F-in' speed cameras!

Anyone have any experience of the the camera at the top of the A316 as you approach the Hogarth roundabout?

[embee]

No, but came past the camera on the road from Peterborough towards Oundle yesterday, and it's black and charred (again!)

Do cameras HAVE to be disclosed? The London Safety Camera Partnership website for the area doesn't even show it!

There is a report on TV that speed cameras have saved 70 lives

How the hell do they know that?

And 70 lives over a year is hardly worth counting, unless you are one of the 70 of course :P

Originally Posted by wheelnut

There is a report on TV that speed cameras have saved 70 lives

How the hell do they know that?

And 70 lives over a year is hardly worth counting, unless you are one of the 70 of course :P

Yeah right, how the hell did they know those 70 people were dead in the first place. But technically speaking they were'nt saved as they couldn't of been in danger in the first place .......or they'd be dead.

Confused......You will be!

Originally Posted by DanDare

Yeah right, how the hell did they know those 70 people were dead in the first place. But technically speaking they were'nt saved as they couldn't of been in danger in the first place .......or they'd be dead.

Confused......You will be!

I think they look at the accident rate per year before and after the cameras went in. so the drop reflects the number lives saved.

tbh I dont have a problem with speed cameras that are properly located in accident blackspots if they achieve the reduction in casualties. i do when youre in the middle of nowhere on long straights on the a15[?? couldve been 16 was a bit lost ] and they put them in.

Originally Posted by lynw

I think they look at the accident rate per year before and after the cameras went in. so the drop reflects the number lives saved.

Correct, and this is the biggest "mistake" - they usually analyze two years (or not even that) - before and after the camera came in.

Consider the following:

Year Crashes

95 1
96 2
97 1
98 2
99 2
00 1
01 6
02 1
03 1
04 2

From the statistics - a camera would be installed in 2001 (a spike year against the overall trend). The crashes reduced to 1 in 2002. Associated crap from partnership:

"This camera saved 5 lives in one year alone as accidents reduced by 83%"



They all do it.

It would be akin to comparing the death toll in two wars and saying "the use of this tank caused casualties to reduce by 40%" - in other words, there are so many other variables which affect it that they have no hope in hell of judging such a success over a short period of time.

The worrying thing is, with a lot of cameras, the "after" figures are a lot higher than the "before" figures - over many years post-installation.

Originally Posted by wheelnut

There is a report on TV that speed cameras have saved 70 lives

How the hell do they know that?

And 70 lives over a year is hardly worth counting, unless you are one of the 70 of course :P

Which station?

Well if it is an accident blackspot, why dont they do something about it? They seem to know exactly where they are.

I just feel that to put me out of work for a year because I missed a blackspot is wrong.

I know speeding in inappropriate places is wrong but there are different ways then sneaky surveilance.

Driving in France if you come up to a bad accident spot, there is a cardboard model of a biker with blood coming out of his helmet, if its a very bad spot there are two cardboard bikers. In the places where there are three, than put up a camera or better still a mobile patrol who can use common sense.

Just do not try and top up the coffers of a bad government with extra stealth taxes from the public :P

Originally Posted by wheelnut

Well if it is an accident blackspot, why dont they do something about it? They seem to know exactly where they are.

I just feel that to put me out of work for a year because I missed a blackspot is wrong.

I know speeding in inappropriate places is wrong but there are different ways then sneaky surveilance.

Driving in France if you come up to a bad accident spot, there is a cardboard model of a biker with blood coming out of his helmet, if its a very bad spot there are two cardboard bikers. In the places where there are three, than put up a camera or better still a mobile patrol who can use common sense.

Just do not try and top up the coffers of a bad government with extra stealth taxes from the public :P

I disagree with this because cameras are only any good if the accidents are being caused by excessive speed in the first place. Most aren't (approx. 7.4% of all crashes in this country). A lot of "safety" cameras are put up in this country where the accidents had absolutely nothing to do with speed.

Speed is the only thing that they target nowadays, because it's an absolute offence, and therefore revenue can be generated. It's a coincidence that most absolute offences in this country are governed by cameras isn't it? Red lights, speeding, bus lanes... easy money.

Several states in the USA are installing red-light cameras. It's funny becuase the city officials admit directly that they can be used to make up revenue shortfalls in budgets! At least they're honest about it!