Alan MaC

I was travelling down the A38 about 10 miles north of Plymouth on the Dual Carriageway today.

I overtook the car in the inside lane.

It starts to go down a hill and the car in the inside lane goes a bit faster.

He's not taking the wee wee he's just picking up speed downhill.

I accelerate a bit to pass him then, I spot it!

A White Builders type Van with a Black Window in the side of it PLOD!

I brake doing a little over 80.

Started braking about 300-400 yards away from him & pulled over.

Bloke behind flashed his lights at me, I don't think he spotted him.

This was a Camera in a Van, no markings on the road.

How close to the Van do you reckon you have to be before it registers you?

Do you think 3-400 yards away is enough?

I am a stranger to that part of the Country and, you have to hand it to them, great site as you are picking up speed half way down the hill, it's like a Turkey Shoot.

I'm not asking for sympathy, or anything like that, just a bit miffed that I had to accelerate to get past the bloke going faster on the inside.

If I had been blasting it, then fair enough, but there you go.

After the £400 plus Car Tax shock I got Yesterday, and this today, I off to the Pub tonight.

Any information on the range of these things greatly appreciated.

Regards.


Alan MaC

bushiwarrior

may have been road tax van lets hope.

GC8WRX

Dont road tax vans have an accompanying tow truck to tow away offenders, and usually a couple more officers incase the offendee kicks off about losing his car?

hux309

Sounds like a road tax van down here they usually have safety camera partnership on the side if they're a speed camera while the tax ones are unmarked.

They are sneaky down this way but they have to be, some of us drivers are even sneakier.

Just be careful of saltash tunnel as those specs cameras are active.

scoobian

I believe that of its a speed trap affair, tehn they need to have signs up in advance to warn you
..maybe if you didnt see the signs they werent there, so it werent a spped van?

maybe?

think positive

Lum

No requirement for speed signs (all that went away in April) and they are type approved for anything up to 2 miles.

That said, if you were doing an indicated 80 then you'll be ok, all speedos overread so you were likely only doing 76 in reality, and they dont prosecute for anything below 79. Unless you were in a 60 limit, then you're f*cked.

madisonmonkey

iTrader: (4)

My old man got booked at 900 metres.

Good luck

Terminator X

iTrader: (7)

^ What!! How's that possible? A camera can't possibly read the plate from that distance ...

TX.

Lum

Have you actually seen the kit inside one of those vans?
They're not exactly small and they have a good proper (ie. optical) zoom lens that's manually operated.

Alan MaC

Saltash Tunnel!!

I went through there as well today at about 35MPH!!

Didn't see any Specs signs.

Please don't tell me I'm looking at 2 Nicks!!

The Van by the way was on the Bridge above the A38.


FFS what is going on???


Regards.


Alan MaC

whitepilgrim

A38 north of Plymouth theres usually a camera van parked up most days.

Saltash tunnel is fitted with spec cameras but there not turned on yet. So your Ok on that one.

Good look with the other.

Alan MaC

THanks about the Saltash Tunnel heads up & thanks for the PM.

Nice one.

Alan MaC

c_maguire

Unless otherwise posted, dual carriageway is 70mph so if you were doing a true 80 (which means 85ish on clock) then you would be very unlucky to hear anything. The cameras they use claim to be useable up to 1km away but in practice it's difficult to get an accurate reading above 500m. They have to bounce the laser off your vehicle back to the device so they usually aim for headlights or number plates. This all takes time and you need to be travelling at a relatively constant speed for the device to give an admissable reading. So if your vehicle is obscured for a time by a vehicle in another lane or you brake heavily then they will struggle.
And as for 900m, there was a documentary on some time back where I seem to remember that in the tests made at this kind of range, in practice it was virtually impossible to get any true readings and generally accepted practice was to avoid issuing NIPs above 600m (not officially of course, as speeding is synonymous with paedophilia as far as some people are concerned and paedophiles are of course worth catching at any distance).
Kevin

Alan MaC

Cheers CM.

Regards


Alan MaC

Alan MaC

THat's about a week now.

How long do you have to sweat it out to know if youve been snapped?


Thanks.

Regards



Alan MaC

richie001

iTrader: (3)

i think 2 weeks(but not 100% sure)

bluenosewrx

iTrader: (2)

NIP needs to be withyou within 21-28 Days IMHO, although can be longer if its a hire car/ Buisness etc,

Good luck.

mac

HUDDERS1

nip is 2weeks, i got advised if you see a van to change lanes aswell has slowing down to avoid detection.

mark

HUDDERS1

have a look hear

PePiPoo: Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) - UK Motoring Law

mark

Lum

If you're the registered keeper then they have 14 days to put the NIP in the post.

The post office can take as long as they bloody well like.

moff1888

These ones are always well placed all the way along the A38. I have found that the vans are sometimes accompanied by a marked/unmarked car at the next junction or so. If they dont get you on the camera they can "suggest" a car pops out after you have passed.
I have seen this a few times but it was always the wee corsa or something that was trying to race me as i cruised at 80 that got pulled. Luckily enough i am back and forth over this stretch and know the general hiding places.

I thought it was at least 28 days for the ticket to be with you???

lunar tick

iTrader: (2)

I'm sure you'll be OK Alan, though I can relate to that feeling of wondering if you've just been scammed... As a previous poster has said, you're (unofficially) allowed 10% + 2mph - if you were showing an indicated 80mph, your true speed was prob around 75-76mph, well under the 79ish true speed that would get you in trouble.

DaveD

iTrader: (2)

They're having a crack-down on people exceeding the speed limit on the A38 in Devon at the moment, apparently.

Not sure if I was caught last weekend - I'd been doing a very steady indicated 70-75mph most the way to Plymouth. I was happily driving along in the nearside lane, but, as I approached a campervan (also in the nearside lane) a car drew up alongside me in the outside lane. I backed off so I could pull out behind this car, but he slowed down too. I backed off more, and so did he! We were now going slower than the campervan, so I accellerated into the gap that had now been created, to be greeted with a scamera van directly ahead!

I just wonder if the van caught me in the 300 yds that I'd happened to go above an indicated 80mph.......... if the stupid driver in the car next to me had carried on at 70mph, rather than slowing down to 55mph, then I would have been fine!

hux309

It's like those drivers that sit in the fast lane only to overtake right when you're about to thus trapping you behind, very annoying.

moff1888

I believe its called Op Vortex that is currently running down here.

Increased marked/unmarked cars and mobile cameras etc. They are being strict on speeding and other "minor" offences - number plate lettering/window tints etc.

rickya

iTrader: (18)

They can pick your car from approx 400 meters at least IIRC

Nip has to be with you within 17 days for them to prosecute, thats 14 days plus 3 days for postage delays. If you have'nt got a letter by then your safe.

Alan MaC

Thanks everyone.

So it's another 10 days to sweat then.

I've just thought, it's Easter Weekend do these 2 days count?

Regards


Alan MaC

nooobyscoooby

14 days full stop regardless of holidays/weekends and the NIP must be posted by the fourteenth day so if you do get one, double check the franking date on the envelope and also get someone to witness the receipt if you can if that is outside the 17 days.

Any problems, visit Pepipoo as suggested above.

I'm glad I came back from Cornwall all the way at 72 mph on the Origin Bluei!

I plod Skoda tried to "push" me on a downhill stretch when I went down there last week but a sudden and unexpectedly fierce application of the brakes ["Didn't you see that fox crossing the road officer?"] had him on his nose and a mile or two later he shot past doing about 90!

finalzero

Get a passenger to flash a laser keyring at one... or maybe not, probably get into more trouble.

We have two in Central Milton Keynes (one mobile along Silbury Bld and one by the train station). Also noticed another van today, was stickered up but had been sitting in an odd place with the rear facing on coming traffic, I didn't get a good look but people were slowing down so I assume someone worked out it was the plod catching early morning drivers.

Edcase

FYI there is a big blitz on speeding going on on the A38 over the next few weeks so I hear. I am coming down on Saturday and will be driving miss daisy!