Tories must keep pledge to end speed cameras

From: Brian Macdowall, Campaign Director, Alliance of British Drivers (ABD), Manchester.

AS we approach a General Election, it is worth recalling a promise made at the 2009 Conservative Party conference.

We were told that it was time to say “enough is enough” on fixed speed cameras. We were promised a switch to better alternatives.

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Not only is that promise unfulfilled, but the Government has kept the cameras going through revenue from lucrative speed awareness courses.

A recent opinion poll showed that two-thirds of drivers were unaware that they pay around £50bn a year in taxes, but only about a fifth is spent on roads.

Yet the Government is looking to raise even more money out of drivers. It accepted a report that proposed hiving off England’s main highways to profiteers, bringing the threat of road pricing. The almost unknown Infrastructure Bill quietly paves the way for this.

Our roads have been paid for several times over and belong to the public. They are not for sale, or something that just falls short of that.

The last government backed down after 1.8 million people signed our petition against road pricing. I urge readers to ask their MP to oppose the Bill – enough is enough!