ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

This is a very specific question...

Only GATSO's (NOT Truvelo etc.)

Only on dual carriageways - with a narrow central reservation (no barriers or bushes/trees) - Camera is situated at the side of the road (not in the central reservation)

And only for cars heading TOWARDS the speed camera.



They do paint lines on the road, but that maybe just to try and slow you down. I've never actually known if the cameras can actually be triggered or catch vehicles heading towards a Gatso type camera.

Yes, this question does relate to a certain person who is worried about their squeeky clean license

TIA

ScoobyWon't

In the last few weeks, about 5 Truvelos's have appeared locally (Westdale Lane East & Westdale Lane West, Mapperley & Gedling) in Notts.

Only one camera had the lenses/lines facing in the correct direction to catch anyone. The rest of he Truvelos's have the lines facing in the wrong direction. But over the last two days someone has been around uncovering all of the blanking plates... makes you think....

GaryCat

Gatso's only trigger on cars travelling away from it. See the Uk Speedtrap guide - http://www.ukspeedtraps.co.uk/

hedgehog

If it is really a Gatso then it will only catch cars driving away from the camera. In some installations, which are faulty, the cameras are often triggered by on coming traffic but these vehicles will not be done by the scamers.

Interesting that according to the police etc. the cameras can do no wrong and yet it is not uncommon to have one trigger as you drive towards it, indicating a fault!! I'm lead to believe that some groups derive amusement from driving towards such cameras at high speed, on a regular basis, in order to waste film. I would imagine, however, that the local tax collection unit would be displeased by this action and would dispatch the local police, on overtime paid by your fines, to persecute these people in some random manner.

There have been rumours that they are testing cameras that photograph the driver as well as the numberplate and, clearly, these would point towards the on coming traffic. However, I would expect that these cameras would be on the correct side of the road.

Hammy Hamster

Gatsos flashing at oncoming speeding traffic is a fault? That's surprises me.

Our local constabulary does a monthly report to residents. In one such report, the month after a speedcam was installed, they reported 14 recorded and metered violations (sent NIPs), and 242 exit violations (camera facing - not metered).

hedgehog

The reason that the cameras were designed to take a photo from behind was for safety reasons, this is their only concession to safety as the counties with the highest density of cameras seem to be seeing the greatest increase in fatalities.

The premise behind this safety feature is that to fire a flash in a drivers eyes at night might be somewhat dangerous and so Gatsos should only flash at vehicles driving away from the camera. This is how they were designed and how they should work.

Now, my guess is, that scamers have recently become annoyed over the number of people who avoid the police overtime fund tax by driving on the "wrong" side of the road when they go past a camera. I suspect, therefore, that many areas have ignored the basic safety reason why cameras didn't fire when they see a car on the "wrong" side of the road and have set them to fire no matter which side of the road the car is on. Clearly this doesn't work for them in a dual carrigeway situation but either way it indicates a camera that is faulty in it's installation.

I have no clear idea as to how this impacts upon the speed readings produced by the cameras but using a tool for a purpose other than that for which it was designed would certainly give me cause for concern. That those initial limitations were put in place for safety reasons shows just how unconcerned the camera scams are about road safety and just how focused they are on getting your cash out of your wallet.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Thank for that

Seems logical enough. But why do they paint the measuring lines on the road if the camera is not intended to catch traffic on the opposite carriageway?

Waste of good paint if you ask me

I suppose I'll get a formal answer if I get a NIP.

hedgehog

Usually on single carriageways there are measuring lines on both sides to stop the trick of driving past the cameras on the wrong side of the road. This, however, is only a fairly recent development and, as mentioned above, can lead to the cameras flashing traffic travelling in both directions.

On dual carriageways, and indeed on other roads, often the reason the lines are on both sides is because the camera may be positioned on either side depending upon which offers the best revenue potential. So, you may find that there is a post hole, or even a post, on the side you were driving along just awaiting the arrival of a camera. The scamers seem to swap the cameras from one side to another once people get used to where it is and in which direction it is pointing and if the lines are already painted on the road then this is a simple operation.

If it was a Gatso then you will not be getting an NIP, unless of course there was one on your side of the road that you didn't notice.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Ahh good - it definetly was a gatso

There is another gatso on the same side of the road as I was...but that is 400yards down the road. But I was travelling within the speed limit by the time I reached that one.

Thanks
AL

Leslie

Since they measure speed by the frequency change due to the Doppler effect on the reflected radar pulse from the car concerned, surely the system is set to only activate the camera on a lower frequency pulse when the car is going away from the camera.

Les