15 July 2008
Swindon borough council has stated that it may stop paying for speed cameras in the area as the devices may not improve road safety. Leader at the council Roderick Bluh commented that the cash raised from fines is channelled back into the government and not used to enhance local services. He added that after an amount of research into speed cameras, alternatives could be considered as a way to cut down on the number of incidents seen, something that may interest those with car insurance. "All of the fines that are collected go back through national government. So we don't get the fines to reinvest," he stated. Head of Transport in Swindon Peter Greenhalgh in turn remarked that speed cameras are a "tax on the motorist" and called for other measures to be adopted. Drivers were recently warned by Rias to continue taking out car insurance premiums despite the rising cost of petrol and taxes.