Speed camera snaps sans flash

IF YOU WANT TO FEEL the white heat of new technology, ignore Silicon Valley, the biotech industry and the rest, and head directly to London, capital of England and the global epicentre of the latest snares to trap motorists.

Already feeling a bit miffed by congestion charges and parking rates that would make Larry Ellison blanch, residents of the city, and for that matter those visiting it, are now the guinea pigs for a new camera that captures speeding drivers without a flash to notify them of another £60 walking away from their bank accounts. The cameras are the work of South African firm Truvelo.

According to This Is London, tests of the camera are already underway on the A4's Gillette Corner and grabbing images of drivers' faces as well as number-plates, presumably to reduce the opportunity of outlandish excuses.

However, some campaigners are already revolting against the new cameras, suggesting that the lack of instant notification means that motorists will not be persuaded to drive more carefully.

Unlike a lot of technology projects, many of those introduced to curb the London's notorious traffic problems seem to work beautifully from the point of view of those collecting the loot. Perhaps Transport For London could pass on contractors' email addresses to those responsible for procuring at the National Health Service, Passport Office et al? µ