WOODFORD GRN: Speed camera 'increasing accidents'

12:49pm Monday 8th September 2008

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RENEWED demands have been made for a speed camera to be removed after the latest figures revealed accidents have continued to rise since it was installed.

According to the Highways Agency there have been at least two serious accidents every year along the southbound carriageway of the M11, where it passes Woodford Green Athletics Club, since the device was put there in May 2001.

In the five years prior to 2001, there was only one serious accident and one death.

Motorist Hamish Birchall, who regularly uses that stretch of road, has been protesting against the camera for more than a year.

Mr Birchall says he is convinced the camera is to blame for the rise in accidents, and wants MPs to get involved in his campaign.

“Accidents have gone up. The unavoidable conclusion is that something about that camera in that location has made the road more dangerous,” he said.

Mr Birchall, who had to pay out £60 last year when he was caught breaking the 50mph speed limit, added: “This is a camera which brings in a large amount of annual income and it is being kept there because of the revenue.”

But people worried about the number of deaths on Redbridge’s roads, such as council cabinet member Cllr Michael Stark, said such devices are helping to save lives.

“I see no problem with that speed camera at all. It is perfectly visible and clearly signposted,” he said.

“If you hit people at a slower speed they don’t die. It’s that simple. If people drove slower there wouldn’t be as many accidents in Woodford or elsewhere.

“If you get caught by a camera you have to ask, are you really a good driver?”

Road safety campaigners argue the rise is actually due to an increase in the number of cars on Woodford’s roads, coupled with bad driving.

Cynthia Barlow, chair of Roadpeace, said: "According to the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, which issued a new report in July 2008, at least 100 lives are saved every year by speed cameras.

"We need to tackle the very entrenched ideas that people have about them. Speed cameras do save lives. What causes crashes is people speeding then slamming on the breaks when they see a camera - it's dangerous driving.

"Over 3,000 people are killed on our roads every year, and in many of those cases speed is a significant factor.

A spokesman for the Highways Agency said: “After analysing the accident data from that stretch of road, the Highways Agency is satisfied that the camera is not contributing to accidents in that location.

“These types of cameras are installed to improve safety and that’s what they do.”

Do you think this speed camera is dangerous? Contact the newsdesk on 8498 3437.