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Thread: I hate Speed cameras

  1. #1
    Registered User stewart38's Avatar
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    I hate Speed cameras

    Ok I know there was a old thread on it but its got to be worth a fresh rant

    My mate got one of those bits of papers through the post where he committed an terrible terrible crime

    Going at 36mph per hour on a well lit empty road at 12.13am with not another car on the road

    He wont pay the fine or collect the points but that’s not the point (They have made a mistake on the NIP long story)

    What a pathetic waste of time these camera are

    In the USA you don’t drive fast other wise you get pulled over and your nicked

    Why cant they do that here

    Plus Catch REAL CRIMINALS

  2. #2
    The Gobby one! WittyBird's Avatar
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    Re: I hate Speed cameras

    Quote Originally Posted by stewart38
    My mate got one of those bits of papers through the post where he committed an terrible terrible crime
    Where did you get caught Stewart and what happened

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    Lovely Moderator ducasi's Avatar
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    Re: I hate Speed cameras

    Quote Originally Posted by stewart38
    Plus Catch REAL CRIMINALS
    Isn't the point that these cameras can do part of the job of traffic police, freeing them up to "catch real criminals"?
    Let your mind go and your body will follow. – Steve Martin, LA Story

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    Papa Smurf
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    Re: I hate Speed cameras

    Quote Originally Posted by ducasi
    Isn't the point that these cameras can do part of the job of traffic police, freeing them up to "catch real criminals"?
    certainly not in stewart38's scenario - do you think the traffic police would have even bothered about that speed (in a 30 zone) if they had been there instead of the camera? probably not.

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    Registered User Rhythm King's Avatar
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    Re: I hate Speed cameras

    Traffic police cost money - lots of money, what with salaries, pensions, training, equipment, cars, support staff etc

    Cameras make money and the funding imposed by the Government means that the local forces have to install them, even if they disagree with them, otherwise their normal funding is cut.

    Speed cameras catch speeding motorists at certain points, assuming the motorists don't know they are there and slow down for them (but speed elsewhere). They make no allowances and have no discretion and do nothing else.

    Traffic police can spot speeding motorists, but also drunk and drugged ones, dangerous driving, illegal parking, unroadworthy vehicles, lack of road tax, respond to accidents and emergencies, assist other police with apprehending escaping criminals, stop joy-riders, help old ladies across the road and a million and one other things (also that the new civilian motorway patrols, in common with Community Support Officers can't do).

    Stop penalizing motorists because they are an easy target and bring back proper police, instead of Law Enforcement on the cheap, or by robot.

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    Registered User stewart38's Avatar
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    Re: I hate Speed cameras

    Quote Originally Posted by Dreadful Scathe
    certainly not in stewart38's scenario - do you think the traffic police would have even bothered about that speed (in a 30 zone) if they had been there instead of the camera? probably not.
    I think a Police in 1976 wouldnt be bothered wether my mate was going 36mph just after a midnight down a well lit empty street. Wouldnt issue threating letters ,summons and magistrates and crown court appearances

    He would have chased some villians off for stealing milk tops !

    This is how Nazi Germany started
    ---------------------------
    Jehovah's Witnesses endured intense persecution under the Nazi regime. Actions against the religious group and its individual members spanned the Nazi years 1933 to 1945.

    It started with the introduction of 30mph speed camera with malicious officers persecuting innocent motorist cira 1933--
    -----------------------------------

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    Lovely Moderator ducasi's Avatar
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    Re: I hate Speed cameras

    Quote Originally Posted by Dreadful Scathe
    certainly not in stewart38's scenario - do you think the traffic police would have even bothered about that speed (in a 30 zone) if they had been there instead of the camera? probably not.
    Maybe, maybe not... Perhaps it depends on what kind of mood the police officers were in at the time, what kind of car it was, whether they had reached their quota for the night, or what colour of skin his friend has...

    Speed cameras decide based on one thing only – whether the car was going too fast.

    I'm not sure I understand what Stewart is asking for though... He says he wants a regime like in the States where you don't speed else you get nicked – isn't that exactly what these speed camera are doing?
    Let your mind go and your body will follow. – Steve Martin, LA Story

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    Registered User stewart38's Avatar
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    Re: I hate Speed cameras

    Quote Originally Posted by ducasi
    Speed cameras decide based on one thing only – whether the car was going too fast.

    I'm not sure I understand what Stewart is asking for though... He says he wants a regime like in the States where you don't speed else you get nicked – isn't that exactly what these speed camera are doing?
    Unless your a police office of course and you can drive as fast as you like and too fast for who ??
    ----------------------------------------------------
    The officer, who is also trained in the use of firearms, was recorded travelling at 159mph on the motorway near Telford in the early hours of 5 December 2003. In reaching his verdict, Mr Morgan noted that two police officers who gave evidence for the prosecution, including West Mercia Police's senior driving instructor, had declined to classify the defendant's driving as dangerous
    -------------------------------------

    Speed camera make no allowance for time condition of road or anything . Most of cash generating guzzlers.

    Its all stop start stuff, what cant the police stop the motor bike that shoots pass me at 122mph or the guys playing rounders with cars at the Tesco supermarket

    I’ve driven about 15,000 miles in the USA and you don’t get that (generally )

  9. #9
    Registered User El Salsero Gringo's Avatar
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    Re: I hate Speed cameras

    Quote Originally Posted by ducasi
    Perhaps it depends on what kind of mood the police officers were in at the time, what kind of car it was,
    and its colour. Everyone knows that traffic police play snooker (colour, red car, colour, red car, colour red car...) with traffic stops. Don't they, Under Par?

  10. #10
    Registered User frodo's Avatar
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    Re: I hate Speed cameras

    Quote Originally Posted by stewart38
    ....Going at 36mph per hour on a well lit empty road at 12.13am with not another car on the road
    The extra noise from speeding cars at night can be especially unpleasant though.

    Also cars are not the only things that may be on the road - that 6mph can make a big difference to other road users.

    And of course you haven't seen a car for the last 5 minutes - so there isn't going to be one, or someone crossing around the next bend.

    Quote Originally Posted by stewart38
    What a pathetic waste of time these camera are
    Yep - I reckon putting satellite tracking in taxis, would be significantly more effective in keeping noise levels and speed down late at night. If the taxi drivers with all the driving they do aren't getting caught sufficiently to moderate their speed, clearly the cameras aren't doing a whole lot.

    Seem to be plenty of police around at night sometimes though - strangely they don't seem to care much about speeding taxis.


    Quote Originally Posted by Rhythym King
    Traffic police can spot speeding motorists, but also drunk and drugged ones, dangerous driving, illegal parking, unroadworthy vehicles, lack of road tax, respond to accidents and emergencies, assist other police with apprehending escaping criminals, stop joy-riders, help old ladies across the road and a million and one other things (also that the new civilian motorway patrols, in common with Community Support Officers can't do)
    Would be nice if they could see pretty females speeding too.

  11. #11
    Senior Member Minnie M's Avatar
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    Re: I hate Speed cameras

    They should be 'timed' related ..........

    I got flashed and fined for doing 35 on the seafront road (A259) which by day is really busy - but this was 3:30am and there was not a car or person in sight at the time


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    Mickey Mouse's girlfriend, Minnie, made her film debut, along with Mickey, in "Steamboat Willie" on November 18, 1928.
    That date is recognized as her official birthday.

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    Re: I hate Speed cameras

    Quote Originally Posted by stewart38

    Speed camera make no allowance for time condition of road or anything .
    Are there technical reasons why the speed limit on various bits of road cannot change according to time of day - e.g. from 30 mph to 40 mph between Midnight and 6 am, for example, which would avoid Minnie's and Stewart's Friend's scenarios? (Like them, I would be incandescent with rage if I got fined under those circumstances.) The cameras are obviously programmed to record the speed of the vehicle - isn't there another bit of programming that would vary the threshold at which a ticket was sent out?
    Last edited by jivecat; 24th-June-2006 at 09:16 AM. Reason: Omitted question mark

  13. #13
    Registered User El Salsero Gringo's Avatar
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    Re: I hate Speed cameras

    Quote Originally Posted by jivecat
    Are there technical reasons why the speed limit on various bits of road cannot change according to time of day - e.g. from 30 mph to 40 mph between Midnight and 6 am, for example, which would avoid Minnie's and Stewart's Friend's scenarios? (Like them, I would be incandescent with rage if I got fined under those circumstances.) The cameras are obviously programmed to record the speed of the vehicle - isn't there another bit of programming that would vary the threshold at which a ticket was sent out?
    No doubt that could be done. But - I'm guessing here - the safety people will probably tell you that more accidents happen at night, and in the dark. Or, if not, that those accidents are invariably more serious with more risk of death. So it might be more important that the speed limit is lower at night rather than higher.

    Secondly, it could easily become a bit of a nightmare for the motorist to actually know what the speed limit is. How happy would you be to get a speeding ticket when the clock in the camera said (say) 11:59 but the clock in your car said 12:01? It's a bit like that now with parking restrictions and bus lanes. Every bus lane has its own times of operation and if you aren't paying strict attention to the very small signs (like, for instance, you're paying attention to the road, pedestrians, cars, trucks etc) then you have no idea if you're allowed to be in it or not.

    Not insuperable problems, I admit - but the difficulties are more in the management and operation rather than anything technical to do with speed cameras.

  14. #14
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    Re: I hate Speed cameras

    Quote Originally Posted by El Salsero Gringo
    No doubt that could be done. But - I'm guessing here - the safety people will probably tell you that more accidents happen at night, and in the dark. Or, if not, that those accidents are invariably more serious with more risk of death. So it might be more important that the speed limit is lower at night rather than higher.
    No doubt the safety people would say that. It would certainly be true that more damage is done at 40 mph than 30 mph in the event of an accident. But at night, there are far fewer people around to be done damage to, or to cause an accident. Meanwhile, the few folks that are around are crawling along empty roads at 30 mph.

    Secondly, it could easily become a bit of a nightmare for the motorist to actually know what the speed limit is. How happy would you be to get a speeding ticket when the clock in the camera said (say) 11:59 but the clock in your car said 12:01? It's a bit like that now with parking restrictions and bus lanes. Every bus lane has its own times of operation and if you aren't paying strict attention to the very small signs (like, for instance, you're paying attention to the road, pedestrians, cars, trucks etc) then you have no idea if you're allowed to be in it or not.
    It's just the same now with things that have a specific expiry time, like parking tickets - though it would take a mean traffic warden to start writing out a ticket that was only just a few minutes past its expiry time. Essentially, we have to accept what the measuring equipment decrees.

    I find all the varying speed limits extremely confusing anyway. Many's the time I've suddenly spotted a camera ahead and slowed down from 50mph to 30 mph because I'm not absolutely sure what the speed limit is and I'm not taking any chances. Bl**dy dangerous, I think.

    Not insuperable problems, I admit - but the difficulties are more in the management and operation rather than anything technical to do with speed cameras.
    That's what I wondered. I don't really think night-time speed limits are going to change anytime soon!

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    Registered User frodo's Avatar
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    Re: I hate Speed cameras

    Quote Originally Posted by jivecat
    No doubt the safety people would say that. It would certainly be true that more damage is done at 40 mph than 30 mph in the event of an accident. But at night, there are far fewer people around to be done damage to, or to cause an accident. Meanwhile, the few folks that are around are crawling along empty roads at 30 mph.
    At least they're crawling somewhat quietly ( it would be soo much better if they would crawl at 20mph). I didn't realise until I lived very close to next to a road exactly how annoying individual speeding cars are at night. Of course the noise issue applies less outside built up areas.

    Quote Originally Posted by jivecat
    I find all the varying speed limits extremely confusing anyway. Many's the time I've suddenly spotted a camera ahead and slowed down from 50mph to 30 mph because I'm not absolutely sure what the speed limit is and I'm not taking any chances. Bl**dy dangerous, I think.

    That's what I wondered. I don't really think night-time speed limits are going to change anytime soon!
    It is possible as part of the need to support road pricing, there could be an a compulsory all encompassing system, which would tell you the speed limit, and warn of upcoming changes to speed limits, and of course tell the police and your insurance company how you drive.

    While there seems a strong economic case for it, it probably won't happen, given the UK governments record with big projects.

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    Registered User El Salsero Gringo's Avatar
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    Re: I hate Speed cameras

    The government is implementing a system on motorways that records your licence plate (for all eternity) as you drive along. And checks it against various police databases. So the police will be able to check where you've been (reaching back into the past) as well as issue you speeding tickets based on your average speed on the motorway.

  17. #17
    Commercial Operator Heather's Avatar
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    Re: I hate Speed cameras

    Quote Originally Posted by El Salsero Gringo
    The government is implementing a system on motorways that records your licence plate (for all eternity) as you drive along. And checks it against various police databases. So the police will be able to check where you've been (reaching back into the past) as well as issue you speeding tickets based on your average speed on the motorway.
    Is this not a 'civil liberties' issue ? I really don't think it's anyone elses business where I have been or am going to unless I myself want them to know!!!!

    As for speed cameras- I HATE them too.
    They've put sets of them on the Perth - Dundee road - they are there to measure 'average speed 40mph' , which is all very well in the daytime when the road is busy and there are tractors, and workmen building new flyovers etc, but at 2.00am when I was virtually the only car on the road,( returning from Marco's, Edinburgh) I do think it's a bit ridiculous.
    Going slower actually made me feel more tired than usual, as my eyes were getting painful from looking at traffic cone glare for longer.
    I was seriously on the verge of nodding off - so far from being safer, from my point of view it was actually more dangerous.


    Heather

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    Registered User El Salsero Gringo's Avatar
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    Re: I hate Speed cameras

    Quote Originally Posted by Heather
    Is this not a 'civil liberties' issue ? I really don't think it's anyone elses business where I have been or am going to unless I myself want them to know!!!!
    yes it is. But, nobody thought to ask you or I if that's what we want, they're just doing it anyway.

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