COMMENT: Safety only for those who pay? (From Oxford Mail)

COMMENT: Safety only for those who pay?

9:30am Wednesday 28th July 2010 in

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ON the face of it, villagers taking over their local speed camera makes perfect sense.

Oxfordshire County Council yesterday voted through a raft of cuts, which will see cameras switched off at the weekend.

The radical idea has sparked plenty of debate across the county.

It is clear that not paying Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership to run the cameras will save money.

But at what cost?

The folk of Nuneham Courtenay have decided the impact is too much. They are worried about the potential for cars to speed through the village on the busy A4074 at more than 30mph if the cameras are turned off.

So, they have asked if they can pay for it themselves.

Safer Roads, which will still be in operation in Buckinghamshire and Berkshire, backs the idea.

It will get money from the parish council to replace film and process fines.

Great... and it would not be a surprise to see more villages and communities seizing on the idea over the next few days.

But, we again return to the same question, why should it fall on local people to pay for policing of the roads?

Ensuring the safety of people who live by busy roads should not mean dipping into our own pockets again.