[news.bbc.co.uk]

Rise in speed cameras could end

An end to the rapid rise in the number of speed cameras could be signalled in changes announced by the government. Money from speeding fines may no longer be spent automatically on more cameras under plans due to be outlined by Transport Secretary Alistair Darling.

Instead, councils and police forces would be given extra money for other road safety measures.

Changes in a scheme between government, police and councils could mean there is no addition to the UK’s 6,000 cameras.

Mr Darling told BBC News that authorities often chose to install new cameras as they were effectively free, being run with funds from central government.

He said: “I believe it is time to look at the way in which we fund road safety so that when you have got councils and police looking at a particular site, they consider all the options open to them.

“It might be a junction improvement, it might be the speed limit or it might be a camera.”

He said he hoped the changes would allow authorities to take a broader approach to road safety.

“What I’m doing is making it easier, because of the funding changes, for local authorities and for police to say ‘is a speed camera really the best option here’,” he said.

Article continues at [news.bbc.co.uk]

What I welcome is the potential to end the perception that “Cameras = Safety” because they don’t. When you’re on a motorbike and cover even the trivial sort of mileage that I do (~9k miles/year) you become acutely aware of the dangers of the road, including:

• drivers using mobile phones
• drivers tweaking stereos
• drivers with excessive “goal-focus” on roundabouts, staring at the exit not the traffic
• diesel spillage on the road
• poor use of indicators by road users
• overgrown signage, blocked by trees, hedges, etc
• tailgating (rife in the UK)
• middle-lane blockage on motorways

…and a variety of other issues; in fact I find it hilarious that the article continues with “there will be fewer cameras and more 20mph zones, warning signs and traffic calming” especially given the recent and notorious removal of some traffic-calming measures in the nearby town of Fleet, which had been installed with popular suport, until the accidents started:

1.1 Elvetham Road was part of an overall transport strategy for the area which included the Fleet Town Centre relief road and a proposed direct spine road through Elvetham Heath. Elvetham Road is approximately two kilometres long and runs between the A323 Reading Road North/Fleet Road and the A3013 Fleet Road. In 1999 it was proposed to traffic calm this road using funds from the Elvetham Heath development.

1.2 A public exhibition held in 2001 to gauge acceptance of this scheme indicated general support for measures to reduce speed. The traffic calming scheme was implemented in May 2002 and has reduced the average speed of vehicles by some 6-10 mph to around 35 mph.

1.3 However, there have been a number of accidents, where vehicles are speeding between features and colliding with the buildouts. The results of questionnaire surveys conducted in December 2003 and August 2004 indicate a large majority of the respondents are no longer in favour of the current traffic calming buildouts and would like them removed.

…the collisions mentioned being caused by human nature when faced with half a mile of apparently straight, empty road populated with “calming” measures that overconfidence makes people sure they can navigate – and the speed mentioned being caused by human nature when faced with half a mile of apparently straight, empty road that previously they traversed at 40MPH when there wasn’t any other traffic, nor verymuch else to hit.

It just goes to show that most people don’t really think things through to their logical conclusion.

As a postscript: other things that bikers watch out for and assume are dangerous:

• drivers wearing hats (always a good indicator of mental vacancy)
• anyone in a BMW 3-series (usurped Volvo drivers as “most aggressive/bloodyminded” about 3 years ago)
• anyone in a built-up area driving a 4×4 which is not covered in mud, especially during the school run
• 50 metres either side of a petrol station (diesel spillage)
• salesreps tailgating you on A- and B-roads, who you just know are going to try overtake you on the next bend, see the upcoming speed camera, brake, and then not have enough speed to get past you to avoid oncoming traffic so will try to “cut you up”

The last one’s a doosie. Happens once or twice a year.