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Path: num2.nntp.dca.giganews.com!num1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!number.nntp.dca.giganews.com!border3.nntp.dca.giganews.com!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!border2.nntp.dca.giganews.com!postnews.google.com!news3.google.com!feeder3.cambriumusenet.nl!feed.tweaknews.nl!217.73.144.44.MISMATCH!ecngs!feeder.ecngs.de!border1.nntp.ams.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!local2.nntp.ams.giganews.com!nntp.bt.com!news.bt.com.POSTED!not-for-mail Message-ID:  From: "Just zis Guy, you know?"  Newsgroups: uk.rec.cycling,cam.transport,uk.transport,uk.rec.driving Subject: Unsung Benefits of Speed Cameras Date: Wed, 29 Sep 2010 14:51:49 +0100 Lines: 40 NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 29 Sep 2010 08:51:00 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit User-Agent: MicroPlanet-Gravity/3.0.4 X-Usenet-Provider: http://www.giganews.com X-AuthenticatedUsername: NoAuthUser X-Trace: sv3-YNGHdt/BU1/CbpNjwK2pZVkSmqh+OZSUKEugEOIu0kfJHfOXOqiYhqYB/BzAemFV/on8iwfAK7EALzV!7zwSg0z526/s0PHBrwsRqpA8SqqA5VAvij0AWQoZSMMCOd+ed5yDjpV08O2CbBE7Di/ddIWiEr3V!CR/vR9LrLg== X-Complaints-To: abuse@btinternet.com X-DMCA-Complaints-To: abuse@btinternet.com X-Abuse-and-DMCA-Info: Please be sure to forward a copy of ALL headers X-Abuse-and-DMCA-Info: Otherwise we will be unable to process your complaint properly X-Postfilter: 1.3.40 X-Original-Bytes: 3327 Bytes: 3685 Xref: perfectly-safe.chapmancentral.co.uk uk.rec.cycling:840000

Now that speed cameras are under threat throughout the country, I think it's time that those of us who support cameras changed our strategy, as otherwise we are in serious danger of losing cameras permanently.

Until now, the main "battle cry" in supporting cameras has been that they save lives; that they directly reduce deaths and serious injuries by forcing people to slow down. Now to be honest, I'm not sure if that's the case; in fact, I'm fairly sure that it isn't.

But that's not to say that cameras have no use. I think they are incredibly good at encouraging modal shift: if even the most decent, law-abiding drivers feel that their licences are threatened by speed cameras, then that's a pretty major incentive for them (and all other drivers) to take a legitimate, unselfish form of transport instead of the car. To me, this has incalculable benefits: fewer cars on the roads means fewer KSIs, less damage to the environment and much more pleasant surroundings for everyone.

For a long time, the "Speed cameras save lives by slowing people down" claim has been sufficient to justify cameras, despite not necessarily being true. However, in the face of unforgiveable cuts from this dreadful Coalition government (let's hope Labour get back in soon), this no longer appears to be the case. Therefore we need to move quickly to convince the authorities to keep cameras in any way that we possibly can. I believe that the best way of doing this is to come clean about our real reasons for supporting cameras: they may not actually have any direct safety benefits, and they may even cause a few road accidents by distracting drivers from factors more important than their speed, but they are better than anything else when it comes to forcing people to stop using cars, and isn't that what we all want?

Long live cameras, and I very much hope we can keep them until the only motorists left on the roads are those who have a genuine reason to use their cars (i.e. about 0.01% of the drivers that we currently have).

Guy -- http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk/ The usenet price promise: all opinions offered in newsgroups are guaranteed to be worth the price paid.