sneaky speed scamra's.

[johnakay]

coming home on the A170 from scarborough .
I notice a grey coloured camper van on the left at the top of the bank on your left just outside of burniston village.
didn't think much of it ..just thought a strange place to park up.
about 2 or 3 miles further up another camper van of the same colour(grey) with the back facing the oncoming traffic.
I immediately thought the crafty bastard.
stopped at the whistle stop cafe in whitby.
talked to a guy who said that scarborough police hire these at £500 a week hire to use for speed cameras.
he got caught coming from Helmsley road ,no warning sign's or stripes etc.
it seems that they are doing the same as combria's police were doing but with new camper vans,cumbria police were using  old vans disguise as work vans.
so beware guys when your heading to scarborough.

[b1k3rdude]

Its always something with the police up north, either scanning people faces without permission or using morally dubious tactics in the name of generating revenue.

[johnakay]

if I've got caught I'll be contesting it thats for sure.
no warnings and unmarked scamra van.
I thought these have to be marked etc.

[b1k3rdude]

I thought these have to be marked etc.

You do some research on this as it differs from one police force to the next, and from what I have read most do what every the f**k they please (Safety be-damned)

[BBROWN1664]

if it was about safety they would use highly visible policing not hidden cameras that people spend so much time looking for, they are not looking at the road.

[chaz]

I thought they had to be high vis but a quick search comes up with these? one of which is not high vis.

[nick crisp]

A lot of Police forces have web sites to check where cameras are going to be:

http://www.northyorkshire.police.uk/10958

Could it be they think this is all they need to do?

And totally agree with BBROWN. If it was about safety, they'd make them highly visible, as that's what slows people down, actually seeing them.

[johnakay]

had a look on that web.
the dates on the data log only go to the 7th of june so that is about much use as a chocolate fire guard.
they may not be speed camera vans but it seems a coincident that it so happen to have the same vans and colour about 2 miles apart.
they just look like ordinary camper vans not big ones just about the same as normal vans.
no stickers or owt.we'll soon see if I get the NIP. :o

[Farjo]

I've never really understood the argument that all cameras should be highly visible. If you go to the Notting Hill Carnival they have visible policemen which keeps people lawful within a certain radius of them, but you bet there are undercover cops around for when the uniforms are out of sight. And you wouldn't lower the mugging rate with only uniformed police - they would just rob people somewhere else; you need undercover police to actually catch them.

In all* other areas of crime there are under cover operations so why not speeding?

ps it's probably futile to say that I don't a fight I just want it explained, but there it is.

(*possibly)

[nick crisp]

In all* other areas of crime there are under cover operations so why not speeding?

Because they're always insisting it's about safety, and not raising revenue, or catching criminals. If it were about safety, a visible deterrent is what slows people down. If people don't think there are cameras around, they speed.

That's what really annoys me about it. If it's NOT about safety, don't say it is.

If they were actually to catch every speeder every time they speed, everybody would be broke, banned, and likely the country would completely grind to a halt. But the treasury coffers would be overflowing, so that's alright.

[NorthWestern]

Odd one the visibility thing. If people know where they are they speed up to them, slow down then speed back up.  If you don't know where they are then your more likely to reduce your speed throughout or get caught...

[Farjo]

[quote author=Farjo link=topic=17372.msg200249#msg200249 date=1434736767]

In all* other areas of crime there are under cover operations so why not speeding?

That's what really annoys me about it. If it's NOT about safety, don't say it is.

[/quote]
Yes fair enough. "Safety" was presumably some spin doc's invention, the dicks. I always thought the yellow gatsos should be called "Are you paying attention" cameras which nobody could argue with.

[johnakay]

if its all about safety then how come that the speed camera debt in Hartlepool  closed down when the government decided that they were to hand over the all the speeding fines to the treasury.
can't remember the name of them.
they even had a web with all their details of success .
at the height of their game  you couldn't go any where around here with out seeing a speed camera.
every day you would see one but now,
you only see them now and again.
so its all about safety you say??

[nick crisp]

so its all about safety you say??

Er, nobody here did.

[HarryHornby]

the only way to make it truly safety wise is to have average cameras on every road, that would make it "fair" and make sure everyone kept at a "safe" speed.


It's a weird one though, I suppose, by popping up here and there more speeders get a fine, if you are joe average the fine and points probably does make you think and slow down in future, thus it "stops" people speeding.


BUT on the other hand I do hate the sneekyness of it too.  I hate how because of some spin doctoring they started calling them safety cameras, it comes across as they are treating us like idiots "if we change the name to safety everyone will be on board" I think the renaming made it worse.


BUT, another but, if we didn't speed we would have nothing to worry about, would we? It's like I know I'm not going to go down for robbing banks because I don't,(well, not until I've put on another 15 stone, then I will and I'll buy us all Fazers and they won't send me to jail !! 


It's the placement of some cameras I hate, for a biker especially some are more dangerous.  2 examples:


A2 in Faversham, Kent, sittingbourne bound, there is one by a school.  30mph, no probs with the speed etc and a camera to make sure we are being good outside the school (another) BUT, it's right by the busy entrance to the school and opposite a junction.  All of a sudden, I'm more worried about my speedo than important things like kids running across the road in front of me, cars pulling out of either the school or the opposite junction.


2nd badly placed one.  Dartford tunnel, Essex bound, so this little shit bag on the way to the Essex LOFO ride.  20mph limit through the toll removal works, now for those that know this area, 10+ lanes of tolls turns into 2 tunnels of 2 lanes.  Cars are darting this way and that to "get in lane"  At this time I am more worried about my lifesavers whlie crossing to my lane, worried about cars moving to their lane and worried about the general space around me.  20mph is a slow speed indeed on a bike and not one we are used to judging from engine revs etc, so once again, at a time when I should be concentrating on my safety, I'm more worried about my speedo.  Plus the camera is right as you enter the tunnel and just before you can go back up to speed, so IMO it's there purely to catch people thinking they are out of the 20mph zone.


Right, after all that, anyone know the way to speakers' corner?  8)

[mtread]

Of course, average speed cameras don't stop speeding. They stop you doing more than the average speed between two points. Long stretch of 70mph and 50mph along the A127, but during rush hour you can quite happily speed up to 80 after your crawl at 30, as long as you know where the cameras are. Of course they are all front facing cameras, so bikes are exempt anyway 

[johnakay]

its the only minor crime  committed where you get penalise twice.3 points and £100 fine
and I'm not talking of being way over the limits .my niece got points/fine for doing 31mph.

and if you get 6 points then your penalise even more by the insurance.
if you burgled a house you get community service etc.
gbh jail no fine the list goes on.
it just seem to me motorist are easy target.

[mtread]

I thought the leeway was always 10% + 2mph? Avoids any doubt or speedo error.  So you should only get done for a true 36+mph in a 30 limit.

[Dead Eye]

Depends on the council / area and the means by which they catch you... meaning fixed place cameras (like Gatso and Truvelo) often use different trigger points to the Radar guns that police use as well as mobile vans

[mtread]

Trigger points are one thing, but somebody has to decide whether to prosecute. Thought the 10%+2 is across the board. Never heard of anyone being done for 31. Given the inaccuracies of cameras a good solicitor would have a field day with 31 but would have trouble with 36