W Yorks Scamera List Of Excuses - Feel Free To Discredit!
24 July 2004, 11:07 AM
#1
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W Yorks Scamera List Of Excuses - Feel Free To Discredit!
Taken from:http://www.safetycameraswestyorkshire.co.uk/faq.asp#3
Anyone care to pick a few holes?
Q
This is just a stealth tax on motorists.
A
It is not a tax; everyone pays taxes, but careful drivers who stick to the limits don't pay. Only drivers who break the law pay, and for them the solution is easy—stick to the speed limits. [Which are in many cases unrealistic, change down for no reason & bear no relation to the road type]
Q
It's just a way of generating revenue for the police.
A
The police don't make any money from this scheme. The money returned to the Partnership (of which West Yorkshire Police is a member) can only be used to offset the costs of operating safety cameras. It cannot be used for any other purpose. [So more & more cameras in inappropriate settings making more & more money to pay for Sunday Morning overtime]
Q
Why aren't you out catching burglars instead of harassing 'easy prey' motorists?
A
With the exception of the police officers operating mobile safety camera patrols, all employees of the Partnership are civilians. So there's no reduction in police resources or personnel away from other duties. As for those mobile crews, they are traffic/highway police, so they're doing what they should be doing, with the added bonus that their focus is on preventing casualties and crashes. [But because they're behind a camera instead of a steering wheel they miss all the other types of appalling road behaviour]
Q
Cameras are hidden to catch drivers out.
A
Absolutely not! Throughout West Yorkshire, fixed cameras are bright yellow and there are plenty of advance warning signs on the roads in which they're installed. Mobile patrols strictly observe visibility guidelines to ensure motorists easily see them. [Is there a road without a warning sign these days?]
Q
Don't some drivers 'get away with it' because they slam on the brakes as they approach a camera and speed up as soon as they're past?
A
The technology in some cameras calculates the average speed between cameras, so motorists who speed between cameras may still be prosecuted.["Some", "May", sums it up really, no proper policy in force]
Q
Looking out for cameras all the time actually causes more casualties than the cameras prevent.
A
If you're travelling at the lawful speed, there's no need to be looking out for the cameras. Cameras are proven to reduce casualty rates in West Yorkshire by about a third, on average.[I was in Nottingham the other week driving dangerously thru the City Centre on unfamiliar roads littered with cameras & unfeasably low 30mph zones. Spent more time looking for cameras, signs & at speedo than paying attention to the road.]
Q
You're more likely to cause a crash because you're fixated on the speedo.
A
That's like saying you're likely to cause a crash because you occasionally glance in the rear view mirror.[Rubbish, you have to keep constantly looking down to make sure you haven't strayed 2 mph over particularly on downhill stretches]
Q
I didn't know the speed limit of the road because there were no signs—can I plead not guilty?
A
Magistrates' Courts will not accept this as an excuse. Motorists are expected to know/find out/familiarise themselves with the speed limits of the road they're on. If there are no signs but you're in a built-up area where there are street lights, it usually means you're in a 30mph area. If in doubt, travel at no more than 30mph. [Aah, here we go. I've been done before 9.00am on Sunday. (Obviously a dangerous time to be out, streets full of kiddies etc) in a 30 zone which I thought was a 40. On re-checking the road it's a 40 with houses on both sides which changes for absolutely no reason to a 30 where there are only houses on 1 side. The signage is conveniently situated near bushes & is very easy to miss if you're actually concentrating on driving!]
Q
I was only a few miles an hour over the limit. Why should I be prosecuted?
A
Travelling at excess speed limit is a contributory factor in about a third of all road crashes, according to Government's figures. Even a couple of miles an hour makes a big difference to how effectively your vehicle stops in an emergency, or skids, or swerves, or survives an impact. If your vehicle collides with a pedestrian, a couple of miles an hour can be the difference between life and death—literally—for them. [Especially bad for the pedestrian if you don't brake because you never saw them running recklessly into the road as you were too busy looking at speedo/looking out for cameras. Also my Scoob stops a hell of a lot quicker that the untaxed,uninsured,un mot's heaps of **** which are prevalent round here]
Q
The road was empty at the time. The road conditions meant it was safe to drive faster—why should I be prosecuted?
A
Speed limits apply all the time, not just when the roads are busy. Just because you believe the conditions are safe doesn't mean they really are. Remember, speed limits are not only there to protect motorists, they're to protect the people and communities alongside the roads.
Lots more B@1ocks but as we in WY have not been blighted as much as some counties, it seems they have finally cottoned on to the cash cow with new cameras popping up like the gofer in that golf comedy with Bill Murray!
Any more pearls of wisdom?
My ramblings in [] boxes btw.
Stu
Anyone care to pick a few holes?
Q
This is just a stealth tax on motorists.
A
It is not a tax; everyone pays taxes, but careful drivers who stick to the limits don't pay. Only drivers who break the law pay, and for them the solution is easy—stick to the speed limits. [Which are in many cases unrealistic, change down for no reason & bear no relation to the road type]
Q
It's just a way of generating revenue for the police.
A
The police don't make any money from this scheme. The money returned to the Partnership (of which West Yorkshire Police is a member) can only be used to offset the costs of operating safety cameras. It cannot be used for any other purpose. [So more & more cameras in inappropriate settings making more & more money to pay for Sunday Morning overtime]
Q
Why aren't you out catching burglars instead of harassing 'easy prey' motorists?
A
With the exception of the police officers operating mobile safety camera patrols, all employees of the Partnership are civilians. So there's no reduction in police resources or personnel away from other duties. As for those mobile crews, they are traffic/highway police, so they're doing what they should be doing, with the added bonus that their focus is on preventing casualties and crashes. [But because they're behind a camera instead of a steering wheel they miss all the other types of appalling road behaviour]
Q
Cameras are hidden to catch drivers out.
A
Absolutely not! Throughout West Yorkshire, fixed cameras are bright yellow and there are plenty of advance warning signs on the roads in which they're installed. Mobile patrols strictly observe visibility guidelines to ensure motorists easily see them. [Is there a road without a warning sign these days?]
Q
Don't some drivers 'get away with it' because they slam on the brakes as they approach a camera and speed up as soon as they're past?
A
The technology in some cameras calculates the average speed between cameras, so motorists who speed between cameras may still be prosecuted.["Some", "May", sums it up really, no proper policy in force]
Q
Looking out for cameras all the time actually causes more casualties than the cameras prevent.
A
If you're travelling at the lawful speed, there's no need to be looking out for the cameras. Cameras are proven to reduce casualty rates in West Yorkshire by about a third, on average.[I was in Nottingham the other week driving dangerously thru the City Centre on unfamiliar roads littered with cameras & unfeasably low 30mph zones. Spent more time looking for cameras, signs & at speedo than paying attention to the road.]
Q
You're more likely to cause a crash because you're fixated on the speedo.
A
That's like saying you're likely to cause a crash because you occasionally glance in the rear view mirror.[Rubbish, you have to keep constantly looking down to make sure you haven't strayed 2 mph over particularly on downhill stretches]
Q
I didn't know the speed limit of the road because there were no signs—can I plead not guilty?
A
Magistrates' Courts will not accept this as an excuse. Motorists are expected to know/find out/familiarise themselves with the speed limits of the road they're on. If there are no signs but you're in a built-up area where there are street lights, it usually means you're in a 30mph area. If in doubt, travel at no more than 30mph. [Aah, here we go. I've been done before 9.00am on Sunday. (Obviously a dangerous time to be out, streets full of kiddies etc) in a 30 zone which I thought was a 40. On re-checking the road it's a 40 with houses on both sides which changes for absolutely no reason to a 30 where there are only houses on 1 side. The signage is conveniently situated near bushes & is very easy to miss if you're actually concentrating on driving!]
Q
I was only a few miles an hour over the limit. Why should I be prosecuted?
A
Travelling at excess speed limit is a contributory factor in about a third of all road crashes, according to Government's figures. Even a couple of miles an hour makes a big difference to how effectively your vehicle stops in an emergency, or skids, or swerves, or survives an impact. If your vehicle collides with a pedestrian, a couple of miles an hour can be the difference between life and death—literally—for them. [Especially bad for the pedestrian if you don't brake because you never saw them running recklessly into the road as you were too busy looking at speedo/looking out for cameras. Also my Scoob stops a hell of a lot quicker that the untaxed,uninsured,un mot's heaps of **** which are prevalent round here]
Q
The road was empty at the time. The road conditions meant it was safe to drive faster—why should I be prosecuted?
A
Speed limits apply all the time, not just when the roads are busy. Just because you believe the conditions are safe doesn't mean they really are. Remember, speed limits are not only there to protect motorists, they're to protect the people and communities alongside the roads.
Lots more B@1ocks but as we in WY have not been blighted as much as some counties, it seems they have finally cottoned on to the cash cow with new cameras popping up like the gofer in that golf comedy with Bill Murray!
Any more pearls of wisdom?
My ramblings in [] boxes btw.
Stu
24 July 2004, 12:10 PM
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Sad thing is some people just dont see through all the bull$hit, thinking along the lines of, "well they wouldnt call them safey cameras if they werent about road safety would they?" 
24 July 2004, 02:08 PM
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".[Rubbish, you have to keep constantly looking down to make sure you haven't strayed 2 mph over particularly on downhill stretches] "
this is why the anti camera ppl will never win........if you are doing 30 and stary to 32 you will not get a ticket. if you cant drive at a set speedwithout having to look at the speedo all the time then get of the road.
this is why the anti camera ppl will never win........if you are doing 30 and stary to 32 you will not get a ticket. if you cant drive at a set speedwithout having to look at the speedo all the time then get of the road.
24 July 2004, 04:16 PM
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There have been a number of cases where people have been prosecuted for speeds very, very close to the posted speed limit. Remeber all the guidelines about the speed at which you will be done are only that: guidelines. In general the partnerships ignore guidelines, if you do 31mph you break the law and occasionally people are getting tickets for it.
Perhaps the problem isn't that people can't drive at a set speed, though i personally believe that to be impossible without occasional reference to the speedo no matter what you may care to assert, but that people become focused upon keeping their speed within the limit. I am sure everyone has experience of that situation where the harder you try to do something the more difficult it becomes to do it, even if it is something that you can generally do well when not really thinking about it.
I suspect this is what happens to many people who would usually drive along, without more than the occasional reference glance at the speedo, at close to their target speed. Now that the pressure is on them it results in their spending more and more time looking at the speedo and this may explain the fact that accidents increased at 743 camera sites last year, according to government figures.
The anti-camera people will never win because the revenue from the camera scheme is being used to put infrastructure in place to limit your personal mobility. Soon you will have the GPS based Intelligent Speed Adaptation system in your car to remotely control your speed plus a tag in your number plate to enable road charging and tracking of your movements, all paid for by speeding fines. Then there will be no need for cameras but the anti-camera people will not have won because the fight is about access to personal mobility.
So, you can be as smug as you like that you never exceed the speed limit, that you never do anything illegal, that you think you never endanger yourself or other motorists and that because of this you have no problems with the cameras. However, in the end you'll be no better off than those of us who have got out more and had some fun as your car will be controlled by the same remote control technology that the cameras are being used to finance.
Remember Stalinist Russia where you had to be a Party member to own a car? Where there were check points on each road and you could only use roads that the administration allowed you access to? Where you were timed along each section of road to ensure compliance with the rules? Well, it's coming soon to a Britain near you.
Your first hint of it's arrival is likely to be a request by your insurance company to have Intelligent Speed Adaptation fitted to your car come renewal time, perhaps only 1 or 2 more renewals away. Then you'll have no trouble at all sitting right on 30mph without looking at the speedo and I am sure you will be happy. I am sure you will also be happy to have the speed of your car controlled at a range of "dangerous" points on the road, such as corners for example. It will probably also give you some satisfaction to get your monthly road use bill, along with a list of more routes that you are no longer authorised to use because of their "congestion" or their "danger" or just because the administration can see no valid reason for you to need to use that particular road any more.
This isn't pie in the sky, the government are making no secret of their drive towards this technology and you can go over the the Leeds University site and see how their pilot scheme is going for example. You can also run a Google search on Intelligent Speed Adaptation and get a full appreciation of what is in store, all paid for by your speeding fines and those lovely cameras.
Perhaps the problem isn't that people can't drive at a set speed, though i personally believe that to be impossible without occasional reference to the speedo no matter what you may care to assert, but that people become focused upon keeping their speed within the limit. I am sure everyone has experience of that situation where the harder you try to do something the more difficult it becomes to do it, even if it is something that you can generally do well when not really thinking about it.
I suspect this is what happens to many people who would usually drive along, without more than the occasional reference glance at the speedo, at close to their target speed. Now that the pressure is on them it results in their spending more and more time looking at the speedo and this may explain the fact that accidents increased at 743 camera sites last year, according to government figures.
The anti-camera people will never win because the revenue from the camera scheme is being used to put infrastructure in place to limit your personal mobility. Soon you will have the GPS based Intelligent Speed Adaptation system in your car to remotely control your speed plus a tag in your number plate to enable road charging and tracking of your movements, all paid for by speeding fines. Then there will be no need for cameras but the anti-camera people will not have won because the fight is about access to personal mobility.
So, you can be as smug as you like that you never exceed the speed limit, that you never do anything illegal, that you think you never endanger yourself or other motorists and that because of this you have no problems with the cameras. However, in the end you'll be no better off than those of us who have got out more and had some fun as your car will be controlled by the same remote control technology that the cameras are being used to finance.
Remember Stalinist Russia where you had to be a Party member to own a car? Where there were check points on each road and you could only use roads that the administration allowed you access to? Where you were timed along each section of road to ensure compliance with the rules? Well, it's coming soon to a Britain near you.
Your first hint of it's arrival is likely to be a request by your insurance company to have Intelligent Speed Adaptation fitted to your car come renewal time, perhaps only 1 or 2 more renewals away. Then you'll have no trouble at all sitting right on 30mph without looking at the speedo and I am sure you will be happy. I am sure you will also be happy to have the speed of your car controlled at a range of "dangerous" points on the road, such as corners for example. It will probably also give you some satisfaction to get your monthly road use bill, along with a list of more routes that you are no longer authorised to use because of their "congestion" or their "danger" or just because the administration can see no valid reason for you to need to use that particular road any more.
This isn't pie in the sky, the government are making no secret of their drive towards this technology and you can go over the the Leeds University site and see how their pilot scheme is going for example. You can also run a Google search on Intelligent Speed Adaptation and get a full appreciation of what is in store, all paid for by your speeding fines and those lovely cameras.
24 July 2004, 09:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Tiggs
".[Rubbish, you have to keep constantly looking down to make sure you haven't strayed 2 mph over particularly on downhill stretches] "
this is why the anti camera ppl will never win........if you are doing 30 and stary to 32 you will not get a ticket. if you cant drive at a set speedwithout having to look at the speedo all the time then get of the road.
this is why the anti camera ppl will never win........if you are doing 30 and stary to 32 you will not get a ticket. if you cant drive at a set speedwithout having to look at the speedo all the time then get of the road.
24 July 2004, 10:49 PM
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Seems like the West Midlands Scamera CashCollectionShip is as bad as West Yorkshire.
Hidden away at http://www.wmsafetycameras.co.uk/, which insists that you use Flash Player to see their site, is the following statement at http://www.wmsafetycameras.co.uk/faq_general.html
...so there you have it - the National Speed Limit is now 30mph. You can't go faster unless you are told otherwise. Go to jail, go directly to jail, do not pass GO, pay us £60!!!
mb
Hidden away at http://www.wmsafetycameras.co.uk/, which insists that you use Flash Player to see their site, is the following statement at http://www.wmsafetycameras.co.uk/faq_general.html
How do I know what the speed limit is?
All roads in this country are subject to a 30-mph speed limit unless there are signs to tell you it is a higher limit. If you cannot see such a sign you must always assume that the speed limit is 30 mph. If there is a system of street lighting on a road then again the speed limit will be 30 mph unless repeater signs indicate it is higher..
All roads in this country are subject to a 30-mph speed limit unless there are signs to tell you it is a higher limit. If you cannot see such a sign you must always assume that the speed limit is 30 mph. If there is a system of street lighting on a road then again the speed limit will be 30 mph unless repeater signs indicate it is higher..
mb
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