Conservatives pledge to end “war on motorists”
Shadow Transport Secretary Damian Green has promised that a future Conservative government would fundamentally rethink speed camera policy.
Damian Green insists that he is not against speed cameras if they genuinely save lives, but said that some cameras are “extorting money from already over taxed motorists.”
In March, a Government review of speed cameras found that they had been responsible for a 40 per cent drop in fatalities and serious injuries.
The Conservatives’ policy launch is a round up of previous announcements on road safety, including the pledge to introduce variable “realistic” speed limits and tackle the most dangerous drivers.
Mr Green said: “What we are proposing today is a series of common sense practical measures which will get the Government off the back of the sensible driver and restore confidence in the way we enforce the speed limit.”
To aid the driver, he promised that the Conservatives would launch a review of all speed limits, abolish the Safety Camera Partnerships, audit the location of every speed camera and make speed limit signs clearer.
The Tories claim that motorists face “genuine confusion” about speed limits and suggest that the motorway limit should be raised to 80 MPH, and that around schools dropped to 20 MPH.
Police would be given overall control of speed cameras and would have to consult local authorities before placing a camera.
In addition, the Conservatives are planning to crack down on motoring offenders, such as uninsured drivers and those engaging in anti-social behaviour.
Uninsured drivers are 10 times more likely to have been convicted of drink driving, and the Conservatives have floated the possibility of seizing uninsured vehicles.
They argue that the focus should be on traffic police rather than cameras: “Only a patrolling police officer can check whether cars are being driven when they are not fit to be on the road, and whether they are taxed and insured.”
Their plans met opposition from the RAC, which said it was firmly opposed to raising motorway speed limits. Its spokesperson, Susie Haywood, said: “Many motorists already flout the 70 mph speed limit, driving at speeds in excess of 80-90 miles per hour. An increase in the speed limit will see many of them continuing to exceed the limit at even higher speeds, risking many lives, especially those on the hard shoulder.
“Increasing the speed limit will also increase CO2 emissions at a time when we are becoming ever aware of the impact of motoring on the environment.”
She did, however, welcome the suggestion of a review of speed camera locations.
But Paul Smith, the founder of Safe Speed, described Mr Green’s announcements as a “small step in the right direction.”
He said: “It’s great to see the Tories moving in the right direction for road safety, but it is disappointing that they are still not digging down to the
fundamental principles.”
Safe Speed argues that all speed limits should be re-examined in the light of technical improvements and that speed cameras actually make the roads more dangerous.
