It is believed that cameras will no longer be used as revenue-raisers and that using speeding fines to fund new cameras will be abolished.
According to a report in The Times, camera partnerships including police forces and local authorities will have to consider all other options to improve road safety and can only install a camera as a last resort.
The move aims to restore confidence in traffic policing as the fact forces keep a proportion of camera fines to pay for more cameras has resulted in widespread distrust of the system.
Although the Department for Transport (DfT) says no decision has yet been made on what changes the Government may push through, it is reported that camera fine revenue will be collected centrally and redistributed among the partnership areas for use in all aspects of road safety. This could include making junctions safer, the use of road humps to slow traffic and improving visibility and road markings.
Commenting on the newspaper’s report, SafeSpeed founder Paul Smith said: ‘The DfT appears to be moving in the right direction but it is far too little and far too late.
‘Speed cameras do not make our roads safer and never will. They are a dangerous distraction and must be scrapped. They are founded only on bad science, faulty logic, commercial interest and oversimplified thinking.’
Commenting on the report, a spokesman for the Department for Transport said: ‘Ministers are convinced that safety cameras do save lives. The Government keeps it under constant review but no decisions have been made on what changes will be made to the scheme.’
Earlier this year, a poll of fleet managers found that most (66%) believe that speed cameras are working.
However, the views of more than 500 businesses sourced by LeasePlan found that despite this support, 81% still believed their main purpose was to generate cash for the police.
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