6/8/2020
France: Chainsaw Massacre For A Speed CameraFrench mayor upset after officials clearcut a forest to make way for a speed camera. Two other speed cameras were burned last week.
Residents and local politicians in Saint-Berthevin, France, including the mayor and the departmental council president, were furious with government officials for the "chainsaw massacre" on the RD32. Trees were cut down in a broad radius around the speed camera so that the device would have a clear view of the road and its warning signs would not be obscured.
On Saturday, vigilantes in Salbris cut down the pole-mounted "turret" speed camera that had been issuing automated tickets on the RD2020. Officials decided last year that mounting cameras on twelve-foot poles would make them harder to attack. The new design also failed to thwart vigilantes on Wednesday as they set fire to the turret-style speed camera in Massilly.