Editing Traffic enforcement camera (section)

===Revenue, not safety===
* In 2010, a campaign was set up against a speed camera on a [[dual carriageway]] in [[Poole, Dorset]] in a 30&nbsp;mph area in the [[United Kingdom]], which had generated £1.3m of fines every year since 1999. The initial [[Freedom of information]] request was refused and the information was only released after an appeal to the [[Information Commissioner's Office|Information Commissioner]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10555354|title=Group claims speed camera nets £1.3m a year in fines|work=[[BBC News]]|date=2010-07-08|access-date=2016-06-30|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102234552/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10555354|archive-date=2016-01-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/business_money/anger+at+13mayear+speed+camera/3702842 |title=Anger at £1.3m-a-year speed camera - Channel 4 News |website=Channel4.com |access-date=2016-06-30 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100905131756/http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/business_money/anger+at+13mayear+speed+camera/3702842 |archive-date=2010-09-05 }}</ref>
* In May 2010, the new Coalition government said that the 'Labour's 13-year war on the motorist is over' and that the new government 'pledged to scrap public funding for speed cameras'{{Citation needed|date=June 2020}} In July [[Mike Penning]], the Road safety minister reduced the Road Safety Grant for the current year to Local Authorities from £95 million to £57 million, saying that local authorities had relied too heavily on safety cameras for far too long and that he was pleased that some councils were now focusing on other road safety measures. It is estimated that as a result, the Treasury is now distributing £40 million less in Road Safety Grant than is raised from fines in the year.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/7909246/Treasury-set-to-cash-in-on-speeding-fines.html|title=Treasury set to cash in on speeding fines|work=The Telegraph|quote=The decision to reduce the Road Safety Grant £95 million to £57 million this year means that the Government could raise as much as £40 million more from speeding fines than it hands back to local authorities to reduce death and injury on the country’s roads.|location=London|first=David|last=Millward|date=2010-07-26|access-date=2016-06-30|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810131733/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/7909246/Treasury-set-to-cash-in-on-speeding-fines.html|archive-date=2016-08-10}}</ref> Dorset and Essex announced plans to review camera provision with a view to possibly ending the scheme in their counties,<ref name="telegraph.co.uk"/> however Dorset strongly affirmed its support for the scheme, albeit reducing financial contributions in line with the reduction in government grant.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dorsetroadsafe.org.uk/index.php?option%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26id%3D362%26Itemid%3D84 |title=Dorset Safety Cameras by Dorset Safety Camera Partnership - Continuing Support for the Dorset Safety Camera Partnership 27th July 2010 |access-date=August 23, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313012717/http://www.dorsetroadsafe.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=362&Itemid=84 |archive-date=March 13, 2012 }}</ref> Seven counties also announced plans to turn off some or all of their cameras,<ref name="telegraph.co.uk"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-10733021|title=Lack of police funds could end South West speed cameras|publisher=BBC|date=2010-07-22|access-date=2016-06-30|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131012022/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-10733021|archive-date=2016-01-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/08/02/speed-camera-turn-off-starts-115875-22457737|title=Speed camera turn-off starts|website=Mirror.co.uk|access-date=2016-06-30|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917140757/http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/08/02/speed-camera-turn-off-starts-115875-22457737/|archive-date=2011-09-17|date=August 2010}}</ref> amidst warnings from the country's most senior traffic policeman that this would result in an increase in deaths and injuries.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/aug/09/speed-cameras-funding-road-safety|title=Cutting funding for speed cameras will cost lives, police warn|author=Adam Gabbatt|newspaper=Guardian|location=London|date=2010-08-09|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927183006/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/aug/09/speed-cameras-funding-road-safety|archive-date=2016-09-27}}</ref> Gloucestershire cancelled plans to update cameras and has reduced or cancelled maintenance contracts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/news/Speed-cameras-stay-maintenance/article-2481320-detail/article.html|title=Speed cameras will stay in Gloucestershire - but no more maintenance|author=Freddie Whittaker|publisher=This Is Gloucestershire|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100806110145/http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/news/Speed-cameras-stay-maintenance/article-2481320-detail/article.html|archive-date=2010-08-06}}</ref>
* In August 2010, the Oxfordshire, UK speed cameras were switched off because of lack of finance due to government funding policy changes. The cameras were switched back on in April 2011 after a new source of funding was found for them.<ref name=bbc_20110401>{{cite news |title=Oxfordshire's speed cameras to be switched back on |date=2011-04-01 |work=News Oxford |publisher=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-12928747 |access-date=2011-07-15 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110827091447/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-12928747 |archive-date=2011-08-27 }}</ref> Following rule changes on the threshold for offering "Speed Awareness Courses" as an alternative to a fine and licence points for drivers, and given that the compulsory fees charged for such courses go directly to the partnerships rather than directly to central government as is the case for fine revenues, the partnership will be able to fund its operations from course fees.<ref name=bbc_20110401/> Compared with the same period in the previous year with the cameras still switched on, the number of serious injuries that occurred during the same period with the cameras switched off was exactly the same{{snd}}at 13{{snd}}and the number of slight injuries was 15 more at 70, resulting from 62 crashes{{snd}}2 more than when the cameras were still operating.<ref name=bbc_20110401/> There were no fatalities during either period.<ref name=bbc_20110401/>