British commission pushes use of speed camera in roads

The UK Sustainable Development Commission recently made public a report proposing the utilization of standard speed cameras for continuous trailing of motorist trips across the country.

The advisory commission said that the extensive use of cameras is necessary to lessen the emission of carbon coming from vehicles – a factor that contributes to global warming. It also recommended that the UK government should take urgent actions to persuade the public in using mass transit and not to drive their own cars.

The report stated that the enforcement of speed limits has contributed to the drop in carbon emissions. Estimates found that approximately 1.4 million tones of emission is reduced by just simply implementing a 70mph speed limit.

Last 2009, the Home Office granted permission to install speed cameras in busy areas to enforce speed limits. The cameras are linked together, and placed at entry and exit points of roads with fixed speed limits.

The report is also requesting for a fixed timetable on the implementation of Intelligent Speed Adaptation technology that utilizes global positioning satellites to set control over the driver’s speed, making it impossible for a vehicle to exceed a given speed limit. The same technology could also be utilized for congestion pricing, tolling and insurance charging.

The commission emphasized that the system will need significant financial backing for it to be successful. Critics from the Association of British Drivers however are against the initiative and stressed that much of the global warming rationale were based on discredited reports from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).