organisation with half the revenue of the SIDC and imagine the task involved to really improve road safety and not combat the more highly funded and public aware 'speed kills' spin

Just joined BTW.

ca

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Neil Smalley:
<B>
Just joined BTW.[/quote]

Thanks, Neil.

C.