UK: Conservatives pledge to block new speed cameras


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New speed cameras will be blocked by David Cameron under plans to win over the motorist to be announced by the Conservatives.

Theresa Villiers, the shadow Transport secretary, will pledge to stop any new speed cameras and to force councils and the police to enforce speed restrictions using other means.

The proposal is one of a number of measures to help hard-pressed motorists to be unveiled at the Conservative party conference in Manchester today.

New laws will also be introduced to stop motorways being closed for hours after accidents, to highlight the problem of traffic lights staying on red for longer than necessary and to stop “rogue” car clampers.

Over the past decade, the number of speed cameras in Britain has trebled and they are now an important source of funding for the Government. However, many motorists claim they are simply installed to raise money rather than reduce speed and therefore accidents.

Miss Villiers will today say: “Labour’s army of speed cameras is not the best way to make our roads safer. We will switch to alternative, better, ways to improve road safety. It is time to say enough is enough on fixed speed cameras – we have reached the high water mark. A Conservative Government would not fund any new fixed speed cameras.”

The pledge is expected to be popular among motorists in so-called “middle England” – the key battleground at the next election. The Government has faced repeated criticism over the sharp tax rises and other measures targeted at motorists over the past few years.

The Government currently provides tens of millions of pounds to local authorities to fund road cameras. This would be stopped by the Conservatives.

If a local authority wished to build a new camera they will have to publish detailed information justifying the decision and fund its construction from council tax. The Conservatives believe this would spark local protests.

In 2006-07, the last year for which figures are available, 1.75 million motorists paid a £60 speeding fine after being caught on speed camera raising £105 million. The Conservatives will also pledge to stop the roll-out of “average speed” cameras on urban roads.

However, some experts believe that the policy may encourage greater use of mobile speed camera vans which are more difficult for speeding motorists to locate.

The speed camera policy is part of a package of measures designed to tackle “unnecessary disruption” on the country’s roads. There will also be new measures to stop repeated road works and to allow councils to pilot their own traffic schemes – such as allowing cyclists to turn left on red lights or for traffic lights to be automatically set to amber at night.

Miss Villiers said: “Under Labour getting around has become a daily grind…A Conservative Government will focus on tackling the congestion that is costing the economy billions, and the resulting hassle that has made travelling in the UK so grim. We will empower road users with the information they need to understand and influence the decisions which affect their daily commute.”

Read on :

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/conservative/6263622/Conservatives-pledge-to-block-new-speed-cameras.html[/PHP]

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