I am a driver and I believe that councils are not doing what is in their own interest let alone the best for Children. I have witnessed other drivers carelessly speeding past school and reversing down T zone road where the school is located. I have no objections for speed limits being imposed and on the spot fines for endangerment these are children that are our future and don't have many places to play let alone trying to remain safe on the way to school. The coucils need to take their fingers out and take action plus how much revenue it would generate with 'Fines'.

Congratulations to the Manchester Evening News on your Damascus conversion to clamping down on speeding drivers. In the article you highlight the execss speed outside St Ambrose Primary School on Princess Parkway of 71 mph. Six months ago it was the MEN who labelled the speed camera as being sneaky not motorists as you state in your article. At that time the MEN was basically saying these speed cameras were wrong. for punishing drivers and asked readers to submit examples of sneaky speed cameras. Now you are calling for drivers to observe a 20mph limit!! Evidence shows that unless 20 mph limits are backed up by traffic calming and speed cameras they will not be observed. Perhaps now the MEN will support a call for the reinstatement of traffic officers to enforce speed restrictions? It is not a local authority responsibility to enforce this. 20mph limits will also not be enough, there needs to be self enforcing zones with traffic calming ie road humps? Do the MEN support the idea of more road humps and more speed cameras?

Whilst hitchhiking along a quiet coastal road in Turkey some years back a big flash car came hurtling along the road, and as it went passed I just happened to notice a sticker on the back window. It said: I Do Own The Road! (with the 'Do' underlined). Standing in the cloud of dust, I pondered this for a few minutes afterwards, and couldn't help but admire his self-awareness and perceptiveness. I suppose one would have come to that conclusion anyway, had one thought about it, given the nature of his driving and the vehicle, but it was refreshing to have someone acknowledge the fact and draw your attention to it. I had the feeling that he was probably an interesting and entertaining sort of guy, with a good sense of humour and a sense of irony. But I was glad he hadn't stopped, and I just hope he didn't go on, in his life, to kill or cripple somebody and leave a bunch of people devastated. Maybe even his own family and friends. But whether conscious of it or not, arrogance - a kind of supremacism - is a killer. Maybe it's time for careful considerate drivers to put such stickers in their back windows!Anyway, just for the record, I did get a ride about twenty minutes later - you can see them coming - and he drove me nice and slowly to my destination. And a warm and friendly hour or so it was too....

I live directly oposite a primary school. Several weeks ago in response to an aritcle submitted on Friday Sept 19 by Cncllr Sue Derbyshire I expressed an opinion that the use of 20mph signs the no stopping signs Zig zags on the road speed humps and all other manner of implemented deterants were totally valueless other than the spending of ratepayers money. I am fully in favour of protecting people that is everybody including children but untill our councillors move into the real world and implement supervision of the by laws that they churn out then its nothing more than a cosmetic covering, as I say I live opposite a primary school and drivers stop within the prohibited area not on the road but on the pavement, some will even reverese along the pavement passing the school pedestrian entrance, goods vehicles coaches council vehicle all flagrantly ignore this law. 20 mph is dream wish, 50 would be nearer the mark. If the councilor, yourselves and the police are really honest in their intention to "Protect our Children" then come along at school time and witness the parents of these children deliberately putting their own and others at risk. When the first child is killed, and that could be a plural quantum, then maybe, though I doubt it, the very people making these well intentiond rules will ensure that supervision and penalties are fully used to tnforce the rule, untill then its nothing more than stage dressing

I expect many other people will have noticed that speed cameras have been getting a lot of coverage recently, much of it negative, especially in certain tabloid newspapers. The oft repeated quote - made by the RAC - is that many drivers are being penalised for doing just "a few miles an hour over the limit". I'm not sure which planet the RAC live on, but on the one I inhabit the vast majority of motorists are driving at 40mph and over in 30mph limits. It's the norm. A street I lived in for seven years - ie a busy thoroughfare (10,000 plus vehicles per day) - had a 30mph limit, and practically no one but no one kept within the limit. The average speed was around 40mph, and when they had a clear run (especially at night), vehicles would travel at 50mph-70mph and sometimes even faster. And the same is true for all such roads, and where there are 20mph limits, the average is 30mph and more. The dangerous and irresponsible myth that the RAC is perpetuating (with the help of these so-called newspapers, and others) - ie that all these poor motorists are being persecuted for doing just a few miles an hour over the limit - is designed to inflame people and further cement their prejudices. Many newspapers carried a story yesterday about how the number of people being caught and prosecuted for speeding has doubled over a five year period, and most of these papers used the aforementioned quote in their articles. Again! As a cyclist, and very occasional driver, I am well aware of what sort of speed the majority of motorists are doing, and they are definitely NOT doing just a few miles an hour over the limit, unless, that is, 10mph plus can be somehow interpreted as just "a few miles an hour". The articles also referred to an NOP poll of 1,000 drivers commisioned by the RAC and Autocar magazine in which: "Many motorists admitted they would turn a blind eye to a speed camera being vandalised" (I heard this mentioned on a radio news bulletin as well). Surely what they meant to say was: 'Many pea-brained moronic cretins....' The percentage of respondents answering thuswise was not, conveniently, mentioned, but I have little doubt that apart from the Brmm Brmm brigade and other assorted bigots, the vast majority of people understand the resons for speed cameras and other various deterrents - ie to help reduce the carnage. Just imagine thinking to ask such a question anyway! It's outrageous! Shame on them!!!

Why Oh why can't we adopt some of the best idea's from other countries that make sense? Anyone who has visited America will know that during the times that children are going to/from school, motorist have to abide by a very strict rule that carries a hefty fine if they go past a school faster than the local speed limit ( which is 20mph). This limit extends for about 200yds either side of the school,and is ONLY imposed during these limited times. Not the case over here! Tameside for example, mark certain roads near schools at 20mph, that applies I think, 24/7 365 days a year. So again motorists in this country are confused when and why these limits are applied( it isn't always obvious that a school is nearby). Does this mean that if you are traveling down these said roads at say 2am Sunday morning, you risk being find for doing 30mph? If politicians want to keep the voters anything like interested in politics,then they should take more notice of what makes a GOOD idea work for all of us instead of letting tinpot tin gods impose stupid laws for all to suffer, and show us now and again that they have a brain.

I'm sorry, but I must beg to differ with T Brewster's assessment. "Pea-sized brains" is surely a bit of an exaggeration. Lentils are more representative I would suggest.

Many of us suspected as much,but now it's official: Speed cameras cause accidents', and "it is slow drivers who cause most deaths". These are the conclusions - finedings - of a study conducted by university lecturerer Alan Buckingham of Spa Bath University College (as reported by the Daily Express and The Sun yesterday, Friday 24th October). So let's dig up the road humps, pull down the speed cameras, and increase the limits to 80mph all round. I mean I'm assuming from Mr Buckingham's researh that the faster the speed the safer we all will be, so 80mph seems like a safe bet (but if Mr Buckingham is recommending higher, then so be it). I'm not sure why Mr Buckinham had to go to so much trouble though, as apparently (so Iv'e just learnt), the exact same conclusions have been on the Association of British Drivers website for some time now. But never mind. It was undoubtedly money well spent if it helps reduce the carnage. So now we know.Speed saves lives. It's just common sense really isn't it.

So the Brmm Brmm Brigade had it right all along! And there we were thinking that they were a danger to life and limb, when all the time they were the safest drivers of all. Just goes to show you dosn't it? Funny old world, in it.