The figures, provided by the Home Office, show that 395,900 drivers were caught by speed cameras in 1999. By 2003, that number had leapt to 1.6 million. Figures are not yet available for 2004.
While numbers of tickets rose each year by about 200,000, between 2002 and 2003 the figure increased by 600,000, illustrating increased reliance on speed cameras to police Britain’s roads.
Commenting on the figures, Minister of State for Transport Dr Stephen Ladyman said: ‘The increase in the number of penalties reflects in part the wider coverage of cameras with the national Safety Camera Programme.
‘The review of the first three years’ operation of the programme concluded that safety cameras had reduced the number of people killed or seriously injured at camera sites, by 40%.’
Figures released earlier this year by the Scottish Executive showed a rise in speeding fines in Scotland of 61% in a single year.
Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign said: ‘If anyone ever needed proof that speed enforcement is not saving lives, this is it.
‘Despite an increase of 61% in speeding fines issued between 2002 and 2003, road deaths also rose over the same period from 304 to 331 – a rise of 9%.
‘Enough is enough. Clearly the massive increase in speed enforcement has not driven down road deaths. And if it doesn’t save lives what good is it? The greedy camera partnerships must be disbanded and we must get back to the principles that gave us the safest roads in the world in the first place.’
Tickets issued: 1999 – 2003
| Year | Number of tickets | Estimated revenue | ||
| 1999 | 395,900 | £15,836,000 | ||
| 2000 | 556,000 | £24,395,000 | ||
| 2001 | 791,000 | £47,474,000 | ||
| 2002 | 1,012,000 | £60,720,000 | ||
| 2003 | 1,600,000 | £96,012,000 | ||
Source: Home Office
London tops league of UK’s camera hotspots
THERE are nearly 2,500 speed cameras in England and Wales, with London and the north most heavily populated regions, new figures show.
Across Lancashire and Yorkshire, there is a combined total of 597 fixed camera sites, according to figures released by the Department for Transport. London alone has 323 fixed sites.
Other hot spots for speed cameras include South Wales with 143, West Midlands with 128 and Avon and Somerset with 97.
North Wales has only 23 speed cameras, although it has 61 sites used for mobile vans.
East Anglia is the most sparsely populated area for fixed speed cameras – with just 22 in Norfolk and Suffolk combined.
The figures reveal differing approaches to speed limit enforcement with some counties more keen on using mobile vans rather than fixed cameras. While East Anglia might have few Gatsos, it claims the use of 161 mobile camera sites. South Wales, already one of the densest areas for fixed cameras, claims a massive 286 mobile unit sites.
A recent poll of more than 500 businesses found that while the majority (66%) believe cameras reduce road accidents, 81% think their main purpose is to raise revenue for the police (Fleet News, May 26). And just under 40% of respondents to the LeasePlan survey expressed concern over the increasing numbers of cameras around the UK.
GATSO charts
Top 10 areas Fixed sites
London 323
Lancashire 291
West Yorkshire 248
Staffordshire 223
South Wales 143
West Midlands 128
Avon and Somerset 97
Essex 93
Devon and Cornwall 83
Cambridgeshire 83
Total 2,249
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