Road safety groups have accused Swindon council of experimenting with people’s lives today after the town became the first in the UK to abolish speed cameras.

The Conservative-run council voted unanimously to withdraw funding from fixed-point speed cameras last night claiming that the money would be spent on alternative speed-calming measures. Safety campaigners, academics, politicians and the local police raised concerns over the move today.

Jane Whitham, a spokeswoman for Brake, the national road safety charity, said that the controversial choice could result in more deaths in the area.

“Brake wholeheartedly opposes this reckless decision,” she said. “In removing its speed cameras, Swindon Borough Council is entering into a very dangerous experiment with people’s lives.”

The council said that they wanted to scrap the unpopular cameras because they were forced to pay for their upkeep while the Government collected the revenue from speeding fines.

The Department for Transport receives £104 million per year from the fines and gives councils £110 million to pay for their own road safety measures. That money is allocated according to traffic accident statistics leaving some councils with bigger handouts than others.

Peter Greenhalgh, councillor for highways in Swindon, had led the campaign to remove speed cameras after branding them a “blatant tax on motorists”. After hiis populist rallying-cry he was hailed as a hero on Top Gear, the BBC motoring programme.

“We will be working very closely with our partners, including police in the road safety partnership to deliver a plan that reduced the number of people being killed on the roads in Swindon,” he said last night.

The councillor claimed that 70 people were killed in 2007/08 on the streets of Swindon, which proved that speed cameras were not making roads safer.

There are currently eight fixed-point cameras in Swindon — six speed cameras and two red light cameras. The speed cameras are expected to be taken down in six months' time when the Wiltshire and Swindon Safety Camera Partnership deal ends.

David Ainsworth, Wiltshire’s deputy chief constable, said that police were urging the council to hold further consultation with them before they “physically remove any camera”.

“Police will not compromise on public safety. Together with other partners in the road safety partnership Wiltshire Police remain committed to the support of a variety of methods, including the use of cameras in speed enforcement.”

New road safety measures being considered by the council include education and training for motorists, better street lighting and reduced speed limits in problem areas.

Despite the end of speed traps in the town, police will continue to use mobile speed-measuring devices.

Neil Greig, research and policy director at the Institute of Advanced Motorists, claimed that Swindon’s decision could diminish the reputation of speed cameras.

“This move by one local authority smacks of tokenism, and may fuel public cynicism that the priority is saving cash rather than saving lives. To describe revenue from safety cameras as a ’tax’ is emotive, but not true,” he said.

“Properly placed fixed safety cameras are just one road safety tool, not a substitute for active road policing or long-term engineering improvements. They should be in addition to cops in cars, not scrapped.”

Some motorists have welcomed the abolition of speed cameras but Edmund King, the AA president, reacted with caution.

He said: “It is fine to remove cameras if they are replaced by cops in cars and interactive slow down signs. However, we do not want to see a road safety void in Swindon. Saving lives on the road is more important than party political wrangles over camera funding.”

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