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Thousands of speed camera to be switched off


NewNiceMrMe
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It seems debatable if some of the speed cameras actual help, I think they do in some locations but in other they are just there to raise revenue, we all know that.

Will be interesting to see what happens surely the speed cameras must be paying for themselves anyway. :confused:

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I don't think anyone would complain about about a speed camera situated outside a school, or a hospital, childrens park etc etc, but it's the absolute blatant placement of cameras in locations where the only function of the camera is to raise money that p1sses everyone off.

There is no need whatsoever for cameras on motorways for example, there are no pedestrians, everyones going the same direction, if they genuinely had been used for safety rather than revenue, there would be no problem.

The main issue now however, is that by introducing cameras, the police cut back on road traffic policing*, and in fact, where you might have been stopped by a normal bobby once upon a time, you will only ever get stopped by a traffic officer these days, the normal bobbies aren't interested in traffic policing, and with the current cut backs to the police budgets, if they take the cameras away too, there will be almost nothing or no one policing the roads, which would be a disaster!

*Swapping cops for cameras is something thats always p1ssed me off, as a camera won't fine a drink driver, someone who is incompetent behind the wheel etc etc, it will only fine you if you speed, whereas a policeman can do all the above and more.

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Oxfordshire County Council are to decided on the 27th, and are widely expected to swich all camera, mobile traps, and red light cameras offline August 1st.

Oxfordshire could soon become a county with no speed cameras after a council vote to cut road safety funding.

Council leaders want to save £600,000 from their road safety budget - money which would have been given to the Thames Valley Road Safety Partnership.

The partnership operates the county's 72 fixed and 89 mobile camera locations and say they will now withdraw from the county by the end of the month.

The cabinet vote has to be ratified by the full council on Tuesday.

BBC News - Oxfordshire County Council vote ditches speed cameras

BBC News - Oxfordshire's speed cameras face cutback

Swindon have already done it, a few months back.

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Wiltshire | Town ditches fixed speed cameras

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To be fair most the accidents in Swindon seem to be from people who can't understand the millions of roundabouts or run red lights (which IS a real issue here, a few times I've seen cars come through red lights on the larger roundabouts after the lights gone green in the other direction - now I've got the Forester I'd be tempted to launch it on to the roundabout and ram the muppets :roflmao:)

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Is that because the traffic is so bad in Oxford that they didn't catch anyone speeding?? :)

It might be true of Oxford, but this affects the whole of Oxfordshire. +++

72 fixed and 89 mobile camera sites.

Atleast the credit crunch has had a positive effect for once.

Edited by Paul
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I'm still in two minds about this, the driver in me says great, less chance of getting caught, especially driving for a living.

But on the other hand, who's going to police the roads?

Traffic police have already been cut back since they were replaced with cameras, and they face more cut backs now.

Driving for a living put a whole new perspective on things, I see idiots/drunks/incompetence behind the wheel every single day, if things get worse (which I believe they could if more traffic officers are not employed to replace the cameras) then it makes the chances of me making it home to see my family at the end of the day even less than they already are.

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If traffic cars have been cut back then i haven't seen that up here.

The A189 has 3 on it every time I think I have the opportunity of putting my foot down. Big buggers too, all T5's with proper miserable folk driving them. I've been stopped by two of them. Once for doing 82 mph despite being previously told they'd let me do 85 without stopping me, then by his mate for doing 84 mph.

I'm not saying they shouldn't have done, but I was tad miffed that i stayed under the 85 they said they wouldn't stop me at. Granted, neither stoppage resulted in anything and I'm sure they just like delaying my drive home (it's always en route home, never the other way oddly enough).

I told the last guy what I'd been told and he said that was true but he thought I'd been going faster than that to start off with, which i hadn't.

That said, the feckers weren't there tonight and the long stretch was very clear. So I did 85 mph, naturally. :roflmao:

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I have a couple of mates who are ex traffic, now firearms officers, news of the cutbacks came directly from them, plus it's been widely reported in the media since the introduction of speed cameras, needless to say, most traffic officers aren't fans of cameras either.

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Interesting that Oxfordshire have decided to scrap mobile traps as well as fixed cams. Swindon have shut off all fixed cams but the Talivans are still a common sight on the M4 through Wiltshire.

Swindon Borough Council doesn't have any control over those, they belong to Wiltshire County Council I believe.

I think there are still some mobile spots in Swindon though, doesn't bother me in and around town as I do the speed limit anyway.

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This is Northumberland. They still think broadband is a radio wave.
Plenty of very new and shiny volvos around here, maybe cheaper than BMWs etc? The A69 in Northumbria's area is still very heavy policed by marked and unmarked cars. I think this area as a whole still has a lot of traffic police which can only be a good thing if I'm honest. I've worked at Etal Lane station and Ponteland HQ as they pour out in the morning.
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