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Future of speed cameras under review

By Victoria Corbett
October 29, 2008

Wokingham speed cameras could be scrapped if a council review finds the cash spent on running them could be better used elsewhere.

Wokingham Borough Council has revealed it is considering following in the footsteps of Swindon, which became the first borough in the UK to scrap fixed point speed cameras last week.

And this week Wokingham’s MP John Redwood said he was in favour of scrapping the cameras, which are often criticised as being a Government cash cow rather than an effective mechanism to prevent accidents.

Wokingham has 37 fixed speed cameras at locations including Finchampstead Road and London Road and 17 mobile cameras.

If the council does decide to plough the fixed speed camera funding into other schemes when it sets its budget next year, initiatives such as driver education and lowering of speed limits could be implemented.

- More in this week's Wokingham Times.

- Do you think speed cameras should be scrapped? Would other schemes make roads safer? click the link below to air your views.

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Doesn't Swindon only have 3 Speed cameras, whilst Wokingham has 37 Speed Cameras in 19 sites?

If so Wokingham's decision may be far more significant.

The problem is that Speed Cameras have never been subjected to scientific trials to find out what effect they have and, as such, have not been demonstrated to produce any road safety benefit.

Indeed across the whole of the Thames Valley it would appear that over 300 static cameras, around 148 mobile camera sites and around 23 red light cameras have not produced any fewer crashes than occured where there were no cameras (see www.SpeedCameraReport.co.uk).

If Speed Cameras don't improve safety, then of course the councils budget (our tax-payers money) should be spent where it actually might save lives.

dave finney, slough
2/12/2008 at 02:46

Unfortunately you cannot look at the fixed cameras in isolation. My understanding is that the Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership are involved in a whole host of road safety measures. Driver education featues high on the list. Do you really think the police will, or have the resourses to fill the gap. How short sighted can you get. I trust the Times will give the partnership equal coverage to explain all that they do.