Two speed cameras installed on a bridge at Sheffield Parkway were found severely damaged by anonymous individuals.
Some believe it was the work of ‘Blade Runners’, vigilantes that destroy road cameras to express their repulsion against ‘net zero’ schemes, especially the ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone).
The ‘blade runners’ commit these offences on cameras because these specific ULEZ cameras are used to identify and charge fines to vehicles that violate the scheme’s standards.
It has not officially been confirmed as a Blade Runner attack.
The cameras were discovered in a damaged state by Tim Wells, a retired man who was born and raised in Sheffield.
He has been actively protesting for over two years against the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) scheme, which is Sheffield’s version of the ‘net zero’ agenda.
He said: “I wouldn’t personally go out and damage a camera, wouldn’t advise people to damage cameras, but at the same time I’m not going to say anything bad about the people who do.
“None of us are against a cleaner environment, and that’s the same with CAZ, but we pay a very high level of tax on our fuel in the first place – between 60 and 70 percent of the fuel price is tax. I think it’s way too high. We also have to pay an annual fee to drive our cars, around £200.”
Mr Wells, 59, is a member of the Sheffield Pinstone Street assembly, which is a campaign of people that are in opposition of Sheffield’s CAZ.
On 21 October, they held a protest on the bridge at Parkway to raise awareness about CAZ. Wells was joined by Wesley, a student from Sheffield Hallam University.
“We’re trying to send the message out to the public: ‘Don’t pay the fines’,” the 21-year-old said. “In Birmingham, people in masses were not paying the fines, so the council was forced to cancel the scheme because nobody was paying.
“If we all didn’t comply with the fines, our council might be forced to scrap it as well.”
When asked about the cameras, he said: “I don’t condone illegal activity or criminal damage, but at the same time, I don’t blame them.”
