C7BLE

http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=838272004

The gist of this is despite a 100% increase in the number of tickets issued in Lothian last year
Road deaths were up 15%

1.8 m raised in a year and the have the barefaced cheek to continue to bang on that this about road saftey and reducing speed reduces the number of Deaths.

If that is the case then clearly increasing Cameras is ineffective.

I hate this place!

Nick Graves

That's democracy for you!

Obviously, Britain is a nation of shitheads.

Ziggy Stardust

Has anyone seen that advertisment on the back of buses? it says "We dont want your money, we dont want your lisence, we just want to lessen the number of road deaths"...... The lying basturds.

Nick Graves

Hmm, somehow not quite as catchy as "Arbeit macht frei" or "Long live Big Brother" or "We don't get fooled again"

euan

Playing devil's advocate here .....................

what sort of increase in traffic levels has there been in Lothians over the past year?

surely this could account for the increase in fatalities, and not all RTAs lead to fatalities (whether they do is often a matter of luck).

Article doesn't state what the level of non-fatalaccidents has done over the past year, so it's difficult to make a judgement really.

As ever, it's just a case of manipulating statistics. Whatever, the extra

C7BLE

Euan, with all due respect you don't commute on a daily basis. They are putting Mobile camera units in all the feeder roads into the city, not for speed prevention methinks, more like "Revenue Hotspots"

I can't imagine traffic has gone up much in the last year in lothian

I'm also not convinced about the non fatal accident, they are saying in the article that cutting speed cuts fatalitys yet despite catching an extra 15,000 motorists and doubling the number of speed Cameras an additional 7 seven people died from a figure of 38 last year up to 45 this year.

Fixed cameras in accident hotspots I'm actually OK with, sticking a mobile unit in a layby on queensferry road behind a blind bend I'm not so sure about.

They are on a blitz just now I went through 3 Mobile speed traps today, one on the way on to work and 2 coming back out.

In all instances I was in the danger zone, these roads are 30 mph dual carraigeway and during evening traffic it's almost impossible to be under 30 without getting harrassed by other drivers, undertaken and so on.

Parking up 40% to cover a 7 million pound defecit in Edinburgh councils budget, speed cameras doubled an extra 15,000 motorists convicted, blitz with multiple mobile speed units on all feeder roads in and out of the city during peak traffik periods (but outside rush hour where the opportunities for revenue are down, but the roads could use some policing!)

It's not a huge leap to make for me.

I almost forgot, by targeting drivers commuting into the city, and people parking in the city (i.e. non residents) they are not even taking money from there own constituents. I'm paying for your services Euan and I want revenge!

Kelk

How do you get a census started / requested by the government?

I suggest we get a public vote on speed cameras and do we want them.

Afterall a few people a year are killed walking up and down stairs - does the government install airbags and safety cameras on every staircase in the UK? If saving lives is their ultimate goal then why don't we all walk around in cotton wool and bubble wrap?

euan

Fair cop

I never drive in the city in rush hour, so I don't really know what it's like.

The are on Queensferry road I'm guessing is Cramond Brig ? I have trouble keeping my speed below the limit here due to other traffic, and that's when the roads are relatively quiet! I agree its not an area where speeding is likely to cause serious accidents either - there are plenty 30 limits within the city where a camera would be more appropriate, but would generate less revenue.



Congestion charging - great idea if you don't have to pay it

You ought to be able to get an exemption though Andy - the council apparently is so stupid it has given out exemptions to all sorts of groups of drivers who don't need it - then they'll wonder why the scheme has minimal effect and runs at a loss.......

eSeM

It is .......... Second best thing that Ken Livingstone has done[1].


On the subject of speed cameras - I have never seen any statistics on how many accidents the cameras cause as people slam on their brakes when they see them at the last minute.

The met police admitted that this did cause a lot of accidents in London but didn't have any stats.

I once witnesed a bad accident at Brent Cross as a result of this














[1] Best thing he ever did was exempt bikes from the charge

euan

There you go Andy - get yourself a bike

(An excellent excuse to dig out those leather trousers from that rockstar pic of you that we like so much )