The first ‘urban’ speed cameras on Old Dalkeith Road in Edinburgh have been found to be very effective according to a retrospective analysis by Police Scotland. Before the cameras were installed a year ago, 60% of vehicles were speeding but now only two offences per day, on average, are recorded. In the period 2013-2015, there had been six serious crashes with three resulting in serious injury or death. In last year, with the cameras, there were no crashes resulting in injury.
This evidence that speed cameras are effective, adds to previous evidence reported here earlier in the year:
From Police Scotland on 28th May 2018:
‘The Q4 figures show that the number of deaths on the roads has fallen by 15.1% (from 172 to 146) after education and enforcement work, including safety campaigns highlighting poor driver behaviour. The number of children killed on roads is down 82% from 11 to 2. Since 1995, there has been a 50% fall in road deaths, while traffic levels have increased by 23% over the same period.’
The full report reveals that nearly all offences relating to motor vehicles have fallen in the last year and, in some cases, by dramatic levels. For example, mobile phone offences have gone down by more than 50% from 6 695 to 3 173 and speeding down by nearly 20% from 34 842 to 29 223.
http://www.scotland.police.uk/assets/pdf/138327/232757/445136/management-info-report-q4?version=1
In sharp contrast, across the UK:
‘The number of people killed on Britain’s roads reached a five-year high last year, new figures show. Some 1,792 deaths were recorded in road traffic accidents in 2016, up 4 per cent on the previous year and the most since 2011. Pedestrian deaths saw the largest year-on-year rise at 10 per cent, followed by car occupants (8 per cent).’
https://metro.co.uk/2017/09/28/number-of-road-deaths-in-britain-hits-five-year-high-6962248/
Could this have anything to do with the Scottish Government’s push for average speed cameras? Back in 2013, the Telegraph reported:
‘Danny Alexander, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, has delivered a withering attack on the SNP’s decision to install average speed cameras on Scotland’s most dangerous road. Mr Alexander described the plan to fit the controversial cameras along a 136-mile stretch of the A9 between Dunblane and Inverness as “a knee-jerk decision”.’
In January 2017, Jeremy Clarkson, raged against the denial of his freedom to speed, after the installation of the average speed camera system, on Scotland’s most dangerous road, the A9. It was that kind of Toad of Toad Hall, Libertarian / Right-wing thinking Clarkson specialises in. Later, in November that same year, the Scottish Conservative, MSP Liam Kerr, presumably their Boy Racer Spokesman, featured in the Evening Express, questioning their value on the A90, Aberdeen to Dundee:
‘New A90 average speed cameras would not have prevented half of road accidents. New figures left transport chiefs facing fresh questions over their decision to fix the unpopular devices along the A90 Aberdeen to Dundee road. Scottish Conservatives said police data released to the party showed 124 of 272 accidents over the last four years “would not likely have been helped by the money-spinning measure”. North-east MSP Liam Kerr claimed “far more” collisions are happening at junctions, private entrances, and roundabouts than thought, and the vehicles involved were likely to have been “slow-moving and certainly not fast enough to be detected by cameras”.’
However, On 8th February 2018, strong evidence that the average speed cameras are playing a big part in reducing fatalities on the roads, emerged:
‘A9 deaths halved since average speed cameras installed The number of deaths on the A9 between Dunblane and Inverness has fallen by almost half since average speed cameras were installed. Since the devices were put on place on the route in October 2014, which is the country’s longest trunk road, road safety data shows annual road deaths have declined by 49%. The overall number of all types of casualties has fallen by more than a quarter (28%) while the amount of drivers caught speeding has shrunk by two-thirds (66%).’
https://stv.tv/news/politics/1407954-deaths-on-a9-halved-since-average-speed-cameras-installed/
Speed cameras have of course been opposed by the Scottish Tories, Lib-Dems and of course Jeremy Clarkson. Here’s what they had to say earlier:
Back in January 2017, Jeremy Clarkson, raged against the denial of his freedom to speed, after the installation of the average speed camera system, on Scotland’s most dangerous road, the A9. It’s that kind of Toad of Toad Hall, Libertarian / Right-wing thinking Clarkson specialises in. In November that same year, the Scottish Conservative, MSP Liam Kerr, presumably their Boy Racer Spokesman, featured in the Evening Express, questioning their value on the A90, Aberdeen to Dundee:
‘New A90 average speed cameras would not have prevented half of road accidents. New figures left transport chiefs facing fresh questions over their decision to fix the unpopular devices along the A90 Aberdeen to Dundee road. Scottish Conservatives said police data released to the party showed 124 of 272 accidents over the last four years “would not likely have been helped by the money-spinning measure”. North-east MSP Liam Kerr claimed “far more” collisions are happening at junctions, private entrances, and roundabouts than thought, and the vehicles involved were likely to have been “slow-moving and certainly not fast enough to be detected by cameras”.’
Come on lads, give in.
Talking-up Scotland 
Such spluttering reactionary thinking is not the preserve of eejits like Mr Clarkson and politicians like Liam Kerr and Danny Alexander. They are representing the attitudes of many – not by any means a majority – of drivers, who see that driving is a BASIC HUMAN RIGHT and nothing should be done to prevent them doing what they want to do and to hell with the consequences for anyone else.
You can produce data which shows that there have been significant improvements as a result of various measure in one area and then, when an proposal is made to implement the same measures in an adjacent area, the same oppositionist arguments are trotted out. Although the majority of drivers comply with or agree with changes, it is the loudmouth reactionaries who get the publicity and also who turn up at public meetings and shout people down.
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Yes, they are unlearned. Like the ones who had South Ayrshire Council rip-up a cyclepath, psychopaths!
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According to Liam Kerr “‘New A90 average speed cameras would not have prevented half of road accidents.”. Does this mean that he accepts that they would have prevented the other half?
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A timely article given the reports in the paper today about 4 drivers in Fife who were clocked for speeding at the weekend. One was doing 141mph, the other 3 were doing speeds of 95-106mph. I think it was on the A92 and all were caught within a one hour period.
I regularly drive on the A9 and the introduction of the speed cameras has made a huge and positive difference to the standard of driving.
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I don’t regularly drive up the A9, once every few months or so, and haven’t been beyond Perth by much (the more dangerous bits) for a long time, but I can say that driving up to Perth now is a calmer and almost a pleasant experience from just a few years ago – and I think you are right, the average speed cameras have improved the standard of driving. I think they are great! Gives you flexibility and stops people suddenly braking where there used to be speed cameras (usually the people braking didn’t even know what the speed limit actually is!), and they seem to have stopped the prevalence of aggressive driving.
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I don’t imagine this excellent news from (publicly owned and under Scottish Govt auspices) Scottish Water will be plastered across the ‘Scottish’ msm headlines any time soon – it doesn’t chime with the ‘Too wee, Too poor…etc’ agenda. More power to all at Scottish Water for their fantastic efforts: Snippet below:
Scottish Water has been re-accredited by the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) with Platinum accreditation three years after becoming the first company in Scotland, and the first water company in the world, to achieve the recognition.
The Platinum accreditation status from CIPS demonstrates the maximum value the utility company brings to customers and continues to pioneer leading-edge procurement practice within Scotland.
The company is engaged in one of the largest investment programmes in the UK water industry, and 2016-17 was the second year of a six-year programme which will see more than £3.5bn invested in maintenance and further improvements to drinking water quality, while protecting the environment and supporting the Scottish economy.
Joe Rowan, general manager of Scottish Water’s procurement and supply chain, said the latest CIPS accreditation means the business remains among the very best in the world.
He said: “We are one of only 11 organisations worldwide to achieve this standard; the first in Scotland, the first public sector organisation and the first water company.”
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In my voluntary work, I have had meetings with a number of companies public and private, mainly relating to works ‘on the ground’. The construction industry has a ‘considerate contractors’ scheme which is about minimising the inconvenience to pedestrians, cyclists, drivers and neighbouring businesses when work is being undertaken. In my experience, Scottish Water is a company which treats the concept ‘considerate contractor’ as a reality rather than a slogan.
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From today’s news.gov.scot – amazing the results that can be achieved when a Scottish Govt shows courage and focusses over the years on best available evidence and best practice rather than the next tabloid headline and the britnat media’s saloon bar tory agendas: snippet below:
Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has welcomed official statistics showing the number of offenders reconvicted of further offences has fallen to a 19-year low.
Almost three-quarters of people in Scotland who were released from prison or given a non-custodial sentence in 2015-16 were not reconvicted within 12 months, compared to around two-thirds of those a decade ago.
The National Statistics also show that those released from a short prison sentence are reconvicted almost twice as often in 12 months than those given community payback orders (CPOs). The reconviction rate for those subject to a CPO also fell in 2015-16.
Mr Yousaf said: “Scotland has continued to reduce the number of people who reoffend, implementing a clear focus on rehabilitation, working alongside partners in local government, the third sector and Scottish Prison Service, to help many people with convictions turn their lives around.
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Reblogged this on Ramblings of a 50+ Female.
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There are three lovely positive stories here – and thanks to those bringing the extra two to my attention.
Depressingly, ‘those whom we must persuade’ will and do offer no, nil, nada, positive feedback on hearing facts like these. It happens here in my own house, from otherwise clever and thoughtful people – happy to hear the good news and very clear that none of this has any connection whatsoever with the independence question and another tiresome referendum.
I could scream, really. And inside, I do.
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Steady, you can always come here and let off steam. You’re not alone.
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I’ve said it before and I will say it again. John your devotion to the cause of bringing balanced and accurate news deserves much much more recognition. Your continuing efforts to expose the corruption in the MSM and beyond is an inspiration to many of us committed to Independence and fairer country for all Scots. Your contribution is very much welcomed and appreciated.
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