Speed Cameras: Stopping the Danger or Switching off the Nuisance?

Part of the Coalition’s Programme for Government is an initiative to cut central government funding for speed cameras to focus on “more effective” road safety measures such as the development of a “drugalyser”.  In Oxfordshire, where cameras are set to be scrapped next month, some residents are worried about the danger which will be posed once drivers no longer have to pay heed to the watchful eye of the authorities. Here in Canterbury, we have several speed cameras, both in the town and along the A2, M2 and other main roads that link the town with London and the rest of Kent.

A Canterbury resident said “speed cameras have their place. In the right area, they’re very appropriate and keep people driving at a safe speed. In other places, they’re unnecessary and it feels as though they’re traps, set to generate some kind of revenue. In that situation, it’s also counter-productive, because you spend more time looking at your speedo than you do the road, and it means that you might break suddenly if you’re afraid of getting caught.”

What do you think of speed cameras? Friend or foe? Should the local government continue to fund them? Which road safety measures do you think work in Canterbury?