http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2756313
Public Concern Prompts Speed Camera Switch-off
By Brian Farmer, PA News
A speed camera has been switched off after its siting provoked ?strong public concern?.
The camera in Grapes Hill, Norwich, was ?temporarily decommissioned? after its operator, the Norfolk Casualty Reduction Partnership, said its positioning could not be justified.
The decision to turn off the camera came in the wake of an analysis by Norfolk police which found that the data used to justify the siting of several speed cameras in the county was questionable. Further strategic reviews of camera sitings in Norfolk are being carried out by officers.
It was made as public unease grows over speed cameras, with many motorists feeling that operators choose sites to raise money rather than prevent accidents.
NCRP chairman Mark Veljovic, a police superintendent, said: ?We are fully aware that the siting of this camera in particular has provoked strong public concern, so we have looked at the original justification again. It is clear there are enough concerns for us to decommission it now.
?Some of the data that underpins it draws in records of collisions from a wide range of junctions and other circumstances that are unlikely to be affected or covered by the camera itself. On top of this, the impact of the changes that saw traffic signals installed at the Grapes Hill roundabout was not known and so hasn?t been taken into account.?
Norfolk Chief Constable Andy Hayman said: ?Whilst the decision of the Norfolk Casualty Reduction Partnership to temporarily decommission the Grapes Hill camera is welcome, I would remind the community that this should not be seen as an opportunity to break the law.
?Inappropriate speed does contribute to accidents and therefore I urge adherence to the speed limit by all who use the roads of Norfolk.?
Police authority chairman Jim Wilson said: ?I welcome the strategic review and, similarly, the decision to temporarily decommission the Grapes Hill camera is also welcome. The Authority believes this justifies its call for much greater accountability and openness to reassure motorists and give them confidence in the integrity of the scheme.?
The NCRP was set up to run the county?s speed cameras in 2001 and is made up of representatives from the police, Norfolk County Council, the University of East Anglia, local NHS bodies, the Highways Agency and magistrates.
It has doubled the number of fixed cameras to 18 and brought in mobile patrols along 72 stretches of road since its formation.
==================================
I suppose it's a start...
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
Members
