Intranetics Motoring News Service

Pensioner calls for speed cameras

23rd August 2007 | BACK     PRINT

One pensioner in Norwich has bucked the trend when it comes to speed cameras - by pleading with authorities to install one on his road.

Ken Aggas, 66, a retired printer from Old Catton, was spurred into action when a speeding motorist smashed through his garden fence and destroyed his own vehicle parked on the driveway. This is the second time in two years that a car has left the road and made contact with his property, the Norwich Evening News reports.

Now, concerned about the risk to pedestrians in the area, Mr Aggas has called authorities to action claiming that the risk is increasingly great in the area.

"Somebody is going to get killed. Some pedestrian will be out for a walk and they are going to have a car coming into them because of the speed of the traffic. We want something done," he told the publication.

According to readers of the Evening News, the area is one of the worst blackspots, with 150 respondents calling for some form of action from the government to reduce speeding. The 30 mph stretch of Spixworth Road has seen six accidents in the last year. And Old Catton parish council chairman has been another high-profile exponent of the introduction of traffic calming measures. The official called for an end to the "frightening" speeding that takes place in the area, also identifying speed cameras as a key weapon in the armoury of safety.

According to official figures, the war against road since casualties is being slowly won in Norfolk, with a reduction in numbers from over 600 to under 500 per month since 2002. And it seems that the Mr Aggas might be getting through to those in power, as a spokesman for Norfolk county council said that new speed cameras in the area are currently under consideration.

"The site does not have a high number of injury accidents and our view is that the current speed limit is reasonable, the official told the newspaper.

"However, in the wake of what has happened, we have spoken to the Norfolk Safety Camera Partnership, as it may be possible that speed enforcement action can be taken."

And while this may be somewhat non-committal, the camera partnership itself is behind moves to install devices on this road.

Bryan Edwards, communications operations manager at Norfolk Safety Camera Partnership, spoke of a new educational initiative soon to be launched. In addition, he noted that authorities are currently "actively looking at mobile safety camera locations on that road".

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