[ABD Logo]The Association of British Drivers
Local Issues — Lancashire
For local advice on roads and traffic issues email our local co-ordinator:   

 
 
Source: National Statistics — Road Casualties in Great Britain.
See also PR492 re hospital admission figures.
2007-01-08
Speed Camera Cock-Up
300 drivers are to have their speed prosecutions torn up after it was discovered some clown had incorrectly calibrated a number of mobile speed cameras over a 7 month period. 59 of these drivers had already been on a day-long brainwashing course that cost them £80 plus a day off work. They are said to be having the cost of the course refunded.
 
2007-03-28
Taxi Driver Latest Victim of Speed Camera Fanaticism
The bloody-minded attitude of Lancashire Safety Camera Partnership has been highlighted once again after a taxi driver was flashed by a speed camera as he was being attacked by a drunken passenger. Taxi driver John Anthony was heading to his base for help, and called the police when he arrived. The police let the drunk off with a caution, but Mr Anthony later got an NIP for doing 38mph past the camera.
So there you have everything that is wrong with policing today, violent drunks just get a ticking off, whilst nothing remotely approaching common sense or discretion is applied to drivers. 2006-10-25
Cameras Proved Useless as Fatalities Reach 10 Year High
The 293 speed cameras in Lancashire have been shown to be utterly useless in reducing accidents after fatality figures for 2005 reached their highest level for at least 10 years, and a massive increase of 60% over 2004.
Nigel Evans MP said "The speed camera policy has been proven not work.", but Councillor Tony Martin, and Leader of Burnley Council Gordon Birtwistle both voiced support for cameras, with Martin trying to blame the increase on a 10% increase in traffic — without any evidence whatsoever. Do remember their names when the next elections come around. 2006-05-17
Speed Camera causes Police Crash
A speed camera on the A6 Scotforth Road in Lancaster has caused a police car to crash. PC Scott Warburton was overtaking another vehicle when he spotted the speed camera and tried to brake. He lost control of his police car which crashed into two signposts on the central reservation. PC Warburton is an armed response officer but was not responding to an incident at the time. 2004-09-23
Practice What You Preach
Tailbacks formed on the M61 near Chorley on Wednesday 22nd September 2004 after four police cars crashed into each other. Yes, four. No other vehicles were involved. It is stated that they were on a training exercise. We assume they were practicing the manoeuvre you may have seen on TV where 3 police cars try to block in a stolen car in order to force it to stop. Presumably they won't be trying this on any real stolen cars for a while... Parking Hit Squads Start Offensive
NCP anti-parking squads have got off to an immediate start by slapping a ticket on a van that had stopped to deliver milk on Croft Street, Burnley. The government have introduced what they call 'decriminalized parking' in order to give local authorities the ability to extort yet more money from drivers. The County Council have contracted parking enforcement to NCP and plan to increase the number of parking tickets issued by five times.
Caution Promise Was Just a Ploy
Promises by the Chief Constable of Lancashire Police to issue cautions rather than fines to people who were only slightly exceeding the speed limit but not driving dangerously (see below) have proven to be yet another pack of lies, after only 400 out of 5,900 drivers caught by Lancashire's new Talivans were cautioned. In just five weeks the mobile muggers have extorted £330,000 from Lancashire's drivers.
Below is just one of the letters we've received from Lancashire's fed up drivers:
 
Sir,
 
I am currently waiting for the results of passing through a mobile speed camera trap. I was so angry at the method used that I stopped and took this photograph for your no doubt large collection.
 
The mobile camera was placed ¼ mile heading out of the village of Exton Lancs, just yards before motorists passed a derestricted sign heading out into open countryside. This camera was quite obviously there to make money despite the public being told that this is not the case. What can be done to publicise this practice?
 
As a grandfather of four children I am the last person to wish any harm to anyone and no one in their right mind would disagree with keeping speed down. However this is pure money making. I feel I now join the mounting numbers that feel victimised by the ever increasing numbers of cameras both static and mobile in Lancashire.
 
How can I join your organisation?
 
Yours,
 
Mr E.
This Talivan was parked on the road out of Exton, just before the speed limit becomes NSLA. Clearly enforcing the 30 limit in the most petty way, it was not only situated purely to raise money, but was also parked in such a dangerous position as to force drivers to cross the white line in the face of oncoming traffic. It is this kind of crass stupidity on the part of irresponsible and unprofessional police officers that is undermining respect for the law.

 
2004-04-06
Parking Parasites Set to Descend on Lancashire
Lancashire has hired parking parasite NCP to enforce parking across most of the county from July 4th including Burnley, Chorley, Hyndburn, Lancaster, Preston, Rossendale and Pendle. Don't believe the council's lies about only people who park illegally being targetted. Stories from areas where parasites already operate include slapping tickets on a bus at a bus stop, mourners at a funeral, church worshippers, and even a rabbit hutch. Blackburn has decided to do it themselves. At the same time they've announced a ‘low’ council tax rise of just 2.9% — no prizes for putting two and two together.
2004-03-11
Sense Begins to Prevail?
In a major climbdown which acknowledges at long last the negative effect speed cameras have been having on relations bewteen the police and the public, Lancashire's Chief Constable Paul Stephenson has announced that in future some drivers caught by speed cameras will be cautioned rather than fined. We believe that people caught driving only slightly over the speed limit, yet in a perfectly safe manner, but will benefit from this discretion, which is long overdue. Such discretion has been practiced for many decades by police traffic officers in order to avoid alienating the public.
Mr Stephenson could of course earn himself a lot more Brownie points with the public if he were to back date this policy to include all the drivers who feel they have been unfairly treated by Lancashire Police in the last few years.
Footnote: This has now been shown to be a pack of lies — see story above.
 
Fatalities at worst level for 8 years
Fatalities in Lancashire during 2003 were at their worst level for eight years. Despite this appalling evidence, the ‘Safety’ Camera Partnership still continue to claim that speed cameras save lives. They say because fewer accidents occured near cameras they must be working. The fact is that because accidents occur at random, it is guaranteed that in the year after an accident, it is less likely that another accident will occur at the same spot. It is not the cameras that have reduced the number of accidents near them, it is mathematical probability. What cameras do is enrage some drivers and encourage others to watch their speedometer rather than the road.
 
 
Police Accidents Increase by a 109%
Accidents involving police cars in Lancashire increased from 244 in 2001–2 to a staggering 510 in 2002–3. Maybe Lancashire Police should get their own house in order instead of blitzing the public with speed cameras.
Motorway Muggers
Watch out for a speed camera van lurking on the M6 overbridges between Preston & Lancaster. It's been seen on consecutive Sundays on the same bridge — targetting northbound traffic on a straight motorway in perfect weather.
 
 
Raking in the cash
In 1996, 4,028 speed camera originated fixed penalty tickets were issued in Lancashire bringing in fines of £161,100. By 2000 that figure had increased to 24,500 tickets with a revenue of £1,062,050. (Source: Hansard 4 Dec 2002)
 
 

Whilst claiming to be enforcing the law, a Lancashire Talivan displays total disregard for it by parking completely on the pavement in Eccleston near Chorley.
Lancs Evening Post — New anger over speed trap van
Justice in Lancashire R.I.P.
In January 2003, community care worker Carol Harrison from Clayton-le-Moors was set to be banned from driving for 6 months, and was said to be likely to loose her job as a result.
Her crime? Being caught by the same speed camera four times in almost as many days on a road in Great Harwood that had just been reduced from 40mph to 30mph. Carol's speed? 36, 35, 36 and 38mph. The council had simply removed the 40mph signs, and people who didn't notice this (i.e. everybody) found themselves being prosecuted for doing the same speed they'd been doing for years. The magistrates said that while they had some sympathy in how the offences occurred, they could not find exceptional circumstances; they also didn't consider loss of employment as 'exceptional hardship'. Maybe a brain transplant would help them.
 
In August 2003, pensioner Ron McLennan went to court to protest his innocence on similar trumped up charges. He kept his licence but was amazingly still found guilty of doing 42 in what he thought was a 40 zone. Full story from the Accrington Observer.
 
28th August 2003: Carol Harrison has been fined £240 pounds and given 9 points for two cases of 41mph and one case of 42mph. Prosecutions for speeds below 40 were dropped. The ABD condemns these prosecutions; the court has accepted that the limit was not properly signed, yet have persisted in prosecuting for speeds so slightly over the previous 40 limit that they can only be described as petty and vindictive.
Full story from the Accrington Observer
 
 

Click for a larger image you can print to stick in your car
More signs


The M58 looking East towards Skelmersdale.
So much for the 'new roads generate traffic' myth.
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Media Links
LEP = Lancashire Evening Post   LET = Lancashire Evening Telegraph / This is Lancashire

 

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