After the news yesterday, that Swindon is to stop the use of their fixed speed cameras, but continue with police mobile units, there was an interesting follow-up on BBC Teletext. Apparently stopping the use of their 5 Cameras will save them £250,000 a year out of their £320,000 road safety budget! They additionally stated that only 6% of accidents were down to speeding and that the money raised from fines all went to Central Government - I am sure how they work out the first statement and if the second one is even true, but it may be interesting to see what happens there.
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In Fife we have never had fixed cameras. I believe the vans are more effective, as you never know where they are going to be used even though the roads targeted are published weekly, (they can change their mind!).
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In Fife we have never had fixed cameras. I believe the vans are more effective as you never know where they are going to be used even though the roads targeted are published weekly (they can change their mind!).
I agree. Keeps you on your toes, and makes you concentrate!
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Isn't the news making this out to be a bigger event than it is. They mention five fixed cameras. Not many.
On the new bypass they built north of Swindon they put two new cameras on that... so I wonder which five cameras have gone? I know of more than 5 cameras near there (I think).
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>>so I wonder which five cameras have gone?>>
The ones which generate the least income.
Edited by Old Navy on 01/08/2009 at 21:38
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>>so I wonder which five cameras have gone?>> The ones which generate the least income.
I actually thought there were more than 5 fixed cameras. And the news seems to be they got rid of all fixed cameras in Swindon.
It only makes me wonder if they hope someone will speed past one thinking they are all off and then find that one is still working ;-)
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so I wonder which five cameras have gone?
Queens Drive, Oxford Road and the A420
tinyurl.com/nxdkn6 (links to www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk)
I'm guessing:-
A420:- just before the Esso garage, and the one near Vicarage lane. These have both been previously covered up.
Queens drive- Facing towards the magic roundabout. The speed camera is halfway down Queens Drive its in the centre part of the road and is opposite a small green. The direction of the camera was changed often. Likewise this was covered up for a while.
Oxford Road. The road between the White Heart roundabout, and Greenbridge roundabout.
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It's a shame there isn't a little more detail on this. If it's costing them about £50k per year to run a speed camera, after the fines have been collected (assuming the fines go back to the council), then how much is the gross cost of running a camera?
I know a standard Gatso costs about £20-40k to buy, but the running costs of the camera itself can't be that much, which can only mean that the cost to run the administration to process the pictures, collect the fines and run court proceedings must be huge!
Either that, or they're catching so few people (and consequential not making enough money from the fines) because surely, it's only people from out of town who aren't paying attention who are the only ones who still get caught by fixed cameras?
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I thought some time ago that it changed and the revenue from cameras went to central government and they in turn gave some amount to councils for "road safety".
At this point a few councils started looking at their budgets and decided the "road safety" fund would be better spent elsewhere that had more impact.
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It will take a lot more than the removal of fixed cameras to get me anywhere Swindon.
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