Repost? Speed camera game.

Possibly not the same one, anyway it sounded cool and I was told it in good faith so I'm treating it as true! (it was in France anyway)

I agree with what you are saying AK re. pedestrians safety....

But can you tell me why a camera needs to be placed on the A40 westway, where there are no pedestrians.... a few years ago that piece of road was classified as a motorway FFS - now there ois a 'need' to zap anyone driving at more than 30 mph?

I have NEVER seen a mobile van within a school zone or residential area or (proper) 30mph limit.

They are ALWAYS in places where they will catch the highest NUMBER of offenders. Catching 500 people doing 59mph in a 50 dual carriageway, where all the traffic is going in the same direction and there are no pedestrians, bikes, horses, yadda counts for jack sh1t when 1 curse word kills one child by driving at 45 past a school.

It IS all about the $$$ IMO

Great link. I read a few pages and actually feel like being even more careful safety wise.

The cameras are a threat. It is my belief that pretty much everyone will get a ticket apart from the odd Ned Flanders. Even after a nearly heated debate with 'perfect' family in law members a year ago hassling as to why I would want a snooper type device in my car I was told "you should not be speeding". A year later one of them is done for 82MPH on a motorway. in my car 82MPH on my sat nav reads 90MPH (probably) on the cars speedo! it feels safe too (probably) in reasonable traffic and conditions if you are observing and driving safely.



I really don't think hiding cameras is very clever at all.

To be fair, ive never seen the point in having cameras or scamera vans in full view, kinda defeats the object. If they're visible then people will simply slow down in good time, then speed up, if they were always hidden then maybe people would drive slowly at all times, just in case. The rules state though that they MUST be placed in full view, with the correct signage which in many cases, they arnt. I just resent the fact that good safe drivers get stung for simply creeping over the limit a little while really dangerous driving goes unpunished due to the lack of "real" police on the roads. Yes excess speed is wong but its being treated like a cash machine by the government.. Motorists are easy targets, easy to detect and are more likely to have the money in their bank to pay up quickly. Easier to detect and fine than say, a mugger.


And for anyone who doesnt have any points on their licence.................... Its only a matter of time before youre busted like the rest of us!

20 years so far without a ticket. And when I think back to some of the antics I got up to and some of the unroadworthy nails I took to the queens highway well I think I must be blessed on that score... I once had a copper rip up his notes because he couldn't be bothered writing it all down LOL. Gave me a big old bollaking and sent me on my way... Another chap I heard of via a guy who bought one of my cars got 12 points for a similar offense.

There will always be people pointing out cameras which they think play no part inroad safety. Same as people might complain if an unmarked cop car pulls them on the motorway. A lad on another forum was pulled on the M-something for doing 97 or so by an unmarked car and the road was practically empty. He felt he was perfectly safe and while he admitted it was a fair cop the attitude was very much "but I wasn't doing anything wrong".

Most of the cameras I can think of locally (IE on roads I'm familiar with) are there for a reason I can about fathom. Plenty in residential areas, near schools, and obviously dangerous roads. I can't think of any off the top of my head I can't see a reason for.

What does upset me is the rather pointless prosecutions for very minor offenses. A chap I worked with was got by a mobile manned speed trap and he was done for 31 in a 30. That was done by a person not by a "blind unthinking machine" Such prosecutions only serve to make people less respectful of the law. 31 in a 30 is speeding obviously but c'mon... I don't think its in anyones interests to dish out 3 points for it.

Obviously I'd love to see more coppers on the streets making sensible use of their judgement to collar bad drivers and tax dodgers and pulling illegal or unsafe cars. But then we'll only have people complaining "why aren't they out catching rapists or murderers?" And if we're in fantasy land where we can afford to police our country properly rather than wasting billions of pounds of our taxes trying to police places in the middle east then I'd like a free 100 meg internet connection and a 7 pm & weekend curfew on drunken or noisey people walking past my house. Oh yeah, and world peace.

No Alastair. They are not.

Where I live there is not a single safety camera ANYWHERE in town.

But there are 4 within 4 miles along the A1, where the speed limit varies between 50 and 60, and which all used to be 'national limit'. There's no pedestrians there is there?

But it's criminal to drive at a speed that was previously safe. In the meantime it remains fine for folk to drive down my street (where there is a primary school) at whatever speed they like. Even 30 is too fast here, but is anything enforced, or monitored?

Nope, because all the resources are out strategically placed on the A1. Where lets not forget alot of traffic is not regular, and so will not be familiar with the locations and the deliberately confusing fluctuations in speed limit...... CASH COW.

IF they put a camera on my street, soon everyone would know it was there. How much would it earn??

£0. ZERO. ZIP.

That would mean it is 100% effective. And is therefore inefficient and pointless to the bean counters, and thus not worthwhile.

Funny old world isn't it.

I can see all sides of the arguement here, it'll be an eternal debate. I don't think they're that great to be honest, but then I'm not the law and I have tried but failed to question it. So in the meantime as I've got a clean licence for the first time in seven years... I'm just going to watch it. ;D

Oh, 15/19

Excellent point and a very relevant one.

Anyone who's working within or close to the public sector should be more than aware that the most powerful members of staff are often the bean counters.

We harp on about safety being more important but as the general public it would be us who are complaining if speed cameras were running at a massive loss. In fact I believe the traditional Gatso's only started turning profit until recently.

Hidden cameras are a great thing and I echo Alistair's point about the tolerances, they need to be reasonably high and catching the real offenders. I.e those that drive around way above the limit slowing down for marked cameras and strapping detectors to their cars.