Monday, June 09, 2003

ROAD RAGE

Alexander Chancellor is usually a sensible kind of bloke. But, last Saturday's column in the Guardian magazine really pissed me off.

Chancellor, who has already had one moan about a parking ticket, seems to have taken it upon himself to be the reasonable voice against speed cameras.

"The public may support George Bush and Tony Blair in their world war against Islamic terrorism, but it is happy to tolerate a bit of home-grown terrorism if its targets are right; and speed cameras are deeply unpopular." says Chancellor in support of the madmen of Motorists Against Detection.

Argue if you want against the revenue spinning aspects of speed cameras, and I think the revenue raised is a great idea, but to argue that it is unfair to be caught speeding is simply stupid. Argue if you like that it's unfair to place cameras at the edge of 30 mph limits to catch people slowing down and I say "tough titty" if people haven't learnt after 10 years or so of speed cameras that going 45mph when you pas a 30mph speed limit sign carries a chance you are going to get caught by a speed camera. Perhaps all these people just want to have a car chase with the cops instead.

Rather than blowing up speed cameras, or in Chancellor's case condoning the destruction of public property paid for with taxpayers' money, slow the fuck down. Speed kills.

And, has government suddenly become anti-car? No. This is a campaign to catch people breaking the law. Speeding may not be thieving, but it is still an offence against society which carries an appropriate tariff. As for being an attack on the freedom to move, horse shit. Get on a bike. It's better for you and it's less polluting.

P.S. - I reckon Chancellor's getting jealous of Julie Burchell, the other lamp shade columnist in the Saturday rag. Burchell claims to have become a "Grande Dame". Po-leaze!

:: Posted by pete @ 21:23