Another ridiculous DSCP mobile camera operation (22 May 2009)

2 Pictures are below (not very high resolution but they make the point) of Shore Road, Sandbanks, taken last Friday and last Sunday, the Friday image has an arrow pointing at the DSCP van in the distance. They capture quite well the extremes of how quiet and how busy this road can be. Obviously, while it would be madness to drive at more than 20 on Sunday, it is also complete madness to have rigidly enforced the 30 limit on Friday.

If we are to believe what we are told, driving within the speed limit would have been very safe, and driving a small amount over the limit very dangerous, on both days.

Just as the vast majority of drivers recognise when it is necessary to drive below the limit, they will also drive a bit over, if it is clearly safe to do so. This does not seem unreasonable because, as demonstrated, a fixed limit cannot define what a safe speed is when the dynamic factors are so variable. Dangerous speeders will be fully familiar with the feeble DSCP efforts and will be fully practiced at avoiding them anyway.

So it is obvious that operations like that on Friday will result in the majority of fines going to normal safe drivers driving at a speed entirely appropriate for the road type, conditions and circumstances, and therefore, this is obviously the aim of the DCSP.

The other result will be that drivers of all skills and attitudes will consider that the speed issue is not about keeping to speed limits and being responsible for slowing further when circumstances require it, but simply to avoid being caught for speeding. If the DSCP actually observed average speeds on various roads scientifically they would realise that they have helped speed limits to become simply a joke ignored by the majority of drivers when they are too low.

The DSCP obviously have no belief in what they are doing as none of my messages over the years has been answered. The fact that they are prepared to position this resource on this deserted road on a bank holiday Friday when the main roads are becoming very busy with a multitude of problems is proof that they really don’t have a clue.

Just considering the amount of bad and dangerous driving and accidents rates, and that this is the best that the "Safety" partnerships can do, it really is quite unbelievable.

Friday

Sunday