This Is Guernsey

By Nigel Baudains

SPEED cameras could be used on the island’s roads. But Home Department minister Mike Torode said any such initiative would not happen quickly.

‘It’s something we have considered and we will continue to look at, but it’s not just the capital cost but the revenue cost too and funding is limited,’ he said.

Speed cameras on all island roads would be totally impractical, he said, but two or three cameras that could be interchanged between mountings in five or six problem areas could have benefits.

Finding people with the right professional ability to oversee the cameras could also be problematic. Work on calibration and the taking of film was very specialised and that might have to be outsourced. The cost of buying such equipment alone could approach £200,000.

‘There’s only a limited pool of money which is likely to be smaller in 2005,’ said Deputy Torode. ‘I think you’ll find that the Treasury will be less generous in future than it has been in the past.’

Deputy Chris Brock told last week’s States meeting that speeding on Guernsey’s roads had reached epidemic proportions. He believes the problem should be tackled as a priority.

Deputy Torode said police currently had the use of seven, manually operated, anti-speeding devices, which they would continue to use.

‘The number of people that we are seeing appearing in the Magistrate’s Court for speeding is now quite substantial,’ he said.

‘The number of road accidents where there are serious injuries has in fact decreased and serious injuries are normally the result of excessive speed, so I would say our anti-speeding activity is proving effective.’

Chairman of pedestrian safety group Steps Ann Robilliard said that the group had discussed the use of speed cameras with police and Deputy Torode.

‘We feel there are various places where speed cameras would be useful,’ she said. ‘The problem is that they are very expensive to buy and the feeling from police was that those who went speeding would quickly find where the cameras were.’

Some Steps members had offered to operate speeding devices but Mrs Robilliard said it had been agreed with police that this could potentially cause dangerous situations and therefore would not be pursued.

Placing imitation camera mountings could also have benefit, said Mrs Robilliard, but people would not want to see boxes all around the island.

‘When I’m driving in the UK, I just have to see a speed camera sign and I automatically check my speed,’ she said. ‘I’m told dummy cameras are effective and my own experience would seem to bear that out.’

But speed cameras generally flashed when a vehicle passed, she said, and again people would work out which were ‘live’ and which were not.

Article posted on 2nd August, 2004 - 12.00am