Hi,
After having gone years and years without a point on my licence, I've now been caught a second time by a speed camera in the space of a couple of months. Though I'm bang to rights (41 in a 30 - I know it's no defence but it was an empty road very early in the morning), I'm feeling full of a sense of injustice about this one. It was a handheld camera just after entering a 30 limit, there was no warning it was there and the guy was hiding behind a wall. I'm sure he couldn't have clocked me as I approached as he was just the other side of a blind bend, the first I saw of him was in my rear view mirror pointing the gun at me.
I thought they weren't allowed to ambush you like that... Anybody think it's worth trying to contest it on those grounds?
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>> I thought they weren't allowed to ambush you like that..
Afraid they are.
. Anybody think it's worth trying
>> to contest it on those grounds?
So not really.
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Do check though that they posted the NIP within 14 days of the offence, and that it was sent 1st class. I doubt any of the SCPs are still sloppy on this, but you never know!
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>> Do check though that they posted the NIP within 14 days of the offence, and
>> that it was sent 1st class. I doubt any of the SCPs are still sloppy
>> on this, but you never know!
>>
Thanks for reminding me of that... Unfortunately they did. Guess I'm just going to have to tiptoe around for the next few years :-( they offered me the possibility of a speed awareness course. But since I'm due to go on one already because of my first offence I can't see that I'll be able to take that option.
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I was a bit miffed a few weeks ago when a police car that had been speed trapping all morning drove off as I approached and as i followed him along the 30 limit doing 40 he was pulling away from me at a fair rate. He then turned off at a roundabout, went a further 100 yards or so and reversed into a gateway and got his radar gun out again - presumably to sit there booking people for doing 35 or 36.
Left a very bad impression.
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>> a police car that had been speed trapping....................
Now that would hack me off.
If they are spending their time enforcing something, then they absolutely should not abuse it themselves.
For once I'd be reporting that.
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>> For once I'd be reporting that.
Fat lot of good that would do. Yr report would be binned, and if you became insistent you might find yourself being pulled for minor infractions more often than the average driver.
One just has to accept that piddling laws of this sort, and their enforcement, are Kafkaesque expedients for picking pockets and keeping everyone anxious. The old bill are fully aware of this - more so than some people here it seems - and being pretty cynical to start with and by training behave accordingly: either getting in everyone's way by observing 30 limits on empty rural roads without any junctions or belting around in hooligan mode. The latter of course is vastly preferable.
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It was an astonishingly poor piece of PR if nothing else. When I was a driving instructor I was very concious that when I had my name and my business plastered all over the car I had to make an effort to play by the book. You just look like a mammary gland if you don't.
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^^^^^^ That reminds me. I really must look for this mythical book that contains the names, addresses and reg numbers of everyone that's ever complained to the Police. I can then commit all those details to memory so I can pull them regularly for 'minor infractions'.
It's pretty odd that I work on what used to be called a 'Traffic' dept and I haven't picked a pro-laser up for about four years. (Don't tell the Daily Mail. They'll run a story of 'Heartless Police ignore traffic dangers. Little children will suffer)
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BTW MLC, I wasn't having a dig at you rozzers in general, just one in particular.
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Robin Regal- my reply was to AC. You posted a nano second before me.
Speed Enforcement has a very low priority in Policing today. Most is carried out by your friendly Camera Partnership. Your more likely to find the vastly reduced number of Officers trying to deal with mental health issues, which take up 70% of available time these days.
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>> my reply was to AC.
Guh... I know mlc, and I didn't mean to imply that that would be likely to happen, just that it could, conceivably, as it has once or twice with people identified as very annoying.
I've never been pulled unreasonably for speeding, or given a load of excrement by any officer in a car (although once or twice from plod on foot). I know that car-borne police on the whole have perfectly sound attitudes to speeding and would be unlikely to lean on people unreasonably for technical infractions.
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>> I haven't picked a pro-laser up for about four years.
Personally I;d like to see a two stage approach;
1) Put *REASONABLE* speed limits everywhere.
2) Enforce them absolutely - cameras everywhere, pro-laser, panda cars, bikes whatever.
And "reasonable" doesn't mean the lowest.
So, 40 on a dual carriageway is ridiculous. etc. etc.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Sat 6 Apr 13 at 16:42
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>> >> I haven't picked a pro-laser up for about four years.
>>
>> Personally I;d like to see a two stage approach;
>>
>> 1) Put *REASONABLE* speed limits everywhere.
>> 2) Enforce them absolutely - cameras everywhere, pro-laser, panda cars, bikes whatever.
>>
I agree with this - in Cheshire covert speed traps operated by police officers are common. I've been caught once and (touch wood) think I've been very lucky.
But even without being ridiculous about it and driving at an indicated 33 I get people all the time overtaking. Last week coming off Runcorn bridge where it's 30 and a frequent site of speed checks a guy used the turn left lane to undertake me - although he then tore his tyre in a gouge in the very tightly curved slip road. I gave him a toot as he stopped up the road. :)
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An in-car camera and an anonymous posting on you-tube would probably make you feel better.
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"....they offered me the possibility of a speed awareness course. But since I'm due to go on one already because of my first offence I can't see that I'll be able to take that option. "
Their cock up, if its offered take it. That's if you wish to of course.
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My lad got offered and did two on the trot.
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>> "....they offered me the possibility of a speed awareness course. But since I'm due to
>> go on one already because of my first offence I can't see that I'll be
>> able to take that option. "
>>
>> Their cock up, if its offered take it. That's if you wish to of course.
When I was offered a course the letter said I would not be eligible if I had done one within the last three years. I had to confirm that I had not.
So yo would have to lie, in Herts at least, to do a second one.
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If the police don't have computers that "Speak" to each other you might get away with 2 awareness courses from different services
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>> If the police don't have computers that "Speak" to each other you might get away
>> with 2 awareness courses from different services
>>
Well it's 2 different police forces so maybe I'll get lucky. Got to reply saying I was the driver first.
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Got to reply saying I was the driver first.
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Now THAT could lead to an interesting thread!
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We are NOT taking your points for you...
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It's just an extension of to Hoon (Huhne) around:
tinyurl.com/6pa25b - link to urban dictionary
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I refer my learned friends to a post I created regarding Traffic Offence Reports:
www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?t=13332
Behind this national system is another computer - PentiP.
www.northgate-ispublicservices.com/View/?Pentip
This will allow all Forces access to your motoring history. So if you have had a SAC somewhere else when they check the database before considering disposal it will show and that will not be an option.
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>>
>> >> I thought they weren't allowed to ambush you like that..
>>
>> Afraid they are.
>>
The camera partnerships are supposed to use highly visible means under the hypothecation rules where they could keep the money themselves. But I think that's all fallen apart as part of "the cuts" and I'm not sure what the current status is.
Sounds like the OP got done by a police officer anyway.
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>> I thought they weren't allowed to ambush you like that .........
Many years ago I was caught exceeding 60mph by a traffic policeman sat in a car in a rural side road at right angles to the road on which I was travelling. He had crudely timed me with a fascia-mounted "stopwatch" over a distance from one tree to the next. The daft thing was that the instrument on his car's fascia (which he showed me as evidence) had calculated my speed to two places of decimals! He said I could contest the SP30 that he gave me but since I was doing over 80 he expected the courts would impose a greater penalty. The car I had at the time was a red XR3i, a car which all traffic policemen wanted to catch speeding! I didn't argue, and paid the fine.
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>> Anybody think it's worth trying
>> to contest it on those grounds?
>>
If I was caught doing 41 in a 30 limit my conscience wouldn't allow me to contest it.
:-D
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If my conscience had allowed me to do something, it wouldn't be particularly bothered by the further step of denying it.
And I speed, not ridiculously I hope, but I definitely break speed limits. And if I got caught, and there was a way to avoid the penalty, then I'd take it.
What I wouldn't do is whine about it. (not that I am saying anyone is).
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BBC London News 9.4.13
Reported tonight that the variable speed limit cameras on OH gantries on the M25 between A3 and M40 have not been "live" since 2009. Supposed to be activated again by this summer. Though the BIB can still pull you over for speeding above the limit showing.
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Looked as though the cameras in the M1 variable speed limit section round Nottingham/Derby were working today.
Travelling north in vicinity of Trowell services around 11am the s/b cameras on one gantry flashed at least 5 times in the half mile or so they were visible to me.
So far as Miss B could tell looking back there was a 50 limit for 'Debris in Road'.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Sun 23 Jun 13 at 23:28
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I have seen the cameras under the Newbridge roundabout (M8 / A8 / M9 junction for non locals) flashing recently, Must be tourist season, the cameras are not concealed but not obvious if you don't know the area and it is a 50 limit.
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>> Travelling north in vicinity of Trowell services around 11am the s/b cameras on one gantry
>> flashed at least 5 times in the half mile or so they were visible to
>> me.
The only thing you can be positive about when a speed camera flashes, is that the flash is working.
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>> The only thing you can be positive about when a speed camera flashes, is that
>> the flash is working.
>>
Don't you have digital speed cameras, (and combined red light and speed) down there yet? :-)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Mon 24 Jun 13 at 08:54
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Yes and that changes my point how?
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>> The only thing you can be positive about when a speed camera flashes, is that
>> the flash is working.
I guess that's right but I've never seen them flash at all before whereas this gantry was, at least in theory, catching them like flies.
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I've just discovered that I can set my satnav so that it gives a beep when I'm approaching a speed camera.
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Turned mine off, it beeps all the time around here
e.g. Daughter lives 1 mile away, four beeps each way.
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You need a sat nav to find your daughter one mile away?
Ye Gods.........:)
Pat
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C'mon Pat. None of us here are getting any younger!
;>)
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I have my sat nav in my car most of the time as 1, I get speed Camera warnings, 2, I get traffic information. 3. I can use my mobile thru it, hands free. The route finding is incidental as I don't often go out of my home territory.
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We use ours for finding food:)
Decided to eat at the Borough Arms for a Sunday lunch carvery yesterday, so we punched in the postcode and thenmeandered all over Bodmin Moor with a OS map until we were hungry and then followed Tom:)
Pat
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Are you still in the Duchy then Pat, I thought you had gorn back East?
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Still here Dog, watching the day break over the bay!
Pat
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Nice, at least the weather is better, when we lived in Gorran Haven, we had a sea view from the lounge and 2 bedrooms, I used to luv watching the sun rise o'er the sea, more-so than sun sets to a certain extent
(dawn of a new day)
When I mentioned it to someone who obviously lived there too long, he just said "oh, that thing".
Nowt as (Ahem!) queer as folk ;)
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>> You need a sat nav to find your daughter one mile away?
>>
>> Ye Gods.........:)
>>
>> Pat
>>
She also lives on my route to work and the TT gives me my true speed for the average speed section of the A38.
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"I've just discovered that I can set my satnav so that it gives a beep when I'm approaching a speed camera."
A couple of months ago, I bought a new Tomtom, and the speed camera warnings could be set for the various types of camera - mobile, average, fixed etc.
I quickly turned off the 'mobile camera' function when it beeped at every lay-by or bridge where a mobile camera had ever been spotted. On the A14, it was beeping every few hundred yards.
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the tomtom camera database is rubbish. The Pocket GPS world one is superb.
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"the tomtom camera database is rubbish. "
Good job I don't rely on it to keep me out of trouble then. Personally, I find it the least useful thing on the Tomtom.
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Speed cameras again... - Zero
