BackSpeed cameras should stay
As local councils rush to switch off their speed cameras in response to the Government’s withdrawal of central funding, a bereaved local mother tells Swindon Council that speed cameras save lives.
Caroline Hannah and her seven year old son, Tyrese, were out walking their dog when a speeding driver lost control and mounted the pavement, killing Tyrese in March 2008. Caroline has now joined forces with national charity Brake to call on the local council to switch the town’s speed cameras back on.
Living Streets feel that controlling speeds is important to ensure good quality of life and road safety for people where they live work and play and that speed cameras are an important part of the picture when controlling speeds. We feel that councils should not be jumping to turn off speed cameras without a thorough analysis of the impact of doing so on both quality of life and controlling speed.
Living Streets' Chief Executive, Tony Armstrong, urges local councils not to loose sight of compelling research that supports the case for speed cameras.
“We believe that cameras do help to control the speed at which people drive in areas where adults and children are going about their daily lives. A comprehensive four year national evaluation of speed cameras commissioned by the Department for Transport found that fixed speed cameras resulted in a massive 70% reduction in speeding. Before rushing to ditch speed cameras, councils must thoroughly review the impact it will have on residents' quality of life and safety.”
What do you think? Talk about speed cameras and their importance for pedestrians on our forum.
Published on: 09/08/2010
