Now don't get me wrong, I believe that the UK is one of the greatest countries on this planet to visit. After all, it was my place of birth.
A rich country chocked full of history, with stately homes and castles dotted amongst luscious green fields. A place full of friendly, funny-sounding people, who revel in welcoming visitors; home to cities like London, which is vibrant, and full of fun and excitement.
However, after revisiting my homeland recently, I feel that I have to offer this little piece of advice to my fellow Canadians.
If you do plan to visit Britain, take a bus tour, or use Britain's wonderful rail system. Heck, take up hiking, do anything. Just do not drive a car over there!
Why? Because Mr. Blair and the British government have gone stark staring mad and have completely littered the beautiful British countryside with little yellow Kodaks. Yes, I'm talking about the dreaded speed cameras which are literally everywhere in Britain nowadays.
Brought in under the guise of lowering speeds and creating safer roads, they have become nothing more than a government money grab. Oh yes, they do seem to have succeeded in that regard. So successful, in fact, that they have just approved a further 200 units which will be added to the 6,000 already in use. This approval came as it was disclosed that the 39 ''safety camera partnerships'' across the country are expected to net £120 million in the upcoming financial year.
These partnerships of police, local town councils, Courts and the Highways Agency are permited to keep part of the fines to help meet the cost of running the cameras, which only goes to promote their further use.
Supporters say that they have improved road safety, while critics simply call them money-making machines.
Whatever your viewpoint, one thing is certain; they are producing millions of UK drivers who are just one ticket away from losing their licenses. In fact, insurance companies over there now actually sell "Loss of License" Insurance because of this!!!
Given that 2.5 million people were caught on speed cameras last year, and that a whopping 5.4 million drivers have points on their licenses already, it seems that a disqualification epidemic is literally just around the corner.
Now, I'm a little puzzled by all this, as it would appear to suggest that the country is full of speed freak maniacs and that the standard of driving in Britain is nothing short of atrocious. I was perhaps foolishly under the impression that British drivers were renowned, and that the country's tough testing requirements and driving standards were the envy of the world.
A rich country chocked full of history, with stately homes and castles dotted amongst luscious green fields. A place full of friendly, funny-sounding people, who revel in welcoming visitors; home to cities like London, which is vibrant, and full of fun and excitement.
However, after revisiting my homeland recently, I feel that I have to offer this little piece of advice to my fellow Canadians.
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If you do plan to visit Britain, take a bus tour, or use Britain's wonderful rail system. Heck, take up hiking, do anything. Just do not drive a car over there!
Why? Because Mr. Blair and the British government have gone stark staring mad and have completely littered the beautiful British countryside with little yellow Kodaks. Yes, I'm talking about the dreaded speed cameras which are literally everywhere in Britain nowadays.
Brought in under the guise of lowering speeds and creating safer roads, they have become nothing more than a government money grab. Oh yes, they do seem to have succeeded in that regard. So successful, in fact, that they have just approved a further 200 units which will be added to the 6,000 already in use. This approval came as it was disclosed that the 39 ''safety camera partnerships'' across the country are expected to net £120 million in the upcoming financial year.
These partnerships of police, local town councils, Courts and the Highways Agency are permited to keep part of the fines to help meet the cost of running the cameras, which only goes to promote their further use.
Supporters say that they have improved road safety, while critics simply call them money-making machines.
Whatever your viewpoint, one thing is certain; they are producing millions of UK drivers who are just one ticket away from losing their licenses. In fact, insurance companies over there now actually sell "Loss of License" Insurance because of this!!!
Given that 2.5 million people were caught on speed cameras last year, and that a whopping 5.4 million drivers have points on their licenses already, it seems that a disqualification epidemic is literally just around the corner.
Now, I'm a little puzzled by all this, as it would appear to suggest that the country is full of speed freak maniacs and that the standard of driving in Britain is nothing short of atrocious. I was perhaps foolishly under the impression that British drivers were renowned, and that the country's tough testing requirements and driving standards were the envy of the world.