A DISGRUNTLED motorist is thought to be waging a personal vendetta against speed traps on two of the borough's busiest roads.
The offender has so far evaded capture whilst daubing paint over the lenses of the cameras to prevent them snapping speeding drivers.
And as soon as the damage has been fixed by the camera maintenance team, the mystery attacker has struck again and again, rendering the cameras useless.
A camera in Featherstall Road, Chadderton was first targeted in October last year, and last month the spraycan wielding vandal struck again in Manchester Road, Werneth.
Both cameras have been repeatedly targeted. In each case the same method of attack has been used ' silver paint sprayed over the lens of the '20,000 cameras, blocking their view of the road ' suggesting the same person is responsible.
Officials believe the culprit is likely to be a disgruntled motorist who has been photographed by the cameras and fined.
Maintained
Speed cameras in Greater Manchester are operated by Drivesafe, which spent nearly '265,000 maintaining and installing them last year.
Spokesman Emma Reynolds said: 'It seems those two cameras are regularly attacked by the spraying of paint on the lens.
'It appears that as soon as the paint is removed it is re-sprayed. I appreciate the local community concern over this. We are going to be taking action to try and redeem the issue at the two camera sites and will be keeping a close eye on it.
'I am not able to provide more details of our action as to do so would have a direct impact on its effect.'
Driver Neil Andrews, of Blackley, who uses Manchester Road every day to get to work in Oldham, said: 'I think it's a daft place for a camera anyway. I can understand people's frustration.'
Cameras are only ever installed for public safety reasons at sites which have a history of fatal accidents or serious injuries over the previous three years, along with documented evidence of speeding.
The cameras get photographic evidence of vehicles breaking the law, which results in a fine of at least '60 and three penalty points on a drivers' license.
More points and a higher fine are imposed if the speed limit is broken by more than 25 miles per hour.
The forward-facing cameras work by infra-red so don't flash when they take a picture, and they are able to photograph the driver's face as well as the car to help prosecution.
The average camera in Greater Manchester caught 207 drivers breaking the law last year.
Showing 1 to 25 of 51 comments | View All
George, Manchester (06/04/2005 at 16:07)
june, manchester (06/04/2005 at 20:54)
Let's hope the person who is spraying the SAFETY cameras never has any of their loved ones killed by a speeding driver.
Paul, Manchester (06/04/2005 at 23:19)
Good luck to him the sooner we can be rid of the leeches that live off the death and injuries on our roads and get back to real road safety the better.
tomjeffs, flixton manchester (06/04/2005 at 23:26)
Rob, Peterborough (06/04/2005 at 23:30)
Speed cameras have caused a real decline in driving standards.
They merely serve the treaasury, fact.
Mr B J Mann, Nottingham (06/04/2005 at 23:48)
As for "cameras get photographic evidence of vehicles breaking the law, which results in a fine of at least B#60 and three penalty points on a drivers' license." So which law wee the thousands of drivers "caught on the M$ braking when they were prosecuted for going faster then 50 in a 70? And wasn't it in Manchester itself that one speeding motorist was "caught" 17 times by speed cameras. In one day.
But was never traced.
No fine or points there then!
Steven, Hampshire (07/04/2005 at 00:32)
Trax, Doncaster (07/04/2005 at 01:11)
It is about time we had proper road safety scheme, that concentrate on road safety, and aim to turn around the ongoing increase in deaths, despite the ever increasing amount of pretend safety camers.
Ken Powell, Leicester (07/04/2005 at 07:34)
Assuming, of course, that the driver is law-abiding and has registered the car in his name or has not cloned someone elses registration number........ and has a licence.........
a, nony (07/04/2005 at 07:42)
Rich, London (07/04/2005 at 08:18)
Mr Dew, Hull (07/04/2005 at 09:13)
My local radio station has regular adverts informing drivers that as its a holiday time, there will be kids out and about and therefore safety cameras will be in operation because of this. I'm fine with this, I don't condone speeding in pedestrian areas ie cities/towns. They even tell you where the vans are if you can be bothered to log onto their website.
So imagine my surprise when I was on a dual carrigeway in a 40 zone(coming out of the city), which then changes to a 60 zone. Oh look a white saftey camera van positioned on the side of the road about 100m before the 60 mph zone, just waiting for people to accelerate into the 60 mph zone... strange really as there where no kids or schools around for miles! Surely people should be concentrating more on their driving, distance from others than having to constantly keep an eye on their speedo's whilst looking out for hidden cameras and mobile revenue camera vans?
Mr X, Moston (07/04/2005 at 09:16)
He's single handedly taken on the scameraships and defeated their weapons of mass prosecution, for thats all these scameras can actually do.
Consider for a moment what a camera actually does: It takes a photo, it gets processed and you get a nice B#60 tax demand with a threat of greater violence to your wallet if you dont pay up pronto.
Hows that making roads safer exactly?
If a driver from a different county gets caught out by one of these cash cams and never returns cos its not on his regular route, then all that happened was he got scammed for B#60. Plain and simple!
Road safety? What do the scammers know about safety?
Good job i say to the man and keep up the excellent work, he deserves a medal.
Adam Chromyac, Flixton (07/04/2005 at 09:53)
I'm a driver but I am very Pro-safety, I have also had friends killed via road accidents.
Road safety CANNOT be measured by speed alone. The B#afety B#artnerships are deliberatley involved in the reviewing of speed limits to raise B#ash, by targetting motorists at safe places driving at a safespeed they simply adjust the B#peedlimit to suit & hey your breaking the law.
A massive industry is behind the scenes promoting the business model to these quango B#artnerships.
At the same time Cheshires Police Traffic Division has been disbanded.
Safety my ass.
James, Surrey (07/04/2005 at 11:14)
Speed cameras, in fact any form of electronic control, are an obsenity - an affront to common sense.
They are a way of dumbing down the whole matter of safe driving.
Safe driving is driving in a manner appropriate to the conditions at that time, whether rain, sun, shade, bumpy road, side turnings etc etc.
Bill, essex (07/04/2005 at 12:02)
The government sent out a nation wide directive in the summer of last year " reduce the income by 5 percent", despite all of the extra cameras ordered and /or installed.
I assume untill the election is out of the way, and then the gloves will come off & we will see wholesale slaughter of the motorist. The consequence will be lots more activity like this chap.
The law was well regarded, its the mass prosecution and enforcement that stinks. Combine that with the council now reducing speed limits daily.. in some cases on dual carridgeways, from nsl to 50 to 30, the number of ticket holders will go up from the current 11 million total, or 3 million per annum to about 6 million pa . Unsustainable there will be a revolt and a complete breakdown in the law and respect of the police. .
We will of course hear the line "if you dont want a ticket dont speed " These people shouldnt eat xmas pudding on xmas day, that untill just recently was against the law as well, and the govt saw that was as daft as speed cameras.
rgds
Bill
DeltaFox, The Darkside. (07/04/2005 at 12:26)
Question for all the "safety" camera supporters.
If little Billy runs out from the kerb under the wheels of an articulated truck doing just 15 mph in a 20 limit, do you think that he'll survive?
Remember youre more likely to die the faster you go...or so the unproven theory goes.
Another good question would be: How did the "safety" camera contribute in any way to Little Bill's safety at the time of his demise?
It didnt, in fact it most likely contributed as the driver wasnt looking at the road but either at the camera or the speedo which is why speed cameras are a waste of time and only produce good results in terms of prosecutions and revenues raised. The constant bleating by the "Scamera supporters club GB" that they save lives is absolutely unfounded. They have no proof whatsoever, just a blind faith in their beliefs...called religion by any other name.
Stop "believing" the "partnerships" hype (theyre in it for the cash) and start SEEING the truth: Speed cameras are life takers not life savers.
Conscientious Motorist, Leeds (07/04/2005 at 12:47)
BOBBY, MOSTON (07/04/2005 at 13:24)
BOBBY, MOSTON (07/04/2005 at 13:24)
PW, Manchester (07/04/2005 at 13:39)
Milly, Beds (07/04/2005 at 13:43)
What is needed is the restoration of the traffic dept of police forces. Cameras are just SOLD to the public on the pretence of safety when they have more to do with minimising costs and maximising revenue - if their placement is anything to go by.
Barry Lovell, Oxfordshire (07/04/2005 at 14:07)
Paul, Milton Keynes (07/04/2005 at 14:47)
Mike, Plymouth (07/04/2005 at 15:38)
Disabling the partnerships cash registers is a public spirited action. I'd buy the man behind the paint can a few pints.