In 1986, in a small town in Texas, the first speed camera ticket was issued. Now, over 20 years later, speed cameras may be coming to York. Steve Galloway, the Lib Dem leader of City of York Council, is putting pressure on North Yorkshire Police to introduce them at accident blackspots.
 
The move, as reported in the York Evening Press on 30 August 2007, comes as a result of a change in the leadership of North Yorkshire Police. The previous Chief Constable opposed the highly controversial enforcement devices but the view of the new Chief Constable, Grahame Maxwell, is unknown.
 
Refreshingly, Adam Briggs, Deputy Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police, in charge of road policing, said: "Speed cameras are on the agenda but I would want to consult with the community before any decisions are taken."

• They reduce speeding. This has been backed up by Department for Transport (DfT) research, which was carried out over 4 years.
   
• They (possibly) reduce accidents and related casualties. This is the opinion from research published in the British Medical Journal. However, the authors of the research admitted that their findings were based on poor evidence.
   
• They are a cost effective method of policing for speeding. This is because the initial set up costs, together with the running costs, are offset by the fines they bring in. This was recognised by the DfT as a major finding in their evaluation report.
   
• They benefit from public support. However, this is only if the enforcement is targeted, as admitted by the DfT.

Arguments against speed cameras

• The reduction in speed could be very short-lived. For the speeding motorist, the temptation must be to slow down (possibly bringing about another danger), pass the camera, and then speed up again.
   
• They only catch drivers who are breaking the legal speed limit rather than those driving at an inappropriately high speed. For example, a motorist may be driving at 30mph in a built up area. Legal, but not very sensible or safe if freezing fog means that they cannot see nor stop without skidding.
   
• The DfT accepts that speed is only a contributory factor in less than 1 in 8 fatal road accidents and, amazingly, only 1 in 20 of all road accidents. These figures were based on information provided by police officers who attended the scenes of accidents.
   
• If the aim is to reduce speed, alternatives are available. The use of speed bumps and chicanes are commonly used throughout the UK. Also, flashing road signs that warn a driver who is going too fast have been proven to be effective. In a trial on the M42, these signs showed both a greater number of cars slowing down and those that slowed remained at a lower speed for longer, compared to a speed camera site.
   
• Speed cameras do not detect other offences. They do not stop people drink-driving, driving dangerously or driving without ever having passed a test. Police patrol cars both deter and detect all of these crimes. Unfortunately, the fear must be that road policing using speed cameras will be at the cost of patrol cars.

Oh, and for the record, the camera in the small town in Texas was scrapped within months because the residents objected to it so strongly.