Did someone say "a tax on speed"? Yes, apparently so if reports in today's national newspapers are anything to go by.
Thousands of drivers have been wrongly convicted of speeding after a camera was put up in the wrong place, it emerged yesterday.
But officials have refused to declare an amnesty for motorists who have paid fines and had penalty points put on their licence.
Instead, each driver wrongly caught must make an individual appeal. So far 10 motorists have been let off after making a plea.
The camera was set up to enforce a 50mph speed limit at roadworks on the M4 near Newport, South Wales - but instead snapped cars 200 yards past the roadworks as they accelerated back to 70mph.
More than 2500 motorists were trapped from July last year to September this year and £150,000 had been paid in fines before police realised a mistake had been made. John Rowling of the Safety Camera Partnership - run by three police forces in Wales - said: "Anyone with concerns regarding their penalty on this occasion is advised to write to us and we will consider their case individually"
Source: Daily Express
This is exactly the sort of behaviour that is increasing the public's enmity towards speed traps and those who set them. If the drivers should not have been penalised, then the fines and points should have been rescinded immediately. To require everyone to question their penalty in writing is merely a crass way of pocketing thousands of pounds from innocent people.
My partner is one person who will be writing to check if her penalty still stands, but what about those who didn't happen to pick up a newspaper today? Their fines and penalties will still stand. Absolutely disgusting.
And that's not to mention all the people who will, in the intervening period, have paid increased car insurance premiums as a result of having endorsements on their licence, my partner again included. I doubt that this money will be seen again, whatever the outcome of any challenge to the penalty.
Any thoughts? Mine include:
LTP