BY MARK McKELVEY
TYRONE motorists may have escaped being caught speeding by fixed cameras, but figures released this week show that the mobile units will still get you -unless you are from Strabane that is.
The statistics compiled by Public Safety minister Paul Goggins, showed that in a four year period from 2003 to 2006 speed camera revenue for the Omagh District Command Unit (DCU) area was £51,840, compared to £79,920 in Dungannon, £23,220 in Cookstown, with not a penny being contributed from the Strabane area to the £2,298,360 total in the North.
The locations chosen for these mobile units are evidence based, as only after there is a number of fatalities and serious crashes can a camera be used in that area.
A police spokesperson said, "The deployment of safety cameras is determined by the National Intelligence Model process and the equipment can only be deployed in approved sites."
The criteria for the use of a camera in a particular area is that there must have been at least four fatal or serious injury accidents on the same stretch of road over three years. There are no fixed cameras outside of the Greater Belfast area.
According to police there are currently no approved sites which meet the criteria within Strabane DCU, but don't worry, speeders in all areas can still be detected by the use of radar, laser, vascar and calibrated speedometers.
In the Omagh DCU there were four deaths in 2004, which doubled the following year. In 2006 there were two deaths, the same amount as this year to date, giving a total of 16 deaths in 3 and a quarter years. Over the same time frame 23 lives were lost in the Dungannon DCU, 11 in Cookstown and 7 in Strabane. Although seeing the need for speed cameras in these black spots, Omagh Town Cllr Ross Hussey also feels more police officers need to be deployed to prevent traffic offences.
"Personally, I feel there is a justification for the use of cameras when there are so many accidents. In Omagh at this minute in time we nearly need a camera on every corner," said the UUP councillor.
"Speeding obviously costs lives, and if people are losing their lives there should be cameras but at the same time there should be more officers on the ground as well as detecting people driving with mobile phones stuck to their ear attempting to drive with one hand."
In revealing these figures Mr Goggins said revenue from all fixed penalty notices is paid to the Court Service. He also confirmed there is a scheme to cover the running costs of the cameras with any surplus funds going to the Treasury.
Responding to this Cllr Hussey declared, "I would rather the money is used to improve road safety and provide more police officers. If that money could be used to prevent a stretch of road from being dangerous, that should be the priority."
