Speed cameras have always been an issue with the British driving public, but the cameras at the roadworks in progress on the M6 near Carlisle have raised a ruckus. According to a recent report, well over 5,000 motorists have been clocked over the 50mph speed limit since the cameras were installed in January this year.
With minimum imposable fines of £60, the treasury could be richer by well over £300,000; however only about half the offenders will be prosecuted; those caught driving over 60mph.
Motoring groups such as Safe Speed and the Association of British Drivers claim that the cameras are an outrage and that their purpose is just a money-maker for the government.
Claire Armstrong, co-founder of Safe Speed, said that this revenue-raising will serve to alienate the public, and that it is not about safe driving, which can’t be determined by the driver’s rate of speed.
Nigel Humphries of the Association of British Drivers brought up the observation that many of the motorists on that stretch of the M6 are not local, and unaware of the repairs in progress or the speed limits, and said the cameras must be situated improperly.
In rebuttal, the Highway Agency says that the cameras are there to protect both motorists and the crew working on the road. There are clear signs posted and the standard yellow cameras are quite visible to motorists, according to Kevin Tea at the Cumbrian Road Safety Partnership. Another Highway Agency spokesman observed that the time saved by driving through at 70mph as opposed to the posted limit is only about 10 seconds.
