Speed cameras increase traffic and cause traffic jams?
Speed cameras may be there to encourage drivers to keep to the speed limit and obey the rules of the road, but it appears that they also increase traffic!
The Dutch transport ministry and police admit that drivers will often slam on their brakes as they are approaching a speed camera, as they most likely only saw it when a short distance away. This creates a knock-on effect that actually leads to more traffic congestion.
So from this week the new protocol in Amsterdam, is that when there is a risk or danger of a tailback, police will remove the speed cameras instead.
Police operations expert Alfred van Beilen outlines how speed cameras may cause increased traffic, stating that:
“People brake, and that frequently has a domino effect on the drivers behind them. In the end that can lead to traffic jams.”
The Dutch are actually very strict when it comes to obeying the speed limit and are tough on drivers who do speed. With some of the highest traffic fines in Europe, there is a “correction” of only 3km/h, (or 3%, if the speed is above 100km/h) after which every 1km/h over the speed limit, incurs a fine.
Dutch traffic information service VID has often complained about queues caused by police action and in particular speed cameras and produced research in 2015 to highlight the problem.
In the first half of 2015, VID recorded big traffic james that it claims were “100%” caused by speed cameras, increasing to 23 in the final six months of the year – although there are no official figures.
Source: IOL