VOTE: North Lincolnshire Council agrees to continue funding Safer Roads Humber
COUNCIL chiefs have agreed to keep paying thousands of pounds for mobile speed cameras – saying they are saving dozens of lives in the region.
Officials had drafted a report that considered the option of axing the £205,000 annual funding for mobile cameras.
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STAYING SAFE: The Humberside mobile safety camera van at work on Scunthorpe's Doncaster Road.
But North Lincolnshire Council bosses say 77 serious or fatal accidents have been prevented by the cameras, and a predicted £14-million saved in legal, medical and other costs.
The announcement comes despite Government cuts in road safety grants and the possibility of further cuts later this year.
It also follows moves in other areas of the country, such as Swindon and Oxfordshire, that have already cut funding after the Government promised to stop central grants for fixed speed cameras.
But North Lincolnshire Council has reinforced its commitment to the Safer Roads Humber partnership in a decision it hopes will be followed by others elsewhere in the country.
Councillor Bernard Regan, cabinet member for highways, planning and energy, said: "We need to bring order to the roads and protect the lives of drivers, pedestrians and children. We are very disappointed at the flavour of the cuts that are coming out from the Government.
"We would have a choice of funding it from other sources to cushion the blow on the residents of North Lincolnshire or implementing the cuts that the Government imposes."
The commitment from the authority comes ahead of next month's Government comprehensive spending review, which could cut council road safety budgets further.
If that were to happen, the authority could be forced to take funds from other departments in order to continue its commitment .
The region's authorities – Hull, East Riding and North East Lincs – are understood to be waiting until after the review.
A report by council officials ahead of the decision highlights the impact that safety cameras have made since they were introduced in 2003.
It states that there has been a 69 per cent fall in the number of people killed or seriously injured at speed camera sites.
Pete Scott, North Lincolnshire Council's head of safer roads, said: "Safer Roads Humber officers carry out a wide range of road safety work in North Lincolnshire, including managing the area's 21 safety camera sites and undertaking traffic enforcement in other locations. This has been a contributory factor to recent falls in casualty numbers and continuing this work will be an important element of the area's future road safety strategy."
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by ENGLANDER, Scunthorpe
Thursday, September 30 2010, 10:51AM
“another local survey , ignored by council who do they work for , the towns a mess scruffy traffic problems all over town , bus and taxi lane a joke dangerous taxis undertake at the end of bus lane , bus stops need relocating , cycle lanes in wrong places some never used have traffic planners ever cycled ?. no wonder high street dying getting into town getting harder easy er to go else ware , grimsby by bus £3 return straight to nice clean modern shopping centre, primark elct much more pleasant then scunthorpe.”
by kno it all, barton-upon-humber
Wednesday, September 29 2010, 3:09PM
“Yet another case of the idiots in charge at NLC wasting taxpayers money on ridiculous projects! By the time we have paid for the Pods,the Baths (as well as the £1.7m annual upkeep),Lincolnshire lakes,berkley circle refurbishment,demolition of the old leisure centre and the parade of shops nearby on station rd we will all be paying 50% more council tax in 5 years than now!!! scunnybob spot on but you can bet the electors in Scunthorpe will reelect them!!”
by jack slipper, scunny
Wednesday, September 29 2010, 12:29PM
“shocking but hardly surprising”
by D Pollard, Scunny
Tuesday, September 28 2010, 8:57PM
“But those speed board help save lives ( must be 100 lives saved already on that junction) - as they help distract drivers as they get close to the junction.
By locating those speed boards within 36 meters (118 feet to you and me), we can ensure all drivers can be distracted long enough not to stop (in perfect conditions) should someone come out of a junction.”
by Stu, at home in my castle.
Tuesday, September 28 2010, 8:02PM
“Brigg Road, Messingham, currently has a speed display board, having observed the displayed speed of many vehicles recently a few are doing 30, most are doing around 40 and it is utterly amazing how many are doing 50+mph...GET A SPEED CAMERA VAN DOWN HERE.....NOW!!!
The revenue on this road alone would be staggering...”
by scunnybob, saudi arabia
Tuesday, September 28 2010, 8:01PM
“The council should concentrate on providing services and leave speed enforcement policy to the police. If i get nicked speeding by a jam sarnie then its a fair cop guv, and no moaning allowed. Any way all you voters out there, get rid of this polit bureau at the next council elections,If we are allowed to do that of course.”
by Dave, Ashby
Tuesday, September 28 2010, 7:50PM
“I can only assume that people who are speak so verhemently against speed cameras do so because they want to break the speed limit: stick to the speed and they won't be an issue for you.
So what if they don't catch drunk drivers or phone users? They still catch speeders and make speeding motorists think twice. Just because they don't catch all road offences doesn't mean you should scrap them otherwise you'd have three means of killing innocent road users instead of two.
Let the police look out for drink-drivers and other dangerous road users and let the cameras look out for speeders.”
by alcazar, Scunny
Tuesday, September 28 2010, 7:30PM
“I say long live the speed cameras!
I mean, just think of all the drivers caught texting, or using the phone while driving by them, those exiting junctions without looking, those driving too close to other drivers, those drink-driving, or driving under the influence of drugs, those without insurance, those with no tax, no MoT, those driving without due consideration, those recklessly driving.......
Oh, wait..........Speed Cameras can't catch ANY of those above, can they?
ST: Bring Regan to task, ask him to back up, and PROVE those stupid figures he's quoted.”
by Stu, Scunthorpe
Tuesday, September 28 2010, 6:54PM
“Speed camera do not save lives they simply make people slow down until they' ve gone past! We need to get people off the road who drive recklessly; have no license; have no insurance, MOT or tax OR drivers who simply forget all they've been taught about driving iaw the highway code! This might well stop accidents and fatalities and allow the rest of us stress free driving?”
by Socialist Fool, Ashby
Tuesday, September 28 2010, 5:51PM
“With the case for speed cameras now blown apart, and their use declining, reactionary deadheads in our local council trot out the same fantasy statistics as an apology for their stupidity. Rest assured however, the gravy train riders cannot dodge fiscal reality forever. Their time will come.”