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British speed-traps are going transparent. From April, 2011 real data that defines such traps’ effect on road safety rather than revenue generation will have to be made public.
Local authorities and the police will be forced to publish full information about them if UK road safety minister Mike Pennin’s proposals are pushed through parliament.
South Africa’s transport minister, Sibusiso Ndebele, big on the big stick and outrageous claims of checking millions of drivers, but not on results, might care to give Pennin a call. His subjects would also like some accurate facts.
TASKED TO MAKE MONEY
Speed traps and their supposed “keep death off the roads” benefits in South Africa have long been a point of conflict between the public and cash-strapped local authorities who budget for speed-trap revenue rather than saving lives.
Speed limits often vary illogically on the same stretch of road; 60km/h sections appear for no reason except – in the public perception, at least – to extract money from people driving perfectly safely but faster than the arbitrary limit imposed by some council desk jockey tasked to make money from speed traps.
The UK plan, by comparison, tosses out the disgraceful money-making, the arbitrary turning into criminals of steady, safe drivers for the sake of balancing budgets. Pennin’s system will require those same desk jockeys to explain WHY a trap is put there, or there, or there.
Penning says he wants data about accident frequency at camera sites, vehicle speeds and the number of drivers prosecuted.. Perhaps he should add the annual revenue to that.
'SHOW THE EFFECT'
"Public bodies should be accountable,” he says, “and, if taxpayers' money is being spent on speed cameras, then it is right that information about their effectiveness be made available to them.
"The proposals will show what effect cameras are having on accident and casualty rates and how the police are dealing with offenders. Taxpayers will be able to make better-informed judgements about the work of local and central government."
The final requirements will be confirmed in time for publication in April, 2011.
In South Africa, we believe, that would mean a lot of cameras being ripped down and put where they can make a difference on people’s lives – not on immorally using vehicle owners as cash cows to pay for inefficient governance.
Local authorities and the police will be forced to publish full information about them if UK road safety minister Mike Pennin’s proposals are pushed through parliament.
South Africa’s transport minister, Sibusiso Ndebele, big on the big stick and outrageous claims of checking millions of drivers, but not on results, might care to give Pennin a call. His subjects would also like some accurate facts.
TASKED TO MAKE MONEY
Speed traps and their supposed “keep death off the roads” benefits in South Africa have long been a point of conflict between the public and cash-strapped local authorities who budget for speed-trap revenue rather than saving lives.
Speed limits often vary illogically on the same stretch of road; 60km/h sections appear for no reason except – in the public perception, at least – to extract money from people driving perfectly safely but faster than the arbitrary limit imposed by some council desk jockey tasked to make money from speed traps.
The UK plan, by comparison, tosses out the disgraceful money-making, the arbitrary turning into criminals of steady, safe drivers for the sake of balancing budgets. Pennin’s system will require those same desk jockeys to explain WHY a trap is put there, or there, or there.
Penning says he wants data about accident frequency at camera sites, vehicle speeds and the number of drivers prosecuted.. Perhaps he should add the annual revenue to that.
'SHOW THE EFFECT'
"Public bodies should be accountable,” he says, “and, if taxpayers' money is being spent on speed cameras, then it is right that information about their effectiveness be made available to them.
"The proposals will show what effect cameras are having on accident and casualty rates and how the police are dealing with offenders. Taxpayers will be able to make better-informed judgements about the work of local and central government."
The final requirements will be confirmed in time for publication in April, 2011.
In South Africa, we believe, that would mean a lot of cameras being ripped down and put where they can make a difference on people’s lives – not on immorally using vehicle owners as cash cows to pay for inefficient governance.
