Worries speeding may increase as a result of the Diamond Races motorbike event next year has led to rumours of new cameras being installed on the proposed route – but the false information has been rubbished by officials this week.
The Isle of Wight Council has denied there are plans for any new speed enforcement measures on the iconic Military Road and surrounding country lanes. However, the Council has said it would support a case for the installation of average speed cameras.
The Island currently has no fixed speed cameras. They were all removed last year but haven’t been in operation for quite some time.
The Diamond Races — a TT-style road race meeting — has split opinions on the Island, with some arguing it will be a new draw for tourism but others fear it will encourage copycats to get up to the high speeds of the racers. That said, the support certainly outweighs those who have raised objections.
Organisers estimate that the riders could hit in excess of 210mph on the 12.4-mile course around the southwest of the Island, particularly on the Military Road section.
At a meeting of Chale Parish Council last week, 1 resident said bringing the top-class event to the Island was a good thing but people already treated the roads around the village as a racetrack, with speeding a separate issue that needed to be dealt with.
A member of the council suggested the Isle of Wight Council, along with Island Roads and the Isle of Wight police, were working on a plan for average speed cameras throughout the course.
The Isle of Wight Council has said data collected from last year showed only 5% of drivers and riders travel above the speed limit.
A council spokesperson said:
“Unfortunately there will always be a minority of motorists who drive/ride with little consideration of others.”
Recently, the Isle of Wight Roads Policing Unit have carried out speed checks using the mobile enforcement unit in an effort to discourage speeding.
Particular concern is the amount of speeding currently taking place along the Military Road — but the council says to meet its finite resources, highway improvement schemes, mostly focusing on improving safety, will be prioritised over the installation of average speed cameras on the Military Road.
The spokesperson said:
“The relatively low injury collision data for the Military Road does not prioritise this road for further funding in the near future”.
The council, however, would be happy to support a case to the Department for Transport for the installation of average speed cameras if it could be worked out that the money made from fines would go to the council or police to pay for the installation, monitoring and maintenance of the cameras on a cost-neutral basis.
The so called current speeding along the military road is not a new thing – it’s been going on for years. You won’t stop it Diamond Races or not.
Police trappers often locate to this road, miles from anywhere, where speeding does not result in so much disturbance to others.
However it is the speeding in towns and villages which really put people at risk..
-So why do they not try deal with this much more important problem ?
The fact is the focus is on numbers of convictions and on raising revenue, rather than on the safety of the public.
Rubbish, all this worry of copycats is ridiculous hysteria.
Many circuits around the world are street circuits and have no problems including the isle of man. Take Monaco as and example, no one doing 200mph around there. Yes I know its a busy city but just saying.
What about the northwest 200 motorcycle race, again no problems.
Rally of great britain, no copycats.
Absolute hysteria.
How about a proper fact based article with interviews and statistics from these kind of venues to squash these worries.
Old people that shouldn’t be driving pose the biggest risk to themselves and others.and are the cause of most accidents!
And younger people course more deaths on our roads, “Fact”…
Even if they put hidden cameras, what is the problem, all cars have speedometer’s.
5% speeding, that’s utter crap, more like 75% speeding. Bring in the speedcams, damn good idea.
Yep, they obviously don’t know how to make money.
Something has got to be done, more cams the better I say….
The only trouble is car drivers and motorcyclists will get to know where they are. Also it was well known fact that not all are switched on at the same time. Some are false. Doesn’t take a lot to suss them out. When I worked at GKN the info about the so called cameras that were on and the ones that were off all over the island somehow got passed round the site by computer and by mouth. Never got to know the source of information. Might be harder now who knows. By the way I’m not in favour of speeding.
Agree with YIGAF. I was on that road last weekend behind three other cars all doing the speed limit when a light coloured Focus overtook us all in one sweep that included a raised bend. People like this idiot have it in them to drive badly anywhere on the Island. There are plenty of other, more residential, areas on the Island that suffer from speeding drivers but as the report intimates, there has to be a history of accidents to build up a case for intervention. I have always found that ridiculous.
about time they put cameras on that road its always been a race track and always will be with the little boy racers and its NOT just bikers its cars as well. only today it looks like a car has been in a field
There is no need to have this event. If you wish to see show offs on motor cycles, go to small brook.
Roads are meant for folk to get from a to b, not race around like idiots.
We have lived without this rubbish for all time so far, and would continue to do so now without it. Ban it, but lets have mobile hidden cameras on all our roads over time, by moving them around it would be more effective than static cameras.
Cars should be taken until the fine is fully paid, and kept and sold if the driver is banned from previous
its people like you who will sink this island,,like it or not things like this are needed to keep the island alive,something you obviously dont need but the youth and buisneses do need