It was reported this week that Oxfordshire County Council are withholding £600,000 of funding from the Thames Valley safe roads partnership. This appears to be a knock on effect of the announced a £38m reduction in road safety grants.

This sparks off again the ongoing debate about whether speed cameras are there to make money or save lives. I don’t think any of us believe that a speed camera near a school or a hospital is a bad thing but those caught by a camera at the bottom of a hill on a dual carriageway are often difficult to convince of the motivation to protect the roads of Britain. We now face the situation where there will be a reduction in the number of speed cameras and the debate will intensify as to whether this is a good thing as it is simply another tax upon the motorist, and those who believe that a correctly positioned speed camera can reduce the number of casualties on our roads.

In my opinion a correctly set up speed camera in an area where it is clearly there to prevent accidents is important and the money that is spent by Road Safety Partnerships should be focused upon these areas.

This story comes at the same time that West Norfolk Council have come under fire in the press for spending £1800 on a speed trap to catch speeders in the local tip where the speed limit it 5MPH. With no power to give fines or endorsements to those caught it doesn’t seem the greatest way to spend tax payers money.

MJH