Speed cameras save lives but many local authorities can’t afford to operate them because 100% of fines go straight to the Treasury. Local authorities should at least be able to retain enough of the revenue to cover the overheads of running schemes. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... - ThreadSky

adamtranter.bsky.social • 4 days ago

Speed cameras save lives but many local authorities can’t afford to operate them because 100% of fines go straight to the Treasury.

Local authorities should at least be able to retain enough of the revenue to cover the overheads of running schemes.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2jnrgdy0mo

Comments

edplowden.bsky.social•4 days ago

When the Tories stopped local partnerships from reinvesting the revenue from cameras, years of progress tackling road danger was reversed. Will Labour devolution address this? I am not holding my breath.

borderlandsbike.bsky.social•4 days ago

They get the blame for them (or the police) anyway so why not get the cash?

sircoffeealot.bsky.social•4 days ago

🏆 An excellent point

mikejleake.bsky.social•4 days ago

All the revenue and we might as well use them as cash cows because criminal drivers already think they are.

showmeasign.online•4 days ago

Abolish the Treasury really should gain pace. Enforcement and road safety engineering shouldn't be a money making enterprise for them to plug central government ineptitude with.

commonninja.bsky.social•4 days ago

If the fines are paid into the Treasury (consolidated fund?) they are tax. If they are retained by safety partnerships and used to fund road safety schemes, they are not tax?

grumpybrummie.bsky.social•4 days ago

They are not putting them in the correct locations. Even looking data from ONS you can see roads that have had no accidents in ten years, yet the West Midlands puts up speed cameras. Adjacent roads with a long accident history have no cameras! Where's the logic?
Consultancy available.

sircoffeealot.bsky.social•4 days ago

"As local councillors, one of the most frequent requests we get from our constituencies is for more cameras and more action on speeding."

UK governments seem scared of 'the motoring lobby' on this issue. But that lobby exists only in their imagination on this issue, most drivers hate speeders.

greenwalker66.bsky.social•4 days ago

Most drivers are speeders.

Drive behind any car into our village and you'll rarely see anyone slow down to 30.

sircoffeealot.bsky.social•3 days ago

I'm sure you're right! People can resist anything but temptation, sadly. I still think most of those drivers would understand why you would want a speed camera, if one were put up.

raouligan.bsky.social•4 days ago

Grief just give LA’s the right to fine pavement parking and send wardens out at night near me the parking infringements on a Friday night are off the scale because there’s no enforcement

mzdt.bsky.social•4 days ago

if only the 'council money-making schemes' lot on facebook knew this ;-)

andydrummond.bsky.social•4 days ago

That’s the thing, isn’t it? The Facebook crowd already think the fines go to the Council, so why shouldn’t they?

mzdt.bsky.social•4 days ago

Careful, 'road tax' will be paying for roads next...

(If it did entirely, it would probably be a couple of grand a car, though)

padders123.bsky.social•3 days ago

Local Authorities should bill the local Police force, as it's their failings in road safety enforcement that the Local Authority has to step in.

Longer term, we should just mandate speed limiters in cars in urban areas.

robkewley.bsky.social•3 days ago

I think that’s a bit unfair given they’re still deeply affected by the impact austerity had on their numbers. Huge amounts of experience lost which typifies the rest of the criminal justice system too.

padders123.bsky.social•3 days ago

Austerity has been a big problem, but Local Authorities far harder hit than the Police. Police funding is about 40% higher than it was in 2010 (£18.6 billion compared to £13 billion.) Local Authority funding is up about 5% in same period (£69 billion vs £65 billion).

robkewley.bsky.social•3 days ago

But when you lose that volume of experience and subsequently face higher costs, as well as real difficulties with recruitment and retention, as well as political direction to focus on certain offending, then funding is only one part of the equation.

padders123.bsky.social•3 days ago

The political direction is probably the big one. Politicans do seem to encourage leniency for vehicle related crime.

jestermouse.bsky.social•4 days ago

I was not aware of this. Is it the same in Scotland? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

bz2.bsky.social•4 days ago

This is how it's done in the Netherlands, with both parking fines and speed camera enforcement. Enough to cover most of the cost, but not enough to make any money off it since that would be a perverse incentive.

mikejleake.bsky.social•4 days ago

In what way is fining people who choose to break the law perverse?

telson.bsky.social•3 days ago

Well, well!
I didn't know that, and it seems bad.

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