Spate of destroying speed cameras in villages

[FoxEye]

Here in sunny* Cornwall, we are having an ongoing epidemic of speed cameras being cut down or otherwise rendered non-functional.

As reported in our local online rag (adblocker strongly advised), the readers' comments are somewhat evenly split, with many choosing to congratulate the perps. Often it is claimed that this is the "British spirit" (of defiance?) at work. The "war on motorists" is regularly invoked.

Just interested to see what people's opinions are, here. Whether you view these people as "heroes" or idiots.

Personally I tend to religiously do 20mph in residential areas whilst at the same time holding that 85 is fine for motorways (or dual carriageways as we have no motorways in Cornwall).

It just so happens that the speed cameras being targeted for destruction are in those 20 or 30 zones. And often were installed at the request of residents due to feeling unsafe as a pedestrian in their own villages. Obviously these same residents are upset when the cameras are destroyed.

So what is the solution? It's clear that many motorists view residential speed limits as an affront. They don't want them, and will actively ignore them.

In a related move, we're going to adopt 20mph for urban zones similar to Wales. There is a large outcry from people down here claiming they will simply ignore the changes and continue at 30mph (or whatever speed they prefer given that 30 is already too slow for some).

*Blatant lies, it's always overcast and raining down here

 

[Rroff]

I've always had very mixed views on this, personally in any area there is clearly a 30 or 40 limit for a very good reason I will stick strictly to them, but I don't necessarily judge other people for not sticking to the limit unless their driving is poor or reckless. On the open road in an NSL I'm a little less a stickler for the limit. Something which drives me up the wall lately is the number of people who want to do 10MPH above the limit on non-NSL roads but 10MPH under the limit on NSL roads (not a case of vehicles restricted to van limits).

As long as the limits aren't implemented too strictly i.e. getting done for 1MPH over, I'd consider these people tearing down cameras idiots in general.

20 limits need to be handled very carefully IMO so as to be effective and are far too often agenda lead by the wrong reasons and not actually effective in the long run - I am dead against the slapping down of 20 limits all over the place as I think it erodes their value in strategic places where there is a critical need for them like school zones. So won't shed any tears if people are cutting down speed cameras in an area like that.

 

[Trifid]

I find speeding in residential areas extremely anti social. The noise from massive SUVs punching their way through the air and the large tyres fitted to cars these days is extremely loud when going 40mph+. I have also noticed that some drivers think they are more capable then police blue light drivers with the speed they rat run past my house on the narrow roads. I suspect the problem will get worse over time as people switch to electric SUVs that isolate the driver more from the speed they are actually going along with the effectively free additional performance on offer.

 

[jpaul]

Here in sunny* Cornwall

yes it's no sunny economically with 2nd home brigade versus locals - with economic poverty comes increasing crime.

maybe they should put in speed bumps instead

 

[Freakbro]

Idiots

 

[Semple]

Do they even have speed cameras for 20 zones? We have a lot of 20 zones, but speed cameras are only on the 30 roads.

Frankly I'm of the opinion they need more of them. I'm not that fussed about people who might be doing a couple of mph over the limit, but it's a pretty regular occurrence that I see idiots doing at least twice the speed limit. With literally zero police presence on the roads, these idiots have more chance of winning the lottery than getting caught.

They've started installing these "ultra" speed cameras up here - where they don't need to paint white lines to measure speed, nor flash to take a photo.

 

[Tom_ed1987]

Active civil disobedience has its place. If it's good enough for Just Stop Oil?

 

[koolpc]

Here in sunny* Cornwall, we are having an ongoing epidemic of speed cameras being cut down or otherwise rendered non-functional.

As reported in our local online rag (adblocker strongly advised), the readers' comments are somewhat evenly split, with many choosing to congratulate the perps. Often it is claimed that this is the "British spirit" (of defiance?) at work. The "war on motorists" is regularly invoked.

Just interested to see what people's opinions are, here. Whether you view these people as "heroes" or idiots.

Personally I tend to religiously do 20mph in residential areas whilst at the same time holding that 85 is fine for motorways (or dual carriageways as we have no motorways in Cornwall).

It just so happens that the speed cameras being targeted for destruction are in those 20 or 30 zones. And often were installed at the request of residents due to feeling unsafe as a pedestrian in their own villages. Obviously these same residents are upset when the cameras are destroyed.

So what is the solution? It's clear that many motorists view residential speed limits as an affront. They don't want them, and will actively ignore them.

In a related move, we're going to adopt 20mph for urban zones similar to Wales. There is a large outcry from people down here claiming they will simply ignore the changes and continue at 30mph (or whatever speed they prefer given that 30 is already too slow for some).

*Blatant lies, it's always overcast and raining down here

How many have you destroyed?

 

[200sols]

Speed cameras in villages etc are exactly where they should be, imo the people doing this are idiots.

 

[mid_gen]

You mean using inflammatory language in your culture war distractions from your rank incompetence like 'war on motorists' has consequences? Who'd have thought!

I do know someone who slaps stickers over ULEZ cameras occasionally, which I can sympathise with a little more. But destroying speed cameras in residential zones is a pastime for prize bells.

 

[ivrytwr3]

Controversial - i agree with 30mph cameras in residential, but motorways/dual carriageways - i really think a speed review is needed.

I'm comfortable driving at 80mph on a motorway, it's some of the other idiots - we have to work to the lowest common denominator in this day and age.

 

[Uther]

I wish we had speed cameras in my village, the amount of morons that drive through at well over 30mph.

 

[inflames]

Personally I tend to religiously do 20mph in residential areas whilst at the same time holding that 85 is fine for motorways (or dual carriageways as we have no motorways in Cornwall).

I have a similar mind frame on this, here in Norfolk driving around when it come residential area 20s and 30s I am very strict with myself. On one of the routes I can take to work is along a Single carriage the speed limit changes 60 to 30 a lot due the villages. There is always a couple of morons who do 60+ even through the 30 zones.

Then once Iam a dual carriage way, I am happy sitting around an indicated 80mpg.

 

[Mr_Sukebe]

Strikes me as just another (if more extreme) example of the “entitled” believing that they can simply ignore the laws.

IMO, that’s why driving standards have seemingly gone to crap. The “entitled” deliberately drive like plonkers and then the lemmings think that it’s OK to follow suit.

If the entitled could have stuck to the previous 30mph limit, we’d not have or need 20mph speed limits or speed cameras.

In short, the entitled have screwed things up for everyone. It’s just pointless having a “performance” car anymore.

As for vandalising cameras, maybe they forget that they’re just going to be replaced and WE will be paying for the cost of their replacement.
Given the option, they would be on the ship that I’d send to Rwanda, along with most politicians.

 

[G J]

They need the police to be on the roads in addition to the speed cameras though I see on bookface that submitted dashcam footage goes nowhere as driving standards are so **** here its worse than London when I lived there as some people here know theres a lack of police so dont care.

Nothing done for years about the cars/bikes that scream down some of the roads during the day and between 12am and 3am with their massive fart cans that the vast majority will fail an emissions test.

Accidents and fatalities occur and they change the speed limit from a national to a 60mph it continues and they change it from a 60 to a 50 and it still continues. No point in really reducing the limit of these roads with nobody to enforce it as all the police would have to do is set up down these roads esp during the summer and catch these people but nope they hide in set locations mainly round blind bends or at the bottom of hills.

They introduce a 20mph limit here citing climate and lives saved while spending years ignoring the above as these new 20mph zones are a nightmare for the people that stick to them esp late at night as people tailgate/flash headlights and do risky maneuvers etc as sometimes I pull up beside them at the lights and think well wtf was the point in all of that if the lights are red anyway.

 

[dave28]

Many of the 20mph signs in my area have been painted black and almost nobody is doing 20mph.

And if you do go 20 the car behind tail gates you worse than i have ever seen in my life, i had a massive truck behind me on Friday and i thought he was going to smash into me at one point, he was so close to my car that it is a serious hazard.

 

[gbradders123]

No tolerance for people speeding in built up areas, different attitude on open roads

 

[Conscript]

As for vandalising cameras, maybe they forget that they’re just going to be replaced and WE will be paying for the cost of their replacement.
Given the option, they would be on the ship that I’d send to Rwanda, along with most politicians.

This is the bit that annoys me the most. Since ULEZ, I've been seeing lots of posts on Facebook etc about vigilantes going around and cutting down the cameras. I don't particularly think much of ULEZ, but there's lots of people whooping and hollering and calling them heroes, when in reality the cameras are just going to be replaced and it will come out of our pockets.

 

[FoxEye]

How many have you destroyed?

None. I'm in favour of them in residential areas. As said I crawl around in resi zones, mostly because I'm a massive cat obsessive and would be absolutely mortified if I ever hit one. Sod the children

 

[FoxEye]

Many of the 20mph signs in my area have been painted black and almost nobody is doing 20mph.

And if you do go 20 the car behind tail gates you worse than i have ever seen in my life, i had a massive truck behind me on Friday and i thought he was going to smash into me at one point, he was so close to my car that it is a serious hazard.

One thing I wonder is whether the people doing this will ultimately succeed.

If we will simply given up because replacing the cameras is too expensive and we don't have the means to catch these people.

Here in Cornwall, the police put out several statements asking if they would please stop, because it's awfully mean, and it costs the public purse money to repair them. I would have though the desperate tone of their messaging would simply encourage people, knowing that they have no real answer to the people doing the damage.