Travel

Do we need more speed cameras?

Graham
We need to get rid of some of the slow incompetent drivers that cause mayhem by their brain dead antics. The majority of drivers need to get from a to b in a busy world and are at risk by having to overtake these people on an inadequate road system .

Joseph Borg
This is a fix! It has to be.”A local public opinion survey showed 85% of surveyed drivers agreed that the use of safety cameras should be supported as a method of reducing road casualties. This compares well with the national figure of 72%. “

Joseph Borg
As they showed on TopGear, adding speed cameras as made no difference to the numbers killed on the road. It's just another way the council can take money off us all. I thought, by law, cameras had to be coated in that iloumious yellow stuff, those pictured clearly aren't.

Dav e Cook
No, we don't! We need police on the roads. Speed isn't the only things that causes accidents, drivers behaving like idiots below the speed limit also cause accidents, but speed cameras don't catch them!

steven dorkings
I agree with tougher speed enforcments, however, speed limits need to be more clearly and regularly signposted. More "your speed" radar warnings could help remind drivers of their speed.

Wilf
Cameras are tax on one group of motorists - the car driver. They don't capture speeding 'white van' drivers, they don't capture people speeding and towing, they don't capture 'tailgaters', they don't capture mobile phone users and 'texters'. Sad to say, I think we need more traffic police to promote road safety.

H Robinson
Providing they are not used as a stealth tax they are a good thing. However it should be proved conclusively that they reduce fatalities if they can't do that they should be removed.

Graham
No to more speed cameras,this is only a easy way to bring in the cash,as theres no give and take ie a couple of mph over.just a fine.And where does this money go to???? Certainly not back into the road system to improve exsisting or build new roads where they are needed.Also most people would agree that the standard of driving has fallen over a good many years,with what people are asked to do whilst driving only puts themselves and others in danger.Another reason being they lull the pedestrians into forgetting where they are ie beside a road,as numerous times I have seen & avoided someone who forgot where they were and stept off the pavement at speed

Tom
Cameras don't catch mobile phone users, etc - they are not so much about safety, just an easy way to screw more money out of motorists.

Chris
Governments and councils have forced people into their cars. We need to travel to work. We need to travel to see our families. We need to travel to get to amenities and shops.But, the government and councils do not put in place adequate infrastructure to carry such large amounts of traffic. They also cut costs rather than doing what is right.Many speed cameras are put in places where there are bad junctions or poor road conditions. Why are these junctions allowed to be there in the first place?Most people can see there will be a problem when cars cross dual carriageways at junctions, so why allow them? Most people know that inadequate slip-roads will cause problems that lead to accidents, so why allow them? Bypassing a village is better than letting large amounts of traffic travel through them, so why allow it?The truth is that government and councils happily allow a hazard in order to cut costs. The Government and councils then feign surprise and prevaricate when accidents occur. The authority response is to slow traffic by putting in a speed camera.Everyone knows that traffic should flow. When traffic does not flow the drivers get frustrated. Frustration causes rash decisions and a lack of concentration. Speed cameras cover up authority mistakes and lead to driver frustration.Instead of a speed camera, the question should be asked…..what is really needed?

Pip
No to more cameras either fixed or mobile, plough the monies into more police officers.

maureen godbold
of course we need more speed cameras.I agree with Jim we certainly need cameras through villages and I notice the flashing lights are totally ignored

Mark
My wife and I have both been fined now for minor infringements while trying to drive as responsibly as possible. Each time it was on holiday and we felt the speed limits were not clear enough on the roads in question. There were also zero pedestrians/cyclists on these roads. When we look at the camera's in our local area it's quite clear that they are sited to catch out tourists. It's getting to the point that if you have a visitor from out of town you need to warn them about each of these synically placed cameras. People are even putting them in their wedding invitations!Unfortunately when you don't know the roads it's very difficult to avoid getting caught out and really leaves a bad taste regard the area you travelled visited. We live in a busy city and find that the camera's are not sited in such a way to protect pedestrians or cyclists, but at the volume traffic. One in particular is placed where the conditions would safely accomodate a higher limit.

john haydock
Yes we do there are far to many speeding vehicles on the roads,

ryan
we do need more speed camra's

Jim
We need proper enforcement of speed through villages. We have no footpaths and vehicles totally ignore the 30 mph restrictions and race through at 50, 60 mph. Stop trying to catch motorists doing 80 mph on the A14 on clear sunny days and concentrate on really dangerous driving

Rob
There is too much focus on speed and not enough on SAFETY! Too many people are being turned into over-zealous and dangerously distracting laws that actually have very little with creating a safe driving environment and more to do with a slow driving environment, which in a lot of circumstances is actually more dangerous.

Joseph Sadler
Yes, blot our landscape with more metal junk. Anyone drove into a scenic village and counted the amount of enforcement signs? It's turning our villages into a complete mess. Fine the councils for "littering" up our landscape!

Barry
Defintely not!!Scrap the mobile 'cash cameras' in 30mph zones & replace them with the 'flashing lights' warning signs. They are effective immediately to the responsible driver who may have drifted over the 30mph limit by a few mph. They will achive what is required immediately & could prevent an accident happening further along the road. mobile cash cameras dont do this - no one knows they have been caught until the letter drops through the door. They are therefore not stoping people from speeding. They are doing what was intended from them & that is to collect more cash

a motorcyclist
I can go for several months around the Forest Heath area, where i live. without seeing a policeman. This stuns people from other areas that i talk to. Strikes me that perhaps the money would be better spent on paying for more police time than on cameras. I know id be alot more likely to slow down if i saw police cars around than if i knew there was a camera.

edward hoad
I think we definitely do need more speed ameras as too many motorists have a cavalier and dangerous attitude towards speed on our roads. More cameras should be accompanied by much more severe penalties for those who persist in putting lives at risk in this way.Paltry fines are not enough of a penalty

bill pott
More cameras to watch traffic and if the see something horrific the police should go out and get them

C Saunders
I think speed limits should be sensible and more people would adhere to them. There is no justification in extending speed limits to village boundaries, which are probably half a mile beyond the last house. I think there should be more Speed Averaging cameras as these are fairer and do not penalise someone who exceeds the speed limit for only a short distance.

Robert Marshall
There are other more dangerous issues than speeding. 1. Holding and using mobile phones when driving (hands free kits are cheap) and 2. Going through level crossings when a train is approaching. Speed cameras are mainly installed because they make money. They also take away the ability for people to think for themselves. I have seen cars driving legally at 30 mph past a primary school at 3:15 when 20 mph would have been better.

Mrs Hawes
We have enough speed restrictions now.Static cameras, fair enough, but mobile cameras only seem to be used as a profit making racket!!

Howard Jarman
Please think about pedestrians. Walking with a child on a narrow pavement in a village 30 mph area is dangerous and nasty when 60% of cars are doing 40mph +. Families and children could get out their cars and walk if traffic was reasonable. Speed cameras are great for pedestrians and children.

Ipswich Driver
No. Take a trip to Colchester and you'll see what more cameras does for you! Too much late-minute breaking, over-cautious driving (which causes frustration with other drivers), people more worried about being caught by the camera than concentrating on the road. Build better roads and faster CONVIENENT public transport. Speed cameras are one of those self financing industries more cameras = more fines = more cameras etc... that don't work but are a cheat's way of pretending to takle a problem. In fact they even cause more speeding. I've seen numerous instnaces of youths racing each other to the camera then breaking sharply to avoid the camera!! And what's more the spot in Colchester is right outside the police station!!!!!

bob suffolk
while there are camera detectors on the market,it is another tax on the poor/stupid.clearly the revenue should be put into active gps speed controllers,installed with security tags at the mot,this would stop the argument,

Dan
If I get caught speeding, I am knowingly breaking the law. More importantly, I am endangering other people's lives, as well as my own, and I'd rather pay a deterent fine than have ruined lives on my conscience: I've only ever seen speed cameras in places where there is clearly a particular danger in exceeding the limit. Thirdly, they do tend to be well signposted and then painted bright yellow, so if I did get caught by one, I wouldn't want to advertise my own stupidity by whingeing about it afterwards.

Graham Harris
More speed cameras at bad accident sites - YES.More speed cameras at unjustified completely rural 30 and 40 limits - definitely NO.

C F Howlett
No..Our village has installed one speed notifying hi-intensity light to warn advancing motorists if they are travelling to fast. This works due to only one driver complying with the info affecting any others following. More of these please and less moneymaking.

Arthur Callaghan
Speed cameras are a blight on our roads and just another form of indirect taxation. As any driver knows, the placement of a speed camera slows traffic for the 100 yards before and after the site and adds no value to safety on the roads at that point. I suggest that it contributes to poor driving as drivers become obsessed with watching their speed instead of the road and conditions. The Safety Camera Partnership is funded by the fines so they are bound to want to extend the scheme and introduce more sites. The money would be better spent on improving driving standards and driver awareness.

peter
No they cause accidents with unexpected braking.Get more Policing of the Roads with Traffic Biking Police and Town Footpatroling Police. We need more human prescence to enforce and Police the Law.

Suffolk Motorist
Certainly not. Speeding in its self is not a crime. Dangereous driving could well be. A fixed or mobile camera can make no judgement as to the relative safety of the vehicle under the conditions prevailing at the time. Better well trained traffic police is the solution but of course it is not revenue raising

K>R> Clements.
No this is just another ploy by the Police to raise more money and persecute the motorists.

Jane
I've got news for you lastbutnotleast. Bad drivers speed. They get in their tin cans put their foot down have no feel for how fast they are going and nor do they care. Speeding is selfish and disrespectful and I am sick of people defending it. Quite often those speeding have children in the car and are the same ones who whine on about people speeding past the school or past their homes. It is about time we all slowed down and respected other road users and people who have to live along roads.

mike
No. It's taxation of those who haven't got GPS detectors. But I take issue with the person saying that people flashing warnings to other drivers of mobile cameras ahead should be ticketed? Where is the crime that they have committed? If the approaching driver slows down, he has committed no crime, so the warning has had the positive effect of slowing traffic (although the government loses another fine). If the approaching driver ignores the warning, they get a ticket. So the warning didn't matter. So what crime has the flashing driver committed ?(unless it's reducing income for the government of ZanuLabour, which obvious must be a hideous crime).

Michael Drury
No we certainly do not need any more speed cameras on our roads.Better for police to clear our roads of uninsured,unqualified and untaxed drivers off the roads which I think will stop many more accidents and deaths on our roads

Lastbutnotleast
Speed does not kill, bad drivers do! More police on the beat and in traffic patrols would do far more good than any extra cameras!Better still take all of the current speed cameras down, sell the metal for scrap and put the money back into local charities!

alan john hill
did you know? somerset council are taking DOWN caneras, not putting up more, there study indicates fixed not any benifete, mobile better reduction.

Jane
No we don't need more fixed point cameras what we need is the average speed cameras and as soon as possible. I traveled down the A1 through an average speed section and it was the first time that everyone around me obeyed the speed limit and didn't just slow down at the cameras. Wonderful and truly the only way to tame the ignorant relentless speeders.

Graham Webb
No - if we are going to have more cameras they should be sited at traffic lights in order tyo catch those 'jumping' red lights - an inceasingly prevelant practice - as the potential for serious accidents is much greater in such situations. It won't happen as the potential income from fines would be much lower although the safety of all road users would be vastly increased.

Ann Terry
No as they do not deter those who exceed speed limits habitually and are used inappropriately by councils to collect more tax. Drivers need to understand that any vehicle is a potential lethal weapon, as it is irresponsibility and carelessness that kills.

Christine Black
Cameras should be time linked and it perhaps more appropriate in most locations that they operate during key times, and not between the hours of, say, 1am and 5am?I'd rather see more police who catch the drunken drivers but use a bit of common sense (which no camera has) if the driver is going a little over the speed limit with no traffic, or people, around.

P Reeve
YES, but they still won't take any notice of them, I seem to be the only one doing the right speed, and the ones behind me get agitated,they should thank me for saving them a speeding ticket and high blood pressure, remove their licence is the answer.

C.Self
I agree with speed camera's at high accident sites such as Haughly Bends. But generally i think they are just another hazard for the proffessional driver. Invest more in making people aware of what the current speed limit is, iluminated signs are excellent, as is painting the limit on the road surface. How many times are you sent into panic when you see a mobile camera van and are unsure of the current speed limit? Strangely enough, camera vans are good at choosing these areas to position themselves. They even appear in the central reservation of the A31 in Hampshire,(which prevents a huge hazard in itself whilst they position themselves). Camera's never catch people with local knowledge, they just pinch the unsuspecting people passing through the area unaware of the limit (often due to poor signage).

David Watson
Cameras are no replacement for active, but much more expensive, safety measures such as traffic lights and roundabouts at busy and/or dangerous intersections. Local and national governments need to spend more money on roads rather than using disguised taxation to persuade people that they are truly interested in safety.

Harold Wilkinson
We need more mobile speed cameras as motorist just slow down for fixed site cameras.

Robert Brett
Yes speed can be a contributory factor in road traffic collisions, however so can bad luck and many other factors. Yes there are people who drive at speeds far in excess of what is deemed to be safe but I was taught to drive to the raod conditions. If you drive at 30 m.p.h. in a 30 m.p.h limit outside a school when the kids are coming out then that must be tantermount to dangerous driving. Passing the same spot at 5:30 am and driving at 35 m.p.h there is surely a reduction in collison factors! Maybe we should drive with a road awareness and not be hunting the dreaded mobile speed cameras that seem to haunt the A12 like the ghosts of Highwaymen of the past!

Gerry Crease
NO! Speed cameras are just another stealth tax. They do not record incidents of bad driving, drivers on phones etc. The only way to improve driving and reduce bad practice is more traffic police on patrol. Since speed cameras were introduced the number of traffic patrols has been reduced.

Charles Nightingale
Whether we have new ones or not, all the camera road signs should give the speed limit displayed - one can sometimes not be sure what it is. There should be no camera signs if there are no cameras.

Matt Speed
I think that in the right place safety cameras are an excellent idea, however the problem arises where a driver will simply speed up after they have passed covered area! Surely this is more dangerous as the driver brakes suddenly speeds up again afterwards!!

Less safe cameras?
I would like to point out that on the blind summit where I stick to the 40 limit I get overtaken at least once a week by cars doing 50 despite the clear 40 limit and camera signs. I think if I was speeding like the rest of them I wouldn't get overtaken and the road would be safer in that location.

james dyes
i think saftey cameras will hold up the traffic and whenthe traffic lights turn red the buses just jump the lights

Richard Couldridge
Yes, I think clearly marked speed camera location work well. This prevents people from speeding and therefore reduces accident. Covert cameras should be stopped in preference to overt speed reduction methods.

Richard
Speed cameras only enforce a somewhat arbitrary speed limit that has been agreed as a maximum to cover under the worst conditions. When people say ‘if you break the law you should be fined’ they forget that a speed limit is not a natural law of society such as ‘you shall not kill or steal’ but something administratively imposed on drivers by a committee. As more responsibility is taken away from the driver with compulsory rules and regulations the less attention and skill they tend employ in their driving. The secret to reducing accidents is to up skill drivers and encourage them to set their own responsible limits combined with observance & enforcement by specially trained road traffic police again. More accidents are caused by thoughtlessness, lack of skill or consideration, drunkenness, rudeness, aggression, influence of drugs, tiredness, inattention and a host of other shortcomings rather than just going a bit too fast. But speed can be measured easily and all the other things cannot so that is why we are lumbered with speed cameras as the easy option that also makes money. So, no we don’t need more cameras, but bring back road traffic police who can monitor driving standards everywhere and take appropriate action where needs be.

Mrs J Brinkley
Surely the should have speed/safety cameras right where they are needed not 1/2mile away. Example - Stonham where the A140 and A1120 cross. Traffic slows down for the cameras and then goes hurtling through down the A140 at the A1120 junction at unmentionable speeds

Nicholas Webber
If motorists handled their vehicles in a more socially aware manner we would not need speed cameras. Sadly there are too many ingnorant, incompentent and agressive drivers on the roads such that speed cameras (along with other means) are required to act as a deterent.So, yes, we do need more. We also need to camoflage them so that motorists drive within the speed limits at ALL times and not just when they see a camera.

Brian
If only motorists departed 15 minutes earlier there would be no need for them to speed needlessly in order to arrive to work ontime. Until then, I say put your mobile camera units out in force in some of the villages with problems and urge/caution drivers not to flash their lights to save someone from a well deserved speeding ticket. Ticket drivers that do. There is no need for additional fixed speed cameras as motorists will become accustomed to the location and drive 'sensibly' as they approach. Drivers of all ages need to use common sense and be patient.

ron jenkins
if the government were truely thinking of saving lives they would legislate to get vehicles manufactured to do less speed, it is easier for them to collect the fines and blame the motorist

David Whitemore
No more speed cameras please

Peter Sharpe
Suffolk does not need more cameras, what is required is a more sensible use of speed limits,not just 30mph if thereis a house on the horizon and unlimited elsewhere.Various limits should be used, cyclists should be made to use dedicated tracks where they exist and pedestrians must be made to realise that vehicles have right of way on roads.

Peter Wyllie
Yes we do need more speed cameras especially in the approach roads to villages where the old straight approach roads such as Wood bridge S, Saxmundaham N & S and Aldeburgh lead to excessive speeds well within the limits.

Matt
The answer is no. Speed does NOT kill people, its dangerous drivers that do. There are a lot of people driving too slowly and with too much hesitation on the road that create just as much danger as drivers who go 2mph over the speed limit!

Ron Simpson
It's not more cameras we need but a more visible Police presence. As a daily A14 driver some of the behaviour is breathtakingly bad but there is never a police car to be seen. Cameras do not catch drink drivers, tailgaters or overbearing truckers who totally intimidate any car which gets in their way. More Police patrols please.

maureen
yes we certainly do need more speed cameras,the arragance of the drivers that speed beggars believe,the comments that people make about the money made from speeding fines is ludicrous.

Tanya Swarbrick
Only People who exceed the speed limits have anything to fear from cameras

joe
stop this senseless unoficial taxation...own up to the fact that these are speed cameras and not safety cameras...they are there to make money pure and simpleAll those who throw the you could kill a child argument need to grow up...i have never seen children playing on a motorway so stop scaremongering and face the factsExcessive speed makes for less than 7% of serious accidents. Drunk driving and falling asleep at the wheel are far higher. Find me a camera that can spot these and i'll support it.

Tony Ambler
As a local driver I do not see speed cameras reducing the speed of a number of drivers, who tail-gate and intimidate those of us who keep to a reasonable speed. On a number of occasions I have received threatening gestures for observing the speed limit. Cameras will not change the attitude of some drivers.

John Anderson
If they prevent accidents and save lives then I fully support more sites.However the income from speeding fines should be used solely for road safety purposes and not as an alternative source of council revenue.I also feel there are more serious traffic offences not being pursued as vigorously and that speed cameras are seen by local authorities as an easy option. Local authorities need to target drink drivers, dangerous drivers and youngsters using town centres as race tracks in the evenings if they really want to make a difference and safer roads.

fiona dyes
i think speed cameras should be on the main road

Chrism
Once more government councils and police are opting out of safety 7 traffic mangement for the exercise of revenue raising I am like amny people that would like to see more mobile patrols of police who can educate penalise and advise drivers on the driving. The traffic camera is failing and it is not improving the standard of driving on our roads. all it is doing is breeding contempt for the authorities

Steve
When was the last time aspeed camerea caught a Drunk driver or a tailgater? Use the money to pay for more traffic police

David Miller
No, if the goverment reduced the need to use private transport with a reliable, competitive public network system everybody would benifit. other gripes include allowing tractors on the A14, lorrys overtaking lorrys because the are going 2 mph faster. A14 should be updated to a motorway immediately.

jamie rich
yes we need more speed cameras i used to live in a childrens home on the a140 and the speed the cars used to fly past was teffiying there was a accident where a car crashed into our front gate killing the passangers they need to slow down on that road

Eddie Ayers
We difinatatly need more Camara's as drivers just ignore most speed limits.

Old Timer
Speed and aggressive and selfish driving on our roads is a reflection on the 'me first' attitudes of todays society.Our real problems stem from the amount of traffic on our roads and the fact that the motor car has now got into the hands of irresponsible and inadequate people who think that just because they have passed a driving test they are fit to be on the road. Few, if any, of them treat the art of driving as a skill and go on to perfect and hone their knowledge and ability. Most do not even know where to put the oil in an engine! Let alone how the machine they are in charge of works, or stops!Many years ago someone made the prophetic comment'God help use when the motor car gets into the hands of the working classes'This was realy intended to illustrate what would happen if it got into the hands of the wrong people.It has...so regulation is inevitable, and cameras are one weapon in the arsenal.Effectiveness questionable..as people have pointed out it is often a case of slow down then speed up. More police? Yes, sight of a patrol car has a very calming effect, but manpower and cost.Greater use of flashing signs certainly, these draw people attention to the fact that they may be going just a fraction too fast and it is fractions too fast that catch most of those caught by cameras, with a fine.Bet if the figures were available it would show that the vast majority of those caught had blameless records.Getting the real cowbows, seldom I would suggest.The cowbows will speed and break the law whatever happens, and when they are caught and lose their licence, come out of court, get in their car and drive off!

sherry
Yes every 100 yards!With the current price of petrol there soon wont be any cars vans or lorries to catch speeding anyway.Think how useful they will be for horse and carts though!

M. Jones
Speed cameras would not have picked up the idiot tailgating me on the A14, nor the 'under taker'. More police traffic cars NOT cameras.

Robert Jones
No we don't, we all know its a way of making money. put resourses into other crime.

Stephen Anderson
There are many comments that I agree with so I do not intend to repeat them here. However, there seems to be a large number of contributors who think that speeding is not anti social, let alone a crime. These are the ones I disagree with. Just because many drivers break the law, it does not follow that speeding is not a crime any more than dropping litter isn't a crime because so many people do it. The lamest "fact" most often qouted by those who feel that their speeding is not a risk to other road users is that speeed is not the cause of many accidents. And they are right. But the greater the speed, the more likely it is that the accident will result in death or serious injury, particularly where children are involved.Start you journey earlier and stop pretending you are a highly skilled F1 driver, because the chances are you are not.

jones
A self perpetuating partnership that will only stop growing when all drivers are preceded by a man with a red flag. Far rather have more mobile traffic police, they are much more effective for road safety but not as effective for revenue earning.

Chris
Static speed cameras no.variable speed cameras yes. Education and retesting of motorists definatley.If we were all more curtious towards each other on the roads and followed the highway code the roads would be a safer place.

ron
if the government is keen to reduce accidents involving speed why doesn't it limit the ability of the modern car to do these "great" speeds?Why allow cars unlimited speed ability because they might visit germany and be allowed no limit on the autobahns there?

Jack
Speed Camera's are just a way for the government to bring in some more money. Average speed camera's are much better for slowing speed down, and the 'Happy Face' 'Sad Face' speed camera's make people think of their speed without fining people that miss the signs. I've found the mobile one around Ipswich has worked really well!

Richard
Yes, among other measures. It is largely immaterial whether speed causes accidents: it is beyond argument that speeed incresases the severity of the accidents (or crashes - they are seldom true accidents) that do occur. Most of your correspondents decline to distinguish between the reasonableness or otherwise of a limit, and its enforcement. If the limit is inappropriate there should be a mechanism for representations to be made to have it changed. That has nothing to do with enforcement: those who get zapped only have themselves to blame (subject to proper signing of limits, which is sometimes defective). As for revenue, of course it is a method of supplementing taxation to pay for things we all like to have in society, and who better to pay for those benefits than law-breakers?

Colin
Stop calling revenue collection speed cameras 'safety cameras', nobody beleaves you.

Steve
Howabout more realistic speed limets, for eg. the 30 one at Brantham is to slow this only causes frustration when somebody does only 25. What about a minimum speed limet for the A14 Some people often drive back from Felixstowe at about 40

Ian
No - Lowering the death toll on roads is about changing attitudes & stopping dangerous driving.Cameras do nothing to prevent this. They are just cash machines & I am sorry to say are used by the Police to artifically increase their conviction rate when they really should be out there dealing with "real" crime.The speed limits on many sections of road are artifically low & when combined with cameras just make the public very cynical about the posting of speed limits to raise revenue.

susan
No- they are just a way of collecting more revenue. The answer is more police patrols to catch offenders committing other crimes such as using a mobile. sPEED Limits should be more realistic - in France they vary according to the weather conditions.

John
Police funding is a critical issue. Speed cameras are a direct and controllable revenue stream. A very effective tax on the motorists. The proportion of police resource (people/salaries)allocated to this policing function is insignificant compared to the income stream. What about police contribution to rural regeneration of market towns and villages? On a saturday night it is garuanteed that there will be more police out on traffic duties than there is in the town centers. Is the police message one that says its ok for dunken brawls and people being assulted in these areas but it is not acceptable for the minority of drivers to exceed the speed limit on a quiet saturday evening on the roads? A very clear mis-alignment of priorities - or is it?

Mike Martin
Most people who travel the A12 from Ipswich to Lowestoft find the journey so slow because of the speed limits often imposed in open country side with no houses around, find that when they get to Lowestoft most forget what it was they were going for. SPEND THE MONEY TO IMPROVE THE ROADS.

michael
great, more camera's. whats the point people only sloww down for a matter of a few yards then speed up till the next one. you only have to watch the brake lights after they have sped passed you

John
Introducing speed cameras has had the effect of making motorists less compliant with speed limits. Unless a limit is backed up with a camera drivers are less likely to slow down. Limits should reflect the road situation they are applied to, not by some arbitrary administrative boundary. Unless speed limits are applied in practicable way to reflect road conditions, motorists will have no respect for them. The 30mph limit on the Westerfield Road into Ipswich is a case in point. It derestricted for years without incident, then a blanket 30mph limit was applied across Suffolk. The other day I noticed it is now a 40mph limit!! How can we have respect for speed limits with this kind of nonsense going on?

Keith
I'm shocked. This page refers to a report being put before an upcoming SCC meeting... in December 2004 - three years ago. Yet it shows the page was last updated on 21st November 2007.I feel that three years is probably long enough to update a page in order to keep it current...

lucy C
i think that we should have speed camras in places like villages and towns where theres lots of predestrianss rather than on big moterways

Allan
Zena said: "No, we don't need more. I work on the A1214 heading into Ipswich, a mobile van regularly sits just up from my office, a site where there are small 'prangs' from time to time, but never a major incident. People speed along there regardless. HOWEVER, a policement recently stopped by the office and asked if we minded him doing a speed check outside, instead of pulling people over, he simply gave the speeding drivers a 'slow down' signal...and bingo, the traffice all slowed...and stayed slow- not speed up one past the blackspot. The moral of the story? You don't need fines to slow people down, simply make them think!Cameras cause more accidents than save lives." How do you know the traffic "stayed slow"? Even if what you say about this policeman were true - I personally think that what you say is complete fiction - how many tens of thousands of police officers would it take to cover all the roads in the country twenty-four hours a day?! And cameras do NOT cause so-called accidents, they reduce them, as numerous research shows. If you have any evidence to the contrary to support your claim, then please provide it.

Claire
The only people who really dislike cameras are those who are likely to be caught. If you observe the speed limit it doesn't matter one way or another if they are there.

John
No as all that is required is for the penalty's for on the road traffic offences to be lot tougher.

David
Haughley bends is terrible.

Dave
The funny thing is that speed is not the most important factor in most accidents - it is (lack) of driver skill/attention. Before speed cameras total UK road casualties were declining - since cameras replaced patrols the numbers are static. There is no solid evidence that they work at all - just that they are cheap, easy to install and the number caught can be held up as "success"

Paul
NO. They don't catch the morons who cause the accidents, the guys that don't look, don't indicate, don't move left on the motorway and those that don't use their lights in heavy rain or fog to name but a few. In most of these cases speed is just a coincidence, not the cause.I'd vote for 'muppet cams' every day of the week

John Hickmott
Cameras are only part of the solution' what is really needed is are more active Police patrols. Police officers are able to deal with all motoring offence's as well as being a visible presence to deter real criminals.

Tim
we don't need more speed cameras we need more traffic police. Camera cannot detect the appaling driving standards on the A14 in particular where lorries seem to be involved in most accidents. Speed is not the only issue we should be addressing, we should be using police officers to catch poor driving standards.

Roger
Apart from the obvious misnomer - for safety read revenue, the cameras do have a place. However, it's not neccessarily the speed which causes the problems but people ignoring the 2 second gap rule is far more likely to cause accidents. Travelling at 100 mph with a suitable gap is far less dangerous than driving at 30 mph a car's length from the vehicle in front. In addition, I agree with Richard some of the speed limits are perverse - straight roads - no houses and 30 mph - why?

Ian
I think maybe average speed camera checks should be in place. People just slow down for cameras, then speed up again. Personally if it's just a camera. Would it be worth the money???

Richard
I could cope with speed cameras if the limits were realistic. Is it just Suffolk where there are 30mph limits in open countryside?If the limits matched the need they would have more respect and we would have less motorists slamming on brakes when they reach a camera.

katherine lowe
Speed cameras should be placed at accident sites until the council spends money on improving the juntions. They should also be put outside all schools to make people slow down - surely this would be cheaper than all the speed bumps (that people speed in between anyway),and numerous speed limit signs. This would be a real deterrent and would make most people drive at a sensible speed. It is rarely simply speed that kills just drivers' sheer incompetence, tunnel vision or lack of common sense.

Zena
No, we don't need more. I work on the A1214 heading into Ipswich, a mobile van regularly sits just up from my office, a site where there are small 'prangs' from time to time, but never a major incident. People speed along there regardless. HOWEVER, a policement recently stopped by the office and asked if we minded him doing a speed check outside, instead of pulling people over, he simply gave the speeding drivers a 'slow down' signal...and bingo, the traffice all slowed...and stayed slow- not speed up one past the blackspot. The moral of the story? You don't need fines to slow people down, simply make them think!Cameras cause more accidents than save lives

Ann
I don't think more speed cameras will slow everyone down. I drive every day both in the 'rush' hour and during the day. Unfortunately during the day is more frustrating as everyone goes at a slow speed (under 30mph often) as they are out for a drive, or just nipping to the shops. Drivers be aware that some of us want to get to their destination in a timely manner, not speeding but at a sensible rate - within the speed limit on A14 and on the local country roads. With regard to one comment, remove larger HGVs - I presume you still want food and consumables delivered to your shops? Without HGVs on the road commerce would not happen to the rural areas.

Jane
Duh Bunching is caused by morons breaking the speed limit catching up with law abiding drivers. Result - speeding morons are to blame as usual. It takes skill and concentration to follow road rules - apparently large numbers have licences with no real ability to drive. I'm sick to death of speeding whingers who only have themselves to blame. It is a sad reflection on our society that these people are unable to say 'fair cop' when caught. It always followed by ' but I needed to.....' or 'its not fair' or ' but I was only doing....'. Grow up and accept responsiblity for your own actions

Rob
I'm probably the antithesis of your average member of the Law 'n' Order/Flog 'em 'n' Hang 'em Brigade, but I'm completely in favour of any measure that will help to catch the selfish cretins who put people's lives at risk every day.The most ludicrous argument put forward by opponents of speed cameras is that they are revenue producers. Well, the solution is so excruciatingly simple that I can only assume that those who haven't worked it out should be banned from driving on the grounds of mental incapacity: grow up, stick to the speed limit and stop being so bloody selfish. You won’t have to pay a penny and you may even avoid killing an innocent child.

Roger Tombs
Regrettably, speed cameras (eg 50mph on A14) cause bunching (tail-gating) and erratic swerving into tight gaps, in turn causing the dominoe effect braking which in turn causes accidents; they may be less severe, but it's the cameras that cause them. With so many (observed by camera) restrictions on main roads, the net result is ridiculous (un-observed)speeding on our country roads throughout the day, and later by drunken youngsters at night where the noise nuisance and the speeding goes un-punished, whilst us poor law abiding souls on the main roads are un-justly persecuted by faceless patrols and cameras. No! Cameras should be scrapped and better driving; eg 100% use of indicators to signal every manouvre, should be pursued instead.

Chrism
our society has far to many cameras of all descriptions road trafficcameras are not safety cameras they are revenue raisers for the unwary amd do not take into consideration condtions driver judgment or skills and are flouted by the increasing amount of illegal drivers , better policing of our roads and education of drivers is a far more effective way. Road safety is also about the care of people, our society places more emphasis on the individual and money that it does on the community.The "Speed Camera" is an abrogation by Council,Police & government in its duties for a more proactive involment in policing and welfare in the community. It is foolishness to think that more cameras would curb the actions of irresponsible or careless drivers.

nicola
No! Better roads, fewer large lorries, sensible speed limits and restrictions on younger/new drivers would have a greater safety impact.

Guy Marcal
Driving around some of Suffolks beautiful countryside I am always shocked by the number of motorists flouting the traffic laws. Most seem to speed through villages without any consideration for the safety of others. Seeing this on a daily basis I have little sympathy for any motorist arguing against more speed camaras being introduced. In particular I think that there should be more put in villages where drivers tend to speed through.

MR CHRIS LEVETT
I LIVE ON THE A12 AT WRENTHAM AND REGULARLY HAVE VEHICLES WELL EXCEEDING THE 30MPH SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE ADDITIONAL CAMERAS ON THE A12.THE SAME DRIVERS WHO USE THE ROAD FLOUT THE SPEED LIMITS ON A DAILY BASIS.USING AVERAGE SPEED CAMERAS LIKE THE ONES THEY USE ON SOME SECTIONS OF THE M25 WOULD WORK VERY WELL AS IT WOULD STOP DRIVERS SLOWING DOWN FOR ORDIANARY SPEED CAMERAS THEN SPEEDING UP AGAIN AFTER THEY HAVE GONE THROUGH.

Anthony Weller
Speed cameras are fine but with many variable speed limits it's often not obvious what the actual speed limit is. Every speed camera sign should be accompanied with a speed limit sign showing the speed limit. In general I believe speed limit signing is poor which needs improvement.

John Crane
NO, NO. NO. Drivers should be educated to drive safely according to the prevailing road conditions.

Malcolm
What is needed is better driver recognition of hazards and where they are likely to be. Speed cameras will not affect the really dangerous drivers - those with no tax, insurance etc. Speed limits are inconsistent, sometime quite irrational and mostly ignored. I have tried driving on the A140 at 50 --- what happens I am flashed, overtaken and feel I am therefore creating a hazard. What we need is sensible speed limits, better and continuous driver training, pedestrian training and safer car design.

David
No. They are a menace. If we are to have them then they should be clearly and unambiguously signed and the relevant speed limit shown nearby.

Mike
More police on the roads and proper penalties, 12 points and £1000 fine seems reasonable, for lunatics using mobile phones while driving. These cause more accidents and near accidents than speed. It has been demonstrated that a driver on the phone responds as badly, if not worse, than a drunk driver! Let's see a proper attempt to stop it - it's easy to spot if you have police not cameras out there!

Mike
There are already too many speed cameras. A more useful approach would be to REMOVE many of the ludicrous speed limits that have spawned across open field areas. This would reduce frustration and people taking risking chances in the odd bits that remain unrestricted. Having so many limits has reduced respect for speed limits in general and means that many now ignore the important ones as well as the ridiculous ones!

Edward Coales
New speed cameras should only be positioned at accident black spots and not elsewhere as a means to raise revenue.

ramduck
im ok with more cameras if....they are placed only in black spots or residential areas shops,schools and such like.then hidden too.also keep clear and double yellow lines should be inforced by school and shops to penalize lazy parents who have lost the power on movement and thinking

RUSSELL
I BELIEVE THE POLICE SHOULD TAKE A BIT MORE CARE IN THE WAY THEY DRIVE

Robert Butler
Yes. We need more safety cameras both fixed and mobile.

Steve
It is not always speed that kills,my son was killed last year on his motorcycle, he was doing 24 to 26 mph, by a moronic car driver who could not wait for 30 secs at a road junction! Driver then blamed the road junction, a mere fine and short ban, we are left in total devastation for ever.

D Jackson
More cameras would only make sense if there were some consistency in speed limits in the county. Average speed cameras would be much more sensible - especially at the Haughley bends. And please hide them!

Jane
Looks as though we need some less selfish people behind the wheel and preferably some with some sort of brain as well. All the moronic comments about 'anti camera number plates' and 'I'll drive how I want' this isn't all about you. If you were the only one on the road this suicidal approach would be fine but you aren't and you can't predict what is around the next corner - it could be a horse rider or a child neither of which you can predict with total accuracy how they might behave. Learn to drive expecting there to be a hazard to deal with and not with the no-brain attitude of 'well there wasn't anything thing there yesterday so there won't be today'. Driving skill requires proper attention any idiot can speed all you do is put your foot down. The skill comes in following the law and considering others.

Simon
No more cameras thanks. They really do not stop accidents or deaths, they simply tax those who are unaware of the sites. The majority of us slow down then speed up again. Lets have the Police back in patrol cars, as many as you like. Ask yourselves does speed kill or is it inappropriate speed that kills? Lets have a lot more driver training, especially on how to use dual carriageways and motorways. Bring in compulsory green L plates - not because learners cause accidents just so that others give them an easier time on the road. Have retests for those who are banned and for everybody at say 65. Oh and the state pays for all of this, motorists already pay a fantastic amount in taxes, stealth or otherwise now.Do cameras stop tailgating, undertaking those who think they own the overtaking lane, any other driving crimes, no they don't. In case you might be wondering, no I'm not in the Police or related to one, I just think that cameras are a rotten way of spending our money to little or no purpose.

Chris
There is no need or justification for more cameras. They only affect traffic speed for approx 100m around the camera, but raise millions in fines from the inattentive.Money spent on more police on the road would, in my opinion, have much more effect on speed and other driving offences. I still as many if not more dangerous situations caused by people driving whist on the phone than caused by people speeding.

Alan Stick
It seems the police have decided to only persecute the motorist. When were they given the right to decide which laws they will uphold?

NEVIL
PLACED IN HIGHLY VISIBLE POSITIONS AT KNOWN ACCIDENT SPOTS THEY WILL HELP. HOWEVER I SAW A POLICE FORD MONDEO ESTATE CAR WITH A CAMERA POINTING THROUGH THE REAR WINDOW . THE OPERATER WAS CLOSE TO THE WINDOW AND "SHUFFLING" AROUND WHILE LOOKING THROUGH THE CAMERA.ANY MOVEMENT CAN SERIOUSLY DISTORT THE READINGS. THE REAR WINDOW WAS TINTED AND ALSO HAVE HEATER WIRES EMBEDDED IN THE GLASS. SURELY THE WIRES MUST DEFLECT AND CAUSE ERRONEOUS WAVES TO AND FROM THE CAMERA.THIS MUST RESULT IN MANY UNDESERVED PROSECUTIONS AND CAUSE UNDUE STRESS AND HARDSHIP TO DRIVERS!!

Clark
There should be more safety cameras on our roads, preferably hidden so that speeding drivers are fined copious amounts of money to fund the shortfall of this government. I'd sooner reckless drivers paid this money than law abiding motorists.

Nigel
Well, looking at this lot I'd say that the case is proven. We clearly require some kind of device to catch idiots who think that they are perfectly OK to drive at 45mph in built up areas and 145 on motorways. The rural 30 mph limits occur where there is a significant risk of there being pedestrian traffic. If you hit a pedestrian at 35mph you are 50% more likely to kill them than at 30 mph. And I get tired of people who keep on saying that 'speed is only a factor in 15%, or 7%, of accidents. When did a stationary car cause an accident? They are quoting reports such as TRL report 323, which records 15% of accidents as down to speed alone. Few accidents are that simple, but speed is often the underlying problem. A driver flying round a bend too fast in the wet, skidding, and killing a pedestrian might be recorded as 'adverse weather' but if he'd been driving at a sensible speed in the first place all would have been well.Speed cameras are a tax on lawbreakers. Reasonable, sensible, and considerate driver need have no fear of them. Bring them on, I say, and anything else which forces people to act responsibly behind the wheel.

greg phillips
speed cameras are just another stealyh tax

Steve
Yes there should be more speed cameras, then there will be less police on the road giving me every chance I can to speed. Safe in the knowledge that I won't be caught because I have anti camera proof registration plate.

Warren
Where did Lucy Robinson find people in favour of speed cameras? I don't know any. Working for a haulage company, I see the safest, most conciencious and courtious drivers totting up enough penalty points for a ban. The purpose of scameras is not to increase safety, but to persecute and fleece the motorist.

Velinny
I drive what I want when I want as long as I feel in Control and am sensible it means i could be going 138mph on the A12 but I would be in as much control as if i were going 30mph! it is to make money not to save lives!

Dave
Will the roads be much safer if there are more speed cameras and drivers are forced to look at their speedos all the time rather than looking where they're going.

Carole Smith
No more cameras, I am not a speeder anyway, but I now spend more time looking at my speedometer when I should be looking at the road just in case I should slip over, I would rather there was more policing of the road as a speed camera can't catch a drunk as long as they are within the speed limit, this is just a stealth tax (why else would you place a camera at the bottom of a hill?)and I do not believe it is getting to the root of the problem.

Paul
Cameras shuold be where accidents occur and not where they will generate the most money for the goverment

Peter Raynor
No, they are only a means to earn revenue, more often placed so they cannot be seen easily and not where a reduction in speed would benefit. The cameras on the Haughley bends do not stop 40ft containers straddling both lanes of the East bound A14 and the centre junction to travel West, money spent on the road would be a far better option

Ray Esdale
I believe that speed cameras, in their current form, are not working. A better idea is to 'train' drivers to keep their speed within the law. This could be achieved by using the electronic gizmos that indicate the speed at which a car is travelling. If this is in excess of the limit then the driver has the oppurtunity to do something about it before the the camera 100 metres further on takes the photo. It is also silly to set cameras at 'limit +10% + 2' as this would mean it's ok to drive at 67 in a 60 limit and 78 in a 70 limit. Set it at 'limit + 4', wherever it is.

John Geaney
During a recent visit to Australia, I was impressed to see variable time of day speed restrictions outside schools that were enforced by speed cameras. I would support similar restrictions outside Suffolk schools (and not more stealth tax cameras on 70mph roads).

ashley
yes we need more speed cameras in more built up towns and villages

Cate
Looking at some of the recent comments we are in big trouble. Adam is so arrogant he thinks laws don't apply to him and Matthew is trying to make a strange correlation between driver skill and speed cameras?? Can't work out what he is on about at all. Alan thinks that drivers attention will be diverted - sorry but part of their attention is supposed to be given to what speed they are travelling at - if they can't manage that then they really should hand in their licence. All in all a load of whingers - slow down, save the environment (it uses less fuel if you don't have a lead foot!), save the wildlife and a few of your fellow citizens as well. Above all stop thinking that your journey is so important that it gives you the right to disregard the law. Unless you are driving an emergency service vehicle it doesn't and that is that. Simple really. Slow down selfish speeders.

Matthew
No. We do not need any more cameras. There are too many unskilled drivers on the nations roads!

Adam
I drive at 45mph in cities and 140mph on motorways. Its what my car and I are capable of handling safely, and this nonsense about cameras and little kiddies should end, if you're a good enough driver, you use judgement to calculate speed, not rules.

Sara Millburn
Not more in a generalised sense....more outside Schools and less on dual carriageways!

Alan Woodley
No we do not need more cameras. They cause drivers to divert attn from the road to their speed and have no affect on road safety. They are an excuse to raise money.

Dave Hitchman
I've asked for some FOI requests outlining the number of KSI incidents at the sites of several cameras around the A14 and A11. Only on one site has the info come back. The site concerned (A11) had one killed 8 yrs back, several injured on nearby roundabouts - away from the A11, but the camera was facing down a sliproad onto the A11 where it would only raise money, not save lives. In the meantime, the council have measured the speed of cars past my sons school entrance, in a 30mph zone 5% were about 60mph, of course there won't be a camera there - wouldn't raise enough money, even though it will save lives.

john cobbold
just another money making scheme for the government, no lives will be saved.

Chris Davis
I Drive 40,000 miles a year,I hardly ever see a police patrol, but see lots of people using hand held mobile telephones, I see people slowing down for speed cameras and driving like lunatics as soon as they pass them. Cameras are just a means of earning more revenue,unfortunately the revenue is not pumped back into police patrol units.A more visible Police presence might make people think and deter them from using the phone.At the moment they feel safe and get away with it.

John Tricker
Speed Cameras are a very good earner of revenue for the partnerships that operate them.However I don't believe that they will contribute a great deal toward road safety until such time as they operate on a system whereby they have variable speed restrictions depending on the time of day.Driving just under the limit where road conditions at the time don't allow such speed escapes the penalty but driving faster on an open road with very little other traffic cannot be regarded as harmful surely! If the authorities want you to drive slower then why not make the cameras very obvious!!! It seems to me that by trying to make them less so then revenue may be their primary "reason to be".

mike
more police on the road

Christo
Well done Jane - sock it to them! Remember the ROSPA says: "Excessive speed contributes to 28% of collisions in which someone is killed, 18% of crashes resulting in a serious injury and 12% of all injury collisions. This means that around 1,000 people are killed each year on Britain’s roads because drivers and riders travel too fast, and over 6,000 are seriously injured. Approximately two-thirds of all crashes in which people are killed or injured happen on roads with a speed limit of 30 mph or less. At 35 mph a driver is twice as likely to kill someone as they are at 30 mph."

Anne Hayward
Speed cameras do not detect drunk drivers or lousy drivers who are invariably well within the speed limit but driving with little or no consideration for others!Also the limits should be realistic. Since the 70mph on dual carriageways was set cars have improved beyond recognition and 80m.p.h is now perfectly safe ON SUITABLE ROADS IN GOOD CONDITIONS! Suffolk's blanket 30m.p.h. through ALL villages even when there are no houses near by and there has never been an accident only brings the whole scheme into disrepute. Also, while lower limits outside schools are an excellent idea during term time they should be lifted to the same level as the surrounding area during the 3 months of the year that the schools are closed. Easily done with an electronic system such as that used on motorways. It appears that the biggest cause of accidents on the A14 is the lorries. The days are gone when the drivers of such vehicles were the knights of the road. Nowadays they seem to work on the 'I'm bigger than you are, get out of my way' principle - even when they are too clapped out to reach the speed they think they can. The only way that can be dealt with is more Police patrols/vehicle checks to ensure they are roadworthy and not overloaded.

David.A.Thorpe
if they involved fining foriegn drivers that speed and try to intimidate drivers by driving within a few yards of other drivers also now that traffic has slowed on the A140 you get long lines of traffic that drivers take chances joining from side roads my vote is NO

George
If the cameras were to focus on all the speeding HGVs on local roads there would be a benefit. These vehicals are responsible for a disproportionate amount of the accidents and disrution and yet do not trigger any of the existing cameras when travelling at their customary 60MPH when they are restricted by law to 50MPH

G Hall
Speed cameras are nothing more then a revenue earner as others point out excess speed is a factor in 5% of RTA's. Driving is about more then M.P.H. and we need the road infrastructure that the motorist has paid for (and some), more trafpol who have been Hendon trained and better training for all other drivers.

Jane
For all you speeding morons - what a shame you can't be trusted to slow down and follow the road rules. If drivers were capable of following quite simple laws we wouldn't need speed cameras and we certainly wouldn't need to waste money on more traffic police. Police time should be spent on solving real crimes not on idiot drivers.

matt
no way, and now they are infra red, talk about sneaky, lets all move abroad

Barbara Craig
NO, we need more real breathing, flesh and blood police on the roads than more speed cameras! Speed cams cant catch un-licenced, no MOT,insurance, dangerous motorists! a human being can. AND its proven that cameras CAUSE accidents, NOT reduce them

Steve
It depends how many is more? Single cameras cause people who know they are there to slow down and speed up as they go by the camera. People who don't know that they are there will hit the breaks if they see them late. Both tactics are dangerous. If there are sufficient cameras to cover an area then they can be effective. Public transport suffers because we put one bus on the road and then wonder why people don't regard this as a service, so why expect any different reaction to a handful of speed cameras?

Mark
I was interested to read Ms Robinson's comments. Especially after on the 29/10/06 (Daily Telegraph) the government released figures stating excess speed accounted for only 5% of all fatalities/ road accidents. Sounds like someone cannot join the dots.

Mike C
I would like to see more speed flashing signs than cameras, as these are a better way of reminding the driver they may be just breaking the speed limit.

Chris Mapey
Yet more claptrap about speed kills. Not true. Speed is a factor on only 5% of accidents, not "the vast majority" as quoted above. (Source: Government's own figures). Speed cameras have their place outside schools and places where the speed of traffic needs to be minimized. I would prefer the money that is spent on cameras to be ploughed back to the Suffolk Constabulary to their underfunded traffic officer to enable more police to be monitoring the drivers, rather than cameras only focussing on speed, rather than bad driving. As we all know, if you go under the speed limit you MUST be a good driver, even if you have no insurance, bald tyres, no tax, and no licence, the cameras will let you by. Not a trained traffic officer. Let's make Suffolk's roads relly safe. Stop wasting money on meaningless quangos and "Safety partnerships" and put the money into training more traffic officers.

Shane Mortimer
Lies, lies and more lies. Excessive speed makes for less than 7% of serious accidents. Drunk driving and falling asleep at the wheel are far higher. Find me a camera that can spot these and the ever increasing mobile user without handsfree and i'll support it. Until then, we all know they are Greed cameras not speed cameras. (cameras around schools and built up areas will always get my support)

Paul B
No more cameras, enough is enough - More Police and above all better training for drivers to distiguish between right and wrong. More action against the no ins/MOT and licence lot, who cause a lot of damage and increase our premiums.

peter
i would like to see more average speed cameras in use, like the ones on motorways, as these actually work in reducing speed which is needed in our villages like gt barton

Ian
The siting of a lot of cameras seems to be more about generating revenue rather than increasing safety

James Wicks
I got caught speeding two weeks ago but i still fully support speed cameras use. So many people are killed on the road every year, all we have to do is slow down and we can save lives (and petrol!)

Paul Bush
No, another stealth tax for the motorist.

Paul H
More speed cameras? No way!. More traffic police would be a better idea-oh I forgot Tony doesnt want to pay for more Police does he?

lazdude@socal.rr.com
Speed camera's should be out lawed. They cause people to slam on their brakes to not run the light. This causes more rear end crashes at the light. Oh well, who am I to say. Dave

ANON
Speed camera's such as fixed Gatso's. what a wondeful idea, at least for the first 2 weeks until everyone knows they are there. these people will then drive up the road at 35-40mph until they get near the camera, then as soon as they've gone past you can bet your bottom dollar they will speed up again! I think it is a total waste of taxpayers money and is just another money making scheme for this greedy government that targets tourists that have no knowledge of their existence

Gail
No, we need to use the ones we have better, I have tried to get someone to look at the speed of traffic on Parkway in Bury St Edmunds, a 30 mph limit - most are doing around 45 to 50 mph!

d.archer
no these are more about money than safety

B Craig
NOOOOO we need MORE POLICE on our roads, not cameras. can a camera spot a dangerous driver, a drunk driver, someone with no insurance/tax/mot? no they cant, but a REAL flesh an blood copper can. Cameras have no disgresion, real coppers do.

william
it has been proven already that speed cameras and speed itself is not directly correlated with frequency of accidents. noone will argue that a higher speed will inevitably cause more damage in an accident, but working on that principle, why not make every road a 10mph limit??? in answer that would be a limit even too ridiculous for the most severe members of our granny state. i am 20 years old i drive cars, and ride motorcycles and have never had any points on my license or convictions of any sort, but i still find the overwhelming evidence that speed cameras are not doing there job frustrating. speed camera's are still being used even thought the evidence suggests that they are not improving the matter. Therefore the logical reason to there continued use, is to regenerate the wasted cost of there production, and maintenance in an attempt to mask the stupidity of a plan that has not worked.

sylvia
we need more cameras because there are so many accidents and people are dying or getting hurt people need to slow down.

Alan D
Speed cameras are OK but not as good as the newer average speed camera system these really do slow the speedsters. Not all drivers deserve to be caught for the small lapse. The average speed system is much the fairer way to bring down the speed. I agree if the traffic lights changed if you speed up to them like they do abroad this could really give the light jumpers something to think about.

Mr David Wright
YES in the correct places such as in IPSWICH where there has been serious accidents in whersted road and london road .

Cedge.
They are nothing but a tourist tax, a local should never be caught out if they are paying attention. Put average speed cameras at all road works and real black spots that have a history of accidents.

Cath
Yes please and there is no need to call them safety cameras either. Stop pandering to whingeing motorists the breaking the speed limit is an offence against the law - if caught you will be fined. Be open about the fines and give the cash to the Police to improve their services. If you don't want to be fined slow down and if you are selfish enough not to obey the law and get caught stop moaning about it.

Paul
If speed limits were a bit more realistic , people would respect them more and stick to them . For example , 80mph would be a perfectly safe speed on most dual carriageways and motorways for the average driver in the average car , 30 mph is too fast for some built up areas . If the speed limits were more suited to the roads the apply to , there would not be so much requirement for speed cameras .

Big Godfrey
Wouldn't it be sensible to develop speed calming measures that actually work. In France if you go to fast you get slowed down by a set of traffic lights changing to red. It is amazing how effective they are - simple, effective and supported as opposed to the nonsense of speed cameras.

Nosher
Oh, and another thing... please stop calling them SAFETY cameras!! We know they're often nothing about safety and all about revenue generation (on account of their often siting in completely non-dangerous stretches of road). It's disengenious and peurile to try and make out that they're not about societal micro-control.

Nosher
I've been driving between Diss and Cambridge (a large part of which is on the A14) for around 6 years now, and - apart from the odd Beemer/Merc/Audi scumbag - there just doesn't seem to be a systemic problem with "speed". And yet I'll often see so-called "safety cameras" in places where there hasn't been a crash, er, *ever* (as far as I know): it's a cash cow, stoopid!!. The police could get more mileage on roads like that from sorting out poor lane discipline and selfish HGVs taking 10 miles to overtake each other!

Rob
Who needs to keep looking at the speedo constantly - if you can drive properly you can feel how fast you are going and an occasional glance is enough. The same people who can't glance at a speedo often manage to be on their phone, eating, reading a map etc. Very strange that the only thing they can't manage is a split second to check their speed.

Stuart
I am fascinated by comments about speed limits not taking into account the time of day, what difference does it make? The speed limit is the maximum allowed by law all of the time. Following the logic that it is OK to roar past peoples homes in the middle of the night perhaps burglary could be OK too as long as the home owner is out. Stop moaning about speed cameras, learn to drive properly or do us all a favour and get off the road.

Paul
I think that we need better road designs. For example I live on the A140 and with these reduced speed limits people speed more because of slow traffic. When the speed limit was at 60 you would usually average 50. Now its mainly 50 and you average 40 due to large vehicles. This only causes people to take sill risks in overtaking. With all the revenue the cameras are making can we not make the roads safer at the higher speeds. There are far too many traffic jams and slow roads which causes people to get more annoyed and end up doing silly things. I do agree with cameras in certain areas which help reduce accidents. Lets get the roads sorted, we live in a fast lived life only to be dragged backwards by these sort of things.

Andrew K Pryke
Yes to more speed cameras. If you dont want to be caught, try obeying the law and not speeding..!!!

Dave Brown
Speed cameras are just money making machines that have nothing to do with safety. When is the last time a speed camera caught someone using a mobile phone? The only answer is investment in traffic policing. Unless of course the idea is to raise more revenue in which case speed cameras are perfect.

Barry GIBSON
no more cameras.. We have too many as it is...!!!

WARREN LAST
WHERE DO THESE STATISTICS COME FROM? I DON'T KNOW ANYBODY AT ALL WHO BELEIVES SPEED CAMERAS ACHIEVE ANYTHING OTHER THAN FLEECING AND PERSECUTING MOTORISTS. THEY ARE USED BY CAR HATING COUNCILS TO PUNISH PEOPLE FOR USING CARS.

Lucy
I would like to see cameras hidden to make sure drivers stay at or below the speed limit ALL the time.

Jane
Yes - the more the better. I am sick to death of motorists (and yes I do drive) whinging about being fined for speeding. The solution is simple slow down and obey the law. The lack of respect for motoring laws is astounding if we all treated other laws, violence, theft etc with the same wholesale disregard there would be anarchy. Most people don't like vehicles speeding past their homes and children but seem to be happy to proceed with total disregard to others. When caught instead of saying 'fair cop' which 99% of the time it is they moan but I had to get to ...... Leave earlier and slow down.

Peter
Speed camera's are a waste of time. We have pathetic slow speed limits on a lot of our roads, the answer is to have sensible limits then drivers wont have the need to break the speed limit! I suggest the stupid restrictions in speed on the A140 be revised and there are no need for slow limits like 30mph through Woolverstone or Little Glemham etc. These areas jsutify a 40mph limit. Sort the limits out and we'd all be safer on the roads.

Tom
I have also noticed that the police site themselves in a mobile detection unit, in a position about 25 meters before a static gatzo camera. I got caught by one of them doing 51mph in a 40mph zone, 100 metres after the start of the temporary restriction for road works and 100 before a fixed camera. This at 7.59am on a Saturday morning. Even the photograph clearly showed that I was the only car on the road, and I was towing too. I simply hadn't taken my foot off the gas in time. It was cynical positioning, guaranteed to catch normally law abiding motorists. If the cameras are placed at genuine accident hotspots where speed is a contributory factor then of course there is no sane argument against them, but too many forces have been place them on roads with no real history of accidents, it's just profiteering! I agree that the government should not let local forces keep the fines they collect, then we would see how keen they were to put them up. They do nothing to stop the rash dangerous and inconsiderate drivers - just lots of fast drivers. That's nearly all of us!

matt
No way, its just a money maker, i cant believe the amount of rape and violent crime and disorder suffolk has, i know police put alot of officers into road 'safety' but believe if you put them where they are needed the disorder would decrease. Everyone just slows down for speed cameras anyway, u can speed if you want to and accidents are caused by idiots driving too close and not concentrating.

Phil Townlery
they don't stop bad motorists or those that follow too close.The amount of cars that speed then slow for a camera then speed up again makes them only needed around schools or in towns and citys. Slowing the motorist when they can do more than 70mph when modern cars are more than well equiped is just another tax!

Martin
No. I don't believe they contribute anything significant to safety. I would like to see an independent analysis of accidents and to see the proportion where it is reasonable that injury would have been significantly reduced had speed been at the limiit rather than, say, 5mph over. Many of the limits in Suffolk are arbitary and bear no relation to road conditions. The policy, I believe, was to have a 30mpph limit in every village. This is often extended nedlessly well beyond the habited area. I agree that a real policeman making a real judgement is the answer. Incidentally, why do the police ignore lorries overtaking each other on the A14 with a relative velocity of 0.1mph so it takes 3 miles for them to pass? My Highway code says overtaking must be done swiftly.

Jonathan
Somebody should invent a device that catches people driving to close to the car in front, that is what really causes accidents. I am in favour of speed cameras in places like the Haughley bends but the answer in the long run is to sort out Suffolks abismal roads.

CME
I don't want to see any more cameras until they get their current ones working properly. I was sent a ticket for doing 51mph in a 40mph zone, BUT the photo clearly showed I was in heavy traffic behind several lorries, and in fact I was actually doing about 30-35mph, but it took a lot of effort to sort this out.

G.Barton
I agree that more speed cameras are needed and they should be hidden so drivers cannot just behave in the vicinity of a known camera. I disagree however with drivers being booked for being a small percentage over the limit - the so called zero tolerance. Also I think more could be done to ensure speed limit signs are visible and reminders where appropriate.

Lee
The scamera 'partnerships' who make money from this operation, along with those who agree with speed cameras, often cite them as a deterrant to speeding. If they worked as a deterrant they would never catch anyone, (because everyone would be deterred from speeding in the first place). As the 'partnerships' constantly forecast increases in convictions, (and thereby their incomes), clearly they too realise that these things are not an effective deterrant to speeding, but actually a very effective method of money raising. In addition, the ability to hide behind the 'safety' label is seen as a political form of the 'feigh-nites' (sp?) I bemember my generation using to excuse oneself from the undesired effects of a competitive childhood game, (but WE were only 6 at the time!).

Anon
Speed Cameras are completly useless people slow down when they see a camera. Often people are caught when they are on a empty motorway, they aren't risking anyones lives, but still they get given a fine and 3 or more points on their licence!!

Ben
Do cameras take into account road condition, time of day, quality of driver, reason for speed? NO. let a human police officer cathch the speeding drivers and use the human quality of judgement to decided whether or not a person is driving at an irresponsible speed. Cameras aimed at incompetent drivers, who go 40 everywhere, or are too blind to see down the road would be a far better idea.

Ed
If the cameras are placed at genuine accident hotspots where speed is a contributory factor then of course there is no real, sane arguement against them. However too many forces have been placing them on roads with no hiostory of accidents, merely as a profit-making enterprise. The government should not let local forces keep the fines they collect - I suspect that the spread of speed cameras would significantly reduce. Anyway, speed cameras do nothing to stop dangerous driving - just fast driving.

G.A. HOLE
I notice that the police have started putting a mobile detection unit vehicle in a position about 25 meters befor a static gatso camera.This seems to fuel the idea that it is just a money making racket

mat
most people i see just slow down for the cameras then speed up again,whats the point?

Peter
Despite the massaging of the figures, only a small number of accidents and purely due to speed. Cameras do nothing to stop other formas of dangerous driving, and may in fact make the situation worseby focussing minds on speed alone.

speedy
no half of them are in the wrong place like the one in normanstan drive it should be placed in gorleston rd instead

Paul Haines
I got caught for speeding doing 77mph, on a Sunday afternoon, on a three lane motorway, that was near on completely empty. Well worth the 3 points and £60. I'm very pleased that fining me and adding these points to my licence may well have saved a rabbit's life somewhere in Norfolk. Does Colin ride a bike?

Dave Bostock
I agree with the cameras but its the point system I don't agree with. Why not just charge an-amount for the first 10 mph above the limit, then have points on the licence. Would help all the old people that just forget that moment in time... Please help us Dave

colin
Any speeding driver 5 or more miles above the given limit should have driving licence withdrawn and caught again driving without a licence direct to jail without courts involment letting them off perhaps then there wouldbe no need for cameras

Tony Ambler
As a motorist I am sick of being persecuted. If the council wants more revenue then they should increase the community tax!

Paul Durrant
No,but drivers found to be taking any mind-altering drugs,prescribed or not,should be taken off the roads as these impair ability,it's not a question of how fast or slow people drive.Better still,take them off the drugs,they're not the solution to their problems.

Wera Fox
We don't need more speed cameras. I think spending your time head down looking at your speedo or breaking hard when a Gatso is spotted is far more dangerous than nominally exceeding a speed limit.

Stephen Smith
No we don't need any more cameras

Alan Willis
I think paying more attention to other road users would reduce accidents rather than constantly looking at the Speedo and for cameras. I however agree that speed cameras placed at accident black spots is a good temporary measure, but road improvements along with driver education and re-testing is the best option. We pay huge amounts of tax to use the roads, it’s time us poor old motorists had something back. Public transport is a joke. I have used it twice in the past year. On the first occasion the bus didn’t come and I had to wait until the next day, and on the second occasion, the train was about 30 minuets late. Park and ride is a very good idea, so it’s not all bad. I will say one thing though, the car is here to stay so the anti-car brigade had better deal with it.

Andrew
we have more than enough "big brother equipment in this country - you cannot travel anywhere without being on camera in your car,in the High Street and if things carry on, in your home. It is time to put a stop to the survelance invading everyones lives