The story in last Saturday's Bolton Evening News, "Speed traps catch 148 in two hours", warrants further comment.

A total of 148 motorists were caught driving over the 50mph speed limit on St Peters Way by police using hand-held speed cameras. Of the 148 motorists, one was photographed travelling at 109mph, and a further 33 were driving at 25mph over the speed limit. The other 114 must have been travelling at speeds of between 50mph and 75mph.

Perhaps Insp Chris Burrows of the Bolton Police Traffic Unit could tell me and all the other conscientious drivers out there, of that 114, how many may have inadvertently (through a momentary lapse of concentration) strayed just a few mph over the speed limit? Yet the police intend to punish these motorists as well, by issuing them with prosecution notices - the same as the boy racers who were intentionally racing each other and driving at much higher speeds.

I would remind Insp Burrows and the police force that they risk alienating large sections of society by not exercising common sense over road safety. To penalise every one in the vain attempt to stop the few is not the way to engender co-operation and good relations with the public, and may well lead to open hostility from otherwise law-abiding citizens.

The proliferation of speed cameras up and down the country and the unjust and punitive penalty points system mean many more drivers, particularly those who drive for a living, now face the very real possibility of a driving ban, should they be caught just four times in three years travelling at just a fraction over the speed limit.

I find it increasingly difficult to believe that the police or indeed the government are serious about road safety. If they were, those drivers who were driving at excessive speeds and racing on St Peters Way would have been physically stopped, or prevented from doing so in the first place.

Instead, it would appear from your report that these drivers were allowed to continue their dangerous driving, putting even more lives at risk.

Perhaps the so-called speed cameras should now be re-named tax cameras, which is what they really are.

After all, 148 speeding fines for just two hours' work is a nice little earner, isn't it?

Stuart A Chapman.

Patterdale Road

Bolton