Why the 60kph speed limit?

How refreshing it was to read: The answer to reducing road accidents is more complex than just reducing speeds, as so ably suggested by correspondent Graham Hurdle, himself a road safety and driver training consultant.

For the last 40 years, I have been trying to instil this argument in critics of anybody who travels at anything above walking pace, with little success.

Mr Hurdle goes on: "Enforcement should not be done through speed cameras alone." Right on cue again Mr Hurdle. The biggest problem as I see it is the local councils who all appear to have their own little self-appointed traffic experts, and the ADT that appears to have little control over the doings of these councils where roads and traffic are concerned.

Perfect examples are the improper placing of most of the speed cameras on the island, all the wrong signage everywhere, and traffic calming measures that increase one's blood pressure rather than reduce it.

While on the subject, one cannot but mention the controversial speed camera and speed limits on Regional Road. When the powers that be installed cameras and introduced daft speed limits of 45kph on the Manuel Dimech Bridge, we were assured that this was all for our own safety as otherwise the bridge might collapse.

Fair enough, how thoughtful of them - nice try. What's the excuse for the 60kph limit now? Is the bridge still unsafe and about to collapse, so many million euros later?

As Mr Hurdle so rightly hinted, most cameras are nothing but revenue-making machines and nothing else.