Frustrated residents in a southeast London neighbourhood took road safety into their own hands by installing a convincing fake speed camera, a move that brought immediate calm to their traffic-plagued street before council contractors dismantled it.
A Desperate Act for a Dangerous Road
Fed up with what they describe as a crash-prone rat run, an anonymous vigilante in Catford bolted the imitation enforcement box to a post on Sandhurst Road overnight on Monday. The stretch of road, which has a 20mph speed limit, has been the site of 85 crashes involving buses in the last four years, with locals reporting collisions as a grim monthly routine.
The DIY camera was remarkably effective. Motorists immediately began hitting their brakes, and neighbours reported an unmistakable sudden calm. One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, called the short-lived deterrent 'brilliant,' noting it was the first thing to make a dent in the chaos after repeated pleas to the council had fallen on deaf ears.
Brief Respite and Swift Removal
For 48 hours, the rogue installation did what years of campaigning had failed to achieve. Residents from the Safer Sandhurst & Sangley and Together for Verdant Lane groups praised the unknown individual responsible, labelling them a local hero.
However, the rebellion was over by Wednesday morning. Council contractors arrived with a crane to hoist the imitation device away, sparking fury among those who felt protected for the first time in years. Freedom of Information data reveals over 17,000 incidents of speeding buses on the street since 2021, with some travelling at more than double the speed limit.
Lives Disrupted by Speed
The human impact of the speeding is severe. William Bloomfield, 37, who lives on the attached Verdant Lane with his wife and toddler, previously compared the area to the action series Mad Max. Another FOI request showed 74 reported crashes on Verdant Lane between 2019 and 2024, a rate over three times that of surrounding areas.
Resident Eddy Scoble, 40, said he thought the camera was real and was extremely disappointed by its removal. 'The road was so much quieter, and drivers didn't overtake me as fast,' he said. Cyclists also find the road terrifying, with one describing it as the scariest part of their commute, where people treat it 'like a motorway.'
Mr. Bloomfield echoed the community's desperation, stating, 'We are just getting absolutely nowhere with the council. There isn't the support that we need. We have been talking to them for a year now and nothing has happened.' The council had previously informed residents that their chances of getting a real camera were 'basically zilch.'
