Yet more cunning ways to trap spending motorists

[buildersmate]

M4 westbound, just before Junction 17 Chippenham. Cameras mounted on tripods on bridge over motorway. White 'Safety Camera Vehicle' (sic) not on bridge - just off to one side. Junc17 sliproad - 2 police motorcycles and one car sat awaiting instructions in sliproad.
Is this a relatively new tactic or just the first time I've spotted it?

[flip_flop]

Have seen something similar in Kent.

I love the whole 'Safety' camera thing - anybody, with an ounce of brains, knows that these cameras have nothing to do with safety and everything to do with raising revenue: it is a tax by any other name.

I will accept cameras outside schools are there for safety reasons, but cameras on a stretch of the dual carriageway part of the A21 in Kent, in a position which is not an accident blackspot, are there for no other reason other than to generate income.

Aaaaand cue the pious and smug "if you don't speed you won't get caught" brigade.

[jake-the-peg]

Well it is rather obvious isn't it?

The whole "revenue generation" argument is a load of hogwash usually spouted by people who are looking for someone else to blame for the fact that they're on 9 points or whatever.

VAT on crisps raises over 4 times the revenue that speeding fines do

[flip_flop]

Well if they're not there to raise revenue, what exactly is their point? In the majority of cases it most certainly is not for any safety reasons, so it begs the question why have them?

[jake-the-peg]

The government would disagree with you.

I know the 42% reduction in road deaths at canera sites is only at those sites but over the whole country road deaths are still down 7% since 1998.

That's one argument.

The other argument is that whatever your opinion may be speeding is breaking the law and if the Police failed to enforce the law to the best of their ability they wouldn't be doing their job.

The figures show that cameras are easily the most effective way to catch speeding motorists.

However I do think the totting up system need to be reviewed. The situation where you can leave home with a clean license and get a ban by trigerring 4 cameras over a journey without ever getting a warning undermines the purpose of the points system.

I'm not holding my breath for a change though!

[Toureman]

In the North Wales police area deaths have gone up since speed cameras were introduced.

[DrFilth]

thats because when you spot a camera you slam on your brakes and the person behind smashes into the back of you

[flip_flop]

Yet another reason no to have them.

[jno]

actually they're for speeding motorists not spending motorists, freudian slip there. And catching them any way they can is ok in my book.

[squarebear]

Yep I'm with you jno. The only people who complain about these things are those who speed. If you're going to break the law, then you're going to get fined. Simple as that.

[flip_flop]

They are abitrary, and that is their problem. Two recent incidents reported in the papers - one, a driver sped up briefly in order to pull into a layby because his wife was having an epilectic fit and he needed to help her. 35 in a 30 limit. Photographic evidence shows his wife was in some distress.

His fine and points stand.

Two - a woman was caught by a camera doing 37 in a 30 whilst 'rushing' to hospital where her son was being treated having been mauled and seriously injured by a dog.

Her fine and points stand.

Had the police pulled these two people over, no action would have been taken against them.

I challenge you to successfully argue that in the cases above the points and fines were warranted.

[jake-the-peg]

Those cases show that the appeal process is flawed not that cameras are

[buildersmate]

I've no problem with the cameras, just the undercover approaches. We are not talking major organised crime here.

[jake-the-peg]

I'd have to agree with that.

Close to where I live there's a village where there's one of those large light up "Slow down signs" that detects your speed.

From time to time there's a police speed trap there.

When there is they turn off the sign.

I'm sorry but that's just too close to entrapment in my book

[Myriad2112]

Hidden cameras don't reduce traffic accidents

http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article.php?a _id=121527

[flip_flop]

When you are caught on camera the bureaucrat dealing with the paperwork slavishly follows what the camera tells them - because they are told to.

So, in that respect the cameras are flawed, insofar as once they have done their job another unthinking process takes over.

Neither of the people in my example would have received their convictions had they been pulled over by the police.

[flip_flop]

http://www.safespeed.org.uk/sideeffects.pdf

[jake-the-peg]

Not very impressed with that document flip-flop!

No references to research no figures of any note - looks like someone sitting down and writing an editorial.

And some of the claims!

Making HGV's stick to the speed limit is dangerous because people will overtake recklessly!

A reduced respect for the law by enforcement - What about a reduced respect for the law if speed limits are just ignored!

This whole argument is nonsense

By all means argue that speed limits are too low and should be raised but don't argue that the law should not be enforced!

I'd also like to see the details of those two incidents for all we know the "mauling" was a few scratches and the fit was fictitious.

People do have a habit of developing these emergencies in the face of a speed camera. ( I doubt I'd only be doing 37 if my wife were critically injured!)

[Compostella]

I just wish that they'd enforce other crime with as much vigour.

Just watch any episode of Car Wars and you see time & time again that people are released without charge or with cautions for crimes much more serious that creeping over the speed limit.

Whilst we hear and experience all manner of tactics to enforce speed limits.

Insufficiant manpower is an excuse levied by the police for rising crime rates yet there doesn't seem to be the same shortage when it comes to enforcing speed limits.