French militants blow up speed cameras
Date: 17 December 2007
Militants in France angered by speed cameras, which also anger courier drivers carrying loads in the UK, have begun blowing up the roadside devices.
The Nationalist Revolutionary Army Faction (FNAR) has destroyed six radar speed cameras in the Paris area over the last six months, and is now demanding a ransom, the Times reports.
Courier drivers with return loads and backloads in the UK have not quite reached the same kind of breaking point, although they do have to contend with what many see as excessive speed cameras that hinder their prompt delivery of loads.
The French group is apparently demanding "a significant sum of money" to cease the explosive attacks, together with tax cuts and less draconian speed law enforcement on the nation's roads.
President Sarkozy has said the attacks are an affront to the authority of the state and has ordered the police to crack down hard on the perpetrators.
France actually has far fewer speed cameras than the UK, where they often slow down couriers and owner drivers unnecessarily when they are delivering return loads and backloads.
There are two cameras per 1,000 square kilometres in France, compared to a massive 20.9 in the UK. However, it is the Netherlands that tops the list, with 37.3 per square kilometre. Dutch couriers and owner drivers with loads must be going mad with frustration.
For the latest in courier and transport news, please visit Courier Exchange's Online Courier News Homepage.
User Comments
No Comments