M4 motorway speed camera protest
Many people doubt that so called "Safety Cameras" (usually doppler radar activated speed cameras) on roads, are solely, or even primarily, intended to reduce the number of road accidents. The suspicion is that they are very often a "stealth tax" revenue raising measure.
That is certainly the view of the reported 180 or so participants in a "go slow" protest on the M4 Motorway in Wiltshire today.
Unlike, say, the camera controlled variable speed limit on the M25 motorway near Heathrow Airport, the Wiltshire scheme is using far less visible mobile units parked on bridges, so the emphasis seems to be on enforcement and revenue generation, rather than actual long term speed reduction deterrence.
It is unclear if any Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology is to be used during this campaign by the Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership