Watford speed camera upgrade scrapped as funding cut (From Watford Observer)

Watford speed camera upgrade scrapped as funding cut

12:26pm Thursday 29th July 2010 in

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A scheme to upgrade Watford’s speed cameras has been put on hold, as Government spending cuts continue to bite.

The Hertfordshire Safety Camera Partnership, jointly operated by the county council, police, and courts service, was in the process of upgrading the town’s stock of wet film cameras – which need to be emptied manually – to automated digital devices.

But the scheme, affecting more than a dozen cameras in the Watford area, has now been put on hold after the Government announced this week that central funding for speed cameras would be withdrawn.

Local authorities up and down the country are now working out how to plug the holes in their annual camera budgets.

In Oxfordshire, the funding reduction has led to a decision to scrap all speed cameras. In Hertfordshire, however, councillors have announced that there are no plans (for the time being) to reduce the number of cameras in the county.

Instead, explained Councillor Stuart Pile, executive member for road safety, no action will be taken until other options, including efficiency savings, had been considered.

One immediate saving has been made by cancelling the conversion scheme across the south west of the county, as no new equipment can now be purchased. No existing cameras, however, will be removed of the time being.

Councillor Pile expressed concerns at the hurried nature of the proposals, which, he argued, may actually save very little money for the government if the county’s annual £2million fines revenue (paid to the government) was depleted as a result.

He explained that no major decisions will yet be made. He said: “We are looking at things that we could be doing. One is to reduce cameras, but do we then tell people that, or will that encourage people to speed by them?

“There are lots of questions to be looked at and these questions are looked at now.

“The number of people killed and seriously in injured [in road accidents] is reducing and last year was the lowest on record. My biggest fear is about what happens if the number rises. Personally I would not wish to see a reduction in the number of safety cameras across Hertfordshire. It means that drivers who speed will get away with it, is that the right message to be sending out?”