Yellow Cameras a Good Sign

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Eamonn Townsend

Yellow Cameras a Good Sign

Post by Eamonn Townsend »

The announcement by Transport Minister John Spellar today that safety cameras will in future have to be painted bright yellow is a good sign that the Government has taken notice of road-user concerns say the 140,000 strong British Motorcyclists Federation.

The siting of speed cameras has often been criticised by the BMF, especially when their use has appeared to be more for revenue raising than accident reduction. The fact that cameras have also been painted grey has added to the feeling by many road-users that they were there to catch and not deter say the BMF.

As a responsible organisation, the BMF supports the enforcement of traffic law and accepts that speed cameras have a role to play but has been concerned that their indiscriminate and widespread use is a poor substitute for proper policing.

Writing to the Home Secretary David Blunkett earlier this year, the BMF had said that it supported his view that over zealous use of cameras was antagonising otherwise lawful citizens so the BMF now welcomes Home Officer Minister John Denham's comments that: "Our aim is not to catch speeding motorists but to reduce injuries and crashes at known accident hotspots. These new rules on camera visibility will ensure that motorists know exactly what the speed limit is, and there is now no excuse for getting a ticket."

Commenting, Simon Wilkinson, the BMF's Chief Executive said: "Even though we still have reservations over the hypothecation of fines for the netting-off schemes, this move is a good one. As John Spellar says, it should ensure that road users are not caught by surprise and while we will continue to monitor the siting of cameras, this announcement is a welcome sign that the Government are taking notice of road-user concerns."
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