Why are people against CCTV and speed cameras on the roads?

[benb]

You know what annoys me? Fines for shoplifters. I mean, what sort of money grabbing scam is this, where someone can be innocently stuffing some pic 'n' mix down their pants only to have their collar felt by the filth, and fined for it? It's yet another tax on the poor beleaguered British robber, that's what it is.

 

[Paul J]

Are we talking about CCTV or speed cameras? CCTV as used in town centres I feel is a little OTT but it may improve peoples safety as long as someone actually responds rather than just watching it. Speed cameras are nothing more than a cash cow for local Police forces and I don't believe that they actually make roads safer as accidents will happen no matter if a camera is recording or not.

 

[benb]

Are we talking about CCTV or speed cameras? CCTV as used in town centres I feel is a little OTT but it may improve peoples safety as long as someone actually responds rather than just watching it. Speed cameras are nothing more than a cash cow for local Police forces and I don't believe that they actually make roads safer as accidents will happen no matter if a camera is recording or not.

Rot. Cameras barely cover their costs. And even if they did make a chunk of money, so what? It's an entirely voluntary contribution - don't break the posted limit and you won't have to pay anything.

 

[mickle]

The problem with cameras is that they are non discretionary, surely technology exists where some sort of consideration could be given to traffic volumes, road conditions, weather etc to build in some sort of tolerance?

Take my recent ticket (mentioned up there ^^), 59mph on a motorway, in the middle of the day on a quiet, dry motorway is hardly "a menace on the road", yet i get the same 3 points and 60 quid as some boy racer doing the same in heavy traffic on ice would get.

Fair? I think not.

Diddums!

 

[GrumpyGregry]

In my county, there is a lot more bias now on unmarked police cars than fixed camera's. Given that when I filter through traffic, and regularly smell Ganja coming from the cars and see people talking on the mobile, eating, driving erratically, skimming the elbows of cyclists etc which would not be detected by a static cam, I think that the resources would be of better effect when in the hands of someone who can detect other things which have the potential to cause many more problems than a simple snapshot of a vehicle moving on an open stretch of road.

I'd like to see more speed cameras, more traffic light cameras, and more average speed cameras, say on the stretches of 50mph road between two 30mph villages a la CopperCyclist above, and the revenue generated from taxing the enjoyment drivers get from speeding, and jumping red lights, this yet-another-tax-on-the-hard-pressed-motorist-blah-moan-winge, this extortion from those whose throttle pedal only seems to go one way, spent on police mobile patrols.

win - win.

But I'm a Taliban Wheeler.

 

[Inertia]

Take my recent ticket (mentioned up there ^^), 59mph on a motorway, in the middle of the day on a quiet, dry motorway is hardly "a menace on the road", yet i get the same 3 points and 60 quid as some boy racer doing the same in heavy traffic on ice would get.

Fair? I think not.

Why was it a 50? some kind of temporary restriction?

 

[GrumpyGregry]

The only time I've ever knowingly set off a speed camera is on my bike.

and I passed my full motorcycle test in 1977, and car test in 1981

 

[Inertia]

No, permanent on a bend in the motorway to stop lorries toppling over. I suspect my car would be perfectly 'planted' at taking it at 100mph+

Weird, Ive never seen the like, I can sympathize on that one if you aren't aware of it and get caught out.

 

[DRHysted]

Yes reading that link I can see how unreasonable it would be to expect people to slow down a bit for a short while.

But that slowing and returning to speed wastes fuel, which as we know is a dwindling resource, and shouldn't be wasted.

 

[benb]

Weird, Ive never seen the like, I can sympathize on that one if you aren't aware of it and get caught out.

Apart from the fairly large and clear signs telling you about the speed limit?

 

[Inertia]

Apart from the fairly large and clear signs telling you about the speed limit?

Yes

 

[Inertia]

Yeh thats the one.

I am aware of it but was deep in discussion with a colleague at the time. It is of course, 'my bad', but I would still argue the discretionary point.

Unfortunately how do you decide who deserves to be fined and who not, I'm sure everyone would have an excuse.

 

[Linford]

I'd like to see more speed cameras, more traffic light cameras, and more average speed cameras, say on the stretches of 50mph road between two 30mph villages a la CopperCyclist above, and the revenue generated from taxing the enjoyment drivers get from speeding, and jumping red lights, this yet-another-tax-on-the-hard-pressed-motorist-blah-moan-winge, this extortion from those whose throttle pedal only seems to go one way, spent on police mobile patrols.

win - win.

But I'm a Taliban Wheeler.

Well if there were to be any revenue raised from the use of speed cams (which I am suspicious of), I'd like to think that it is spent on making the roads safer for ALL users, and enforcing the relevant laws broken by them.

A HGV is limited to 40mph on single carriageways with good reason, but a Gatso set to 60mph will not catch them out - A speeding 44 tonne vehicle is a lot more difficult to drive and stop than a 1 tonne car and could do immense damage if it all goes wrong.

A cam van or traffic patrol will catch them out though.

 

[Linford]

I received a ticket last week...

59mph in a 50 in Stockport

Oof, not another one

 

[Paul J]

Rot. Cameras barely cover their costs.

It's widely been reported that some cameras rake in millions. Rot, I think not.