Government road safety cuts which could result in the axing of thousands of speed cameras have resulted in a public backlash rather than ending “the war on the motorist”, according to the AA.
The AA has raised concerns about this in a letter to the transport secretary and will raise the issue in a forthcoming meeting with transport ministers.
Many local residents in areas such as Oxfordshire have voiced their fears of the consequences of these moves. This followed a decision by Oxfordshire County Council to reduce the funding provided to the safety camera partnership by 70% which has forced the partnership to announce that camera operations will cease.
The AA is concerned that the views of motorists are not being reflected accurately in this debate and that ultimately lives are at risk.
The AA believes that the Government and local authorities should think hard about the consequences of turning off cameras particularly as it is often local residents who are likely to be adversely affected and who in many cases have called for cameras in their towns and villages in the first place.
The effects of the camera switch-off in Oxfordshire are already being experienced by residents. On the A44 Woodstock Road which runs into Oxford, Carla Bramble, who has lived there all her life, said: "Cars used to slow down when they saw the camera and, because there is another one along the road, they would maintain that speed.
"But now they belt along the road as fast as they like. People have read the papers and they know that all the cameras are off. They know they can go as fast as they want on this road now, and that is what they seem to be doing."
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Author
Gareth Roberts
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