THE ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH DRIVERS
IN SCOTLAND
TAYSIDE CAMPAIGNS
Eamon's letter to The Montrose Review
Sir,
The motor car has brought huge benefits to the people of rural Scotland, providing mobility, freedom, security, employment and prosperity to many. And yet we are persecuted like fox hunters. We pay the highest price for petrol in the developed world, our roads are hugely under-funded, we have silly obstacles being erected in town centres which are supposed to calm traffic but which in reality merely increase air pollution and noise as people brake and change gear to negotiate them. Modern cars are 95% cleaner than they were 20 years ago and yet we are treated like environmental lepers. The public transport system is often unreliable and expensive. The anti-car spin doctors are trying to re-name speed cameras 'safety cameras', when clearly all they measure is speed. The abuse of speed cameras by the authorities is shocking and amounts to little more than another way of fleecing money out of the already heavily-taxed and persecuted motorist. Many of these are hidden behind signposts and located in the middle of straight stretches no-where near accident black spots. Added to this the police seem obsessed with speeding on quiet, open roads when speeding is the principle cause of less than 8% of accidents, and 70% of injury accidents are in 30 and 40mph limits. They can't hide behind the excuse they are only doing their job. They aren't doing their job properly, and if they have to tell their superiors this then they must do so if they are to retain the support of the motorist when it comes to what should be more serious issues such as drugs and other serious crime. I say 'Should be' as while motorists are being demonised and persecuted, burglary is being effectively de-criminalised and, as we saw only last week, less drug dealers are being convicted. Maybe we've got our priorities wrong.
Here in Montrose we have pedestrian crossings located on corners and mini roundabouts located in the middle of wide stretches of road. Now we have an ill-informed Community Council in Hillside, Dun and Craigo becoming obsessed with imposing a ridiculous 50mph limit, backed up with speed cameras, on the Montrose to Brechin Road. The lunatics are clearly taking over the asylum. What about the other 92% of causes of accidents for heavens sake? And what about the side roads? Do they stay at 60mph? And where will some of the speed cameras be located on this road? Yes, we've guessed it - in the middle of straight stretches so that overtaking becomes even more dangerous!
Are we motorists therefore going to continue to sit passively while we are persecuted by the prejudiced rantings of the anti-car brigade? Sadly the AA and RAC have largely abdicated their responsibilities to represent the interests of motorists while they seek profit in areas such as insurance and breakdown cover. But salvation is at hand. The Association of British Drivers campaigns vigorously both for the rights and interests of motorists but also for the introduction of honesty and integrity into the area of transport policy, instead of the current approach of prejudice and spin.
Yours etc.
Eamon Scott
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