Speed camera debate revived as reality of ‘war on motorist’ discussed

Government reductions to local authority road safety grants, which could lead to significant cuts in the number of speed cameras in operation, were greeted by the right- and left-leaning media with wildly different levels of enthusiasm. Rik Thomas reports

06 August 2010

Speed Cameras returned to the news in force last week as it emerged that cuts to local authority Road Safety Grant could lead to significant numbers of cameras being switched off. Numerous columnists and leader writers reignited the debate as to whether cameras are useful road safety tools or not.

The Guardian gave its readers a crash course in the speed camera in a ‘Pass Notes’ column (where questions from an imaginary reader are answered) on 26 July. “I thought the cameras...