Roads Minister Stephen Ladyman has admitted he once did not take speed limits seriously at roadworks.
As a result, the Labour MP for South Thanet was slapped with two fines in the space of a week.
But he said he learnt his lesson from the fines and six points on his licence he received from the two incidents in 2001.
He was talking to kentnews.co.uk after new figures revealed more than £1.4 million of fines were given to motorists speeding through roadworks on the M2 and M20 last year. Nationally, more than £5m of fines were issued in 2006 for speeding through motorway roadworks.
Dr Ladyman said five Highways Agency road workers were killed in 2005 - the year he was made transport minister.
"I'm afraid I've got absolutely no sympathy for anybody who's been caught speeding going through roadworks. They've only got themselves to blame."
However, the minister was himself caught speeding through roadworks twice on the M2 between Canterbury and Gillingham.
He said: "It was over six years ago now, it was at the start of camera enforcement and I was probably like everybody else - I didn't see the seriousness of it and didn't slow down quickly enough.
“Well, I learnt my lesson and everybody else has to learn the same lesson."
Dr Ladyman went on to have nine points on his driving licence after being caught speeding by a camera on the A2 coming out of London in 2002. He now has a clean driving licence.
Brian Macdowall, Kent secretary of the Association of British Drivers, said that speed cameras at roadworks in the county provided "rich pickings" for the Kent and Medway Safety Camera Partnership.
He said that the authorities should do a better job of removing roadworks sooner.
"Kent camera partnership's existence is entirely dependent on increasing income from fines," said Mr Macdowall. "Clearly, roadworks give rich pickings. However, and most importantly, any sense of urgency to complete roadworks in the shortest time possible is virtually absent.
The Kent and Medway Safety Camera Partnership said 24,268 fines were issued to motorists who sped through roadworks on the M2 and M20 last year. They were for £60 each so came to a total of £1.4m. However, the partnership said one in five fines are not paid so the total generated was nearer £1.1m.
In a statement, Chris Rogers, project manager, Kent and Medway Safety Camera Partnership, said he was becoming increasingly concerned about the public's "apathy" towards temporary speed limits.
"It is important to obey the speed limit for the motorists' own safety and also that of any workers.
"Nevertheless drivers who are ticketed ring us up and say things like, 'I thought that the speed limit started at the first traffic cone' or 'There were no workers there so I didn't think that the speed limit needed to be obeyed'."
Mr Rogers added: "Drivers seem to be making up their own rules and then falling foul of the actual law."
POSTED: 20/05/2007 02:00:00
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