Swindon Council criticised for scrapping speed cameras

Swindon Council has announced that it will remove all fixed point speed cameras. All cameras will be scrapped over a six month period. However, the move was heavily criticised by road-safety campaigners.

The bid to remove the speed cameras began when Swindon Councillor, Peter Greenhalgh, objected to these cameras by saying they were a tax on drivers and a tool to raise revenue for the Government whilst the council had to pay over £300,000 for maintenance.

The Government responded by stating that councils receive £110 million annually for road safety and speed cameras had been put in place to reduce accidents and save lives.

Road-safety charity BRAKE said that the removal of speed cameras in Swindon will not encourage motorists to stay within the desired speed limits that are essential in the battle to reduce road accidents and fatalities. The charity insisted that those who break speeding laws will no longer have the additional worry of having to slow down for speed cameras.

A spokesperson for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents commented that there is evidence that shows that speed cameras reduce accidents. Motorists have a tendency to break speed limits if they believe they will not be caught