Safety fears as Rye speed camera faces the axe (From Bucks Free Press)
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Safety fears as Rye speed camera in High Wycombe faces the axe
9:59am Thursday 12th August 2010 in News By Lawrence Dunhill
Revealed: The ten speed cameras set to be switched off
THE speed camera on London Road in High Wycombe looks set to be switched off by a council - prompting fears over the safety of children.
A list of the ten speed cameras facing the axe has been released by Buckinghamshire County Council (see below).
The camera next to the Rye, which stands near the Crown House Preparatory School, is the only one in the Wycombe district on the list.
Frances Alexander, a former mayor of High Wycombe who lives nearby, said: “How many children will suffer because of this? I feel for the the ones that might get run over.
"With the camera out of action people will just ignore the speed limit. People were much more cautious in the way they drove since it was installed."
Trevor Snaith, a Wycombe District councillor for the Ryemead ward, said London Road is a “racetrack” in the evenings adding “the only respite is when people slowdown for the camera”.
The move comes after Buckinghamshire County Council’s funding for road safety was reduced by the new Government. Bosses also said the cameras had not had a strong enough effect.
Statistics show that in the three years before the camera was installed there were two people killed or seriously injured on that stretch of road, as well as 20 'slight injury crashes'.
During the last three years four people have been killed or seriously injured with 18 slight injury crashes.
Transport bosses said the ten sites were chosen after looking at the impact the cameras had on speed, and which removals were least likely to lead to increased collision rates.
Valerie Letheren, cabinet member for transport, said: “A considerable amount of analysis has taken place to ensure that decommissioning these sites will have the least impact in terms of casualty reduction.”
The cameras will not be removed instantly and there will be a phased programme of decommissioning these sites to minimise costs.
The council said it will also undertake surveys to determine whether speeds have increased and consider alternative solutions for these sites, such as vehicle activated signs or a community speedwatch programme.
The ten sites being considered for decommissioning are:
A413 Wendover Road, Aylesbury
A4146 Fenny Road, Stoke Hammond
A4146 Leighton Road, Edlesborough
London Road, Aston Clinton
Waterside, Chesham
A355 Green Man Hill/Beaconsfield Road, Farnham Royal
B470 Iver Lane, Iver
A41 Bicester Road, Kingswood
A412 North Orbital Road, Denham
A40 London Road, High Wycombe(both directions)
Comments(34)
Mutley
says...
10:33am Thu 12 Aug 10
MCarey
says...
10:51am Thu 12 Aug 10
DonkeyWobbler
says...
11:10am Thu 12 Aug 10
TheT0nemeister
says...
12:11pm Thu 12 Aug 10
Dr Truth
says...
12:35pm Thu 12 Aug 10
save_money
says...
1:07pm Thu 12 Aug 10
Lets face it - we didn't have them years ago so why do we need them now - and I would love to meet the person that signed off the one on hamilton hill.. I ask you on the up side of the road... madness.
daemonite
says...
3:38pm Thu 12 Aug 10
M40
says...
3:45pm Thu 12 Aug 10
Turning off speed cameras is like legalising suicide.
We need POLICE along the Loudwater to Wycombe Marsh stretch to deal with these maniacs.
totteridge resident
says...
4:59pm Thu 12 Aug 10
The London Road camera was working this morning so it hasn't been switched off yet!
wayneo
says...
5:03pm Thu 12 Aug 10
What a stupid man
miccles
says...
5:19pm Thu 12 Aug 10
Well Mr Alexander i suggest you have a good drink this evening, and stop thinking of the "what ifs", i think the school has been there longer than the camera.
Trevor Snaith, a Wycombe District councillor for the Ryemead ward, said London Road is a “racetrack” in the evenings adding “the only respite is when people slowdown for the camera”.
BULLS**T.
You have surveyed the evening traffic then CllR Snaith???????
sandman73
says...
5:53pm Thu 12 Aug 10
M40 wrote:Motorbikes & Push bikes can use this lane legitimately in the restricted times.
From Loudwater into Wycombe people continually use the Bus lane passing on the inside of those driving correctly, some are doing approx 50 mph at a time it is to be used by buses, there are many near misses when those coming to the end of the restriction cut back into the nearside legally.
Turning off speed cameras is like legalising suicide.
We need POLICE along the Loudwater to Wycombe Marsh stretch to deal with these maniacs.
It does irritate when you get someone driving along there not being able to read the sign!
Maybe thats the problem don't put writing on the sign just pretty pictures?
hondo
says...
5:59pm Thu 12 Aug 10
Sadly she is a little out of touch but her intentions are good.
I do wonder, however, if those cameras highlighted were well surveyed or sited purely as a result of pressure groups.
As for the Hamilton Hill one - surely comes under the same consideration as did the Marlow Hill one - a total nonsense.
Switch them all off; then we drivers may watch the road instead of our speedos.
I see that the ACPO have come out in support of these cameras quoting the reduction in accidents as a consideration. Nothing to do with better cars with better controls, better brakes and better visibilty I suppose?
Sadly drivers don't seem to get any better.
J B Blackett
says...
6:06pm Thu 12 Aug 10
wayneo wrote:Man ? A man ? A What ? And an ex-mayor too.
"Frances Alexander, a former mayor of High Wycombe, said"“How many children will suffer because of this?
What a stupid man
demoness
says...
6:19pm Thu 12 Aug 10
Lets teach them road safety... let them walk to the nearest crossing of which there are 2 at either end of the Rye..
Okay I know it is out there but heigh - I am feeling rebellious..:))
M40
says...
6:26pm Thu 12 Aug 10
.
Almost every day we read on the BFP website about accidents many that ruin peoples lives.
.
Often because of selfish idiots.
M40
says...
6:30pm Thu 12 Aug 10
sandman73 wrote:My previous message is a reply to this quote.
M40 wrote: From Loudwater into Wycombe people continually use the Bus lane passing on the inside of those driving correctly, some are doing approx 50 mph at a time it is to be used by buses, there are many near misses when those coming to the end of the restriction cut back into the nearside legally. Turning off speed cameras is like legalising suicide. We need POLICE along the Loudwater to Wycombe Marsh stretch to deal with these maniacs.Motorbikes & Push bikes can use this lane legitimately in the restricted times. It does irritate when you get someone driving along there not being able to read the sign! Maybe thats the problem don't put writing on the sign just pretty pictures?
iworld
says...
6:44pm Thu 12 Aug 10
I think the decommissioning of cameras is just temporary - or it could mean more Police patrols and Police with mobile cameras! I am not a fan of Speed cameras at all, however there are unnecessary cameras where they should not be, and places where a camera may act as a deterrent, needs to be situated.
Another rationale is that the decommissioning of these cameras may serve the purpose in a few years time to install state of the art cameras
wayneo
says...
8:14pm Thu 12 Aug 10
DonkeyWobbler wrote:Do a search on google and find out how many convictions have been quashed because innacurate cameras, lying cheating staff etc etc,CPS knowing a camera to have a fault, dropping cases that are challenged but leaving the poor sods who don't contest to a fine and penalty points, then you'll realise that your statement is plain wrong.Even the DfT lied about their supposed 'benefits', the real crooks aren't those going over the limit by a few miles, but those who prosecute too.
How about we leave the speed cameras, but turn off (put to sleep/cull) people who consistently fail to realise that they only make money if THEY BREAK THE LAW.
http://forums.thereg
ister.co.uk/forum/3/
2010/07/29/dft_speed
_cam_incorrectness/
Malc London
says...
8:28pm Thu 12 Aug 10
Mutley
says...
11:05pm Thu 12 Aug 10
3 years before the camera = 2 KSI and 20 slights
3 years after the camera = 4 KSI and 18 slights
So that camera was worthwhile then!
It helps show how meaningless many of the statistics are. One bad accident involving 2 full cars with drink/drug drivers could kill 10 in one go. Doesn't make that particular road any more dangerous than any other it might have happened in.
frankbutcher
says...
11:25pm Thu 12 Aug 10
ferrellcat
says...
11:53pm Thu 12 Aug 10
miccles
says...
9:47am Fri 13 Aug 10
Even if this camera is near a school, don't always blame the car driver??
It takes 2 to cause an accident sometimes.
Good Life
says...
11:58am Fri 13 Aug 10
totteridge resident wrote:Having been lucky and never caught by a roadside camera but I thought these particular forward facing ones didn't flash or indicate speed capture like two flashes, someone will no doubt be more familiar but how does "totteridge resident know it is still active.
Be warned
The London Road camera was working this morning so it hasn't been switched off yet!
Little Miss
says...
1:28pm Fri 13 Aug 10
If this stretch of road is so dangerous for pedestrians, then they should install a pedestrian crossing close to where the camera is now, to allow people to cross that stretch of road safely. As far as I know, there's only the zebra crossing by the Pheasant, and the traffic lights up by the car park near the church to allow access to the Rye.
If you want to cross a road as a pedestrian you should be following the green cross code, stop, look and listen! Don't step out and take pot luck with the traffic. Educate your children to do the same. If they can't understand then what business have they got being out near a road full of heavy metal moving objects?
The same goes for those that like to do the same in their vehicles before pulling out of junctions having not checked it's clear both ways. Great examples of this are the mini roundabout at the bottom of Hughenden Avenue, the one by the Beaconsfield Arms and the two junctions as you come up Aston Hill towards Stokenchurch. I am sure there are even better examples. There's certainly a few more up in Downley!
On another note, those people that complain about drivers using the bus lane.. What gets me is how many people can't read! How many people get upset when undertaken along that road, because they are diligently using the outside lane instead of the bus lane at times when the bus lane is accessible to all vehicles and not just buses!
The whole stretch of road from the Rye right down to Loudwater is a complete nightmare, it's badly designed and a traffic trap. Most drivers appear confused (especially as to which lane they should be in approaching the lights by the retail park and Micklefield Road). I've had plenty of people trying to drive into me there.
I see many more accidents in the run up to that junction than I do along the stretch of road by the Rye. The idiot cam would do well down there.
Accidents are caused by drivers not taking care and paying attention whilst driving and not reading signs and being in such a rush to get to their desitination. Driving isn't just about getting from A to B it involves keeping your eye on what the traffic around you is doing, and also what pedestrians and cyclists are doing. It involves multitasking on a massive scale, and seemingly a large proportion of drivers are incapable of this.
Speed doesn't kill but carelessness does. Worrying about going 1mph over the limit and constantly checking your speedo rather than keeping your eyes on the road and what's going on around you is in my mind is more dangerous than going a little fast, if of course you can actually drive, and for the masses that is seemingly a big challenge!
Common sense should prevail on the roads at all times, whether you driving, riding, walking or otherwise. A bit of courtesey wouldn't go a miss. Being aware of what's around you, checking before you decide to pull out and actually indicating that you are going to do so! Making sure you know what lane you should be in and when. Slip road to the motorway, don't sit in the outside lane if the inside lane is clear and there's cars behind you. Motorway, don't sit in the outside or middle lanes because you are too lazy to actually drive down the motorway utilizing the DRIVING lane, which incidentally is what the left hand lane is meant for.
Driving is so stressful today because of the multitude of morons that have somehow managed to pass their driving license (or not as the case may be) and manouvre their cars around in a fashion I wouldn't exactly call driving. There are too many cars on the road and too many people that shouldn't actually be driving them.
Plus ça change...
says...
2:37pm Fri 13 Aug 10
We go to the trouble of making excellent floral displays but then don't bother to weed a major adjoining pavement. On a main town entry road!
Come on, guys!
On the matter to hand, it's not a matter of not using a particular speed camera, it's more question of how to stop people from driving fast where they shouldn't. There must be cleverer ways.
Everything is a crude compromise at the moment - to stop people parking we put billions of gallons of yellow paint everywhere on the roads, we put 'speed bumps' on roads that may damage our vehicles and many of which have very faded warning markings on them and consequently are not always easily apparent.
Come on. This is an advanced high tech country. It's high time we came up with better ideas to save us from others and save us from ourselves.
Agniesca
says...
2:55pm Fri 13 Aug 10
Stiggy
says...
4:22pm Fri 13 Aug 10
A tight call but I tend to fall on the side of removal but think there is a need to have a third crossing point at the exit from the Rye. This will in itself reduce speeds. Furthermore I think repeater 30mph signs would help to remind us what we should be doing.
As for careless drivers. We are all guilty and anyone who can say they have never broken the speed limit is probably a liar!
michael healy
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5:15pm Fri 13 Aug 10
towncryer
says...
11:34am Sat 14 Aug 10
hondo
says...
11:53am Sat 14 Aug 10
.
But M40, do go to the back of the class. If accidents didn't happen, insurance would not be necessary.
.
I'm sure no-one deliberately starts the day with that intention.
Tony..
says...
7:45pm Sun 15 Aug 10
Once past the camera many drivers speed up to make up 'lost' time.
This results in a higher speed than the driver would have done, if the camera wasn't there at all.
IMHO the removal of cameras will result in lower average speeds along the whole length of many roads.
miccles says...
10:20am Thu 12 Aug 10
I'm sure alot will be burnt anyway.