scoobywrxwagon

iTrader: (2)

Really pisses me off !!!

I just thought id share this with you...... And before some of u say it I wasnt going that quick just the speed of the traffic in front of me, the road is a 40 mph carriage way and I was doing only a lil more than that just....

What really gets my goat is the police say speed traps are a saftey measure and are supposed to be there to cut speed and accidents but if they are hidden away behind something (hidding) 1. You may break heavily and cause an accident when you see them 2. If they are not obvious and there is nothing to say they are there how is that going to prevent an accident or slow traffic ??

Its all just a ploy in my eyes to yet rip us drivers apart and collect revenue thus not slowing traffic or helping road saftey !!

ps - I wasnt even driving my scoob, I was in our lasses car as she couldnt drive "she was wearing her going out clothes and shoes" GRRRRRR !!!!!!!

Rich

dunx

iTrader: (3)

Donate the points to her, it's her fault after all ?

LOL

dunx

The Trooper 1815

iTrader: (31)

Pedestrians, other cars and kids maybe hidden and are not always obvious, but if they step or turn out suddenly and your speeding your in the same boat as if it was a speed camera.

Too fast to stop or see them.

Get A Grip

And I'd give you another £60 for poor spelling!

scoobywrxwagon

iTrader: (2)

[quote=The Trooper 1815;9866442]Pedestrians, other cars and kids maybe hidden and are not always obvious, but if they step or turn out suddenly and your speeding your in the same boat as if it was a speed camera.

Too fast to stop or see them.

I see what your saying but ur missing my point, granted if a Pedestrian, other car or kid was "HIDDEN" no matter what the speed your doing you could make a mistake. The word in question is "HIDDEN".

My point is if they (police) are there to help stop accidents and reduce speed then why HIDE ?? If your purpose is to do the latter would it not be better to be more obvious so ppl did reduce there speed ???

It just grinds me that there is obviously no intention to slow traffic just a way of generating revenue for the police/goverment that already rapes us drivers for every penny we earn !!!

Rant over but god it pisses me rite off.....

scoobywrxwagon

iTrader: (2)

Ive already suggested that but it didnt go down too well, Beee atch lol

scoobywrxwagon

iTrader: (2)

They were there again today "hidding" grrrr !!!!

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

They do it regular here in North Lincs, the much admired, (NOT!!!), Humberside Police aka DUMBerside Police.

There are two speed traps here that are positioned on safe roads, but nicely hidden so that THEY can SEE you the minute you see them and that's all it takes. If you live local, and know anyone who has points, you can put money on them being one, or both of these two.

One is even on the M180, you come out from under a bridge on a slight left hand curve, full daylight, empty road, dry conditions and there he is.

ALWAYS there on a saturday morning.
And the reason that road has cameras? A silly biatch drove the wrong way down it when depressed, deliberately killed herself and another driver. That section now has FOUR newly-built camera parking spots. Speed related? Nope.

The other spot is on a 30mph limit which leads from/to a 60mph ring road. It has no houses that lead onto it and a few small junctions, should really be 40mph, but nope. And HE's there nearly every evening and every morning for the traffic going to/from work.

The reason THAT is designated as a dangerous road is because some kid stole his mum's high-powered Vectra and rolled it on the roundbout onto the ring road, killing a young female passenger. Speed related? Partly, mostly driver with no license in high powered car.

BTW: if you want sneaky, go to France. You drive past a broken down car on the hard shoulder. There are bits of it all over the hard shoulder and embankment, spare wheel boot cover, jack, luggage etc.

But as you PASS it, (FAR too late ), there is M. LeFlic lying down in the rear with the laser binocs, and down the road are the Motards to stop you and rob you.

speye91

Sneak up on the van,remove their number plates,attach them to your Vehicle,blast past at double the Limit.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

There used to be a spot just up the road from me.

The local kids took to riding past him regular on bikes, hammering the sides and glass, rocking it about, letting his tyres down etc, then biking off before they could be stopped.

He doesn't use that spot much, now

Not that MY kids ever did it, you understand?

Pink_Floyd

Most mobile camera locations have a sign that is displayed all the time, even when they are not there. That is the 'get out' clause, whether they are there on that patch on the particular day you are traveling doesn't matter and is pot luck.

Most camera initiatives will detail on their website all the locations of cameras, including mobile van routes. Some even publish dates of when and where they'll be at a certain location.

Admittedly cameras can be a pain, especially when there appears to be no need, for example a drop from 70 to 50 and a camera beside a bridge that's hard to see. That said, there are too many people who believe that they can drive around at whatever speed they choose because 'they are a safe driver' and all the other excuses and justifications they can muster.

The biggest problem is that we all drive on public roads, that means in addition to you there are other people. Individuals, generally, are intelligent, sensible and considerate. 'People' as a collective are stupid Just look at the supermarkets at Christmas, people fight over turkeys!!

So with the best will in the world, the safest car, the best driving skills, you just can't account for people. Hence speed limits

Matt2732

iTrader: (1)

Its does make you wonder about that guy who got prosecuted for warning other motorists about the camera van. If the sole aim was to make people slow down then warning people would have the same effect, they would slow down, mission accomplished whats the problem?

Wouldnt be hiding round a corner to help fill the coffers by any chance would they?

If what they really want to acheive is to make you aware of your speed and standard of driving they should be easily seen.

G.Mac

iTrader: (2)

I'm just waiting to see if I was zapped by the Scamera man, I was in my astra 40mph limit dual carriagway. there were a few cars infront of me going much faster so I just hope I got my speed down in time (indicated 48ish)

If it does come through at least I will have something to light the fire with

stann01

they are not sposed to hide

but what are they supposed to do if their crime figures are down for the month?

Fulmentaljack3t

Last wee I had a traffic cop wave at me from their Range Rover to slow down, half a mile up the road I go round a bend and there's a mobile camera van parked up. Thank you Officer!!

greatgonzo

iTrader: (1)

You should have gone a bought a lottery ticket

wrx fifer

iTrader: (34)

i agree strongly with this!! i dont believe no matter what figures/statistics are showed to me or any rules that THEY follow make it alright for them to hide behind bushes and over hill crests etc, not good, no help to the public, ripping all road users off, and more likely to cause an accident being there than not

Pink_Floyd

Regardless of what my opinions are on speed limits and speeding I'd much rather the money used to fund speed cameras and speed camera vans was invested in training more traffic officers for the road. They could educate the cheeky rogues, and catch the reckless idiots in the act much more often than an arbitrary camera ever could.

You might get flashed by a camera traveling at 34 in a 30 zone, which would mean a flash and a ticket by a camera, without excuse. A police officer could however note the conditions, your attitude etc and decide if it was a genuine mistake. A good talking too would suffice with most people.

That to me is a much more sensible approach to road safety, rather than treating speeding as a cash cow for the coffers!

s70rjw

iTrader: (2)

Was the van unmarked or disguised as something else for it to hidden?

L.J.F

iTrader: (31)

They like to do that near my house along a stretch of road that is regularly got speeding vehicles going up and down and catching them out.

Well until some kind member of the public slashed all 4 tires on 3 different occasions

magneel1

iTrader: (18)

I got done doing 44 on a 40 road.

Luckily had the option to go to speed awareness instead.

What a fun day out!!

pmarch bugeye

I like it. Speeds cameras on safe roads in the open country, rediculously low speed limits on open country roads (South Oxfordshire has some 30MPH and there's hardly a house in sight and 40MPH would be the mininimum). Don't start me on about the dreaded humps/bumps that make you concentrate on slowing down and speeding up, thus increasing pollution to mitigate the damage to wheels/tyres and thus also drivers are not concentrating on the road ahead. What a damned ninny state country this has become over the last 14 or so years..........

Mrfastbaz

a bloke a work got done last week doing 45in a 40 limit just outside brum no chance of a speed awareness course as west midlands police dont seem to run them first offence on a clean licence if he had been caught a few miles away in warwick shire rather than west midlands then as a first offender he has been told he could go on a course but he got caught in west midlands jurisdiction so points and 60 quid fine that was in a cop car hiding in aside road with its camera gun thingy and viddeo

pmarch bugeye

Exactly. I would like to see more proper traffic police acting outside of the 'target culture' to catch the those uninsured, over the limit, reckless drivers and those that are aggressive and talegate etc.

scoobywrxwagon

iTrader: (2)

Yes it was wearing a big pink pig suit with green spots and a bright blue flashing light at the end of its tail.......lol

It was a standard speed trap van with police written on it Its the position of the little tw*ts that upset me. In the middle of a dual carriage way behind a bush impossible to see until you are ontop of them.

My point is as said before that if they are there for a purpose IE cut speed and reduce accidents why not park in a place thats highly visable so ppl can see them so ppl actually slow down rather than hide and just rack up fines and ppls points on there licences.

Granted I shouldnt of been speeding but I wasnt tear assin around I was just following the speed of the traffic that also didnt see the sneaky tw*ts.......

greatgonzo

iTrader: (1)

My point is as said before that if they are there for a purpose IE cut speed and reduce accidents why not park in a place thats highly visible so ppl can see them so ppl actually slow down rather than hide and just rack up fines and ppls points on there licences.

Because we would see them, pass them then speed back up, I suppose they (police) think if they catch you fine you and points, it teaches you a lesson not to do it again in case of more fines and points etc..

c_maguire

I dislike the cameras in a big way, not in principle as I can see the logic when they are sited appropriately, but because they are more often sited where the 'take/conviction rate' will be higher rather than where the safety aspect is valid. I have yet to see a mobile camera in use where safety could be argued as the primary reason for its location, so these are the most insidious of all.
However, the arguments in favour of less cameras and more traffic officers are perhaps a worse possibility from my perspective. Certainly good in theory, and possibly in practice if we could return to the road policing practices of the pre-90s. But in reality 'modern' coppers just aren't that flexible and no doubt many of the 'new' traffic officers would be sat in their cars with cameras anyway, predominantly on unrestricted roads where the hit-rate is higher but the safety argument is weaker.
Apart from the mobile units (which are a major ball-ache) fixed cameras by nature are a known quantity and can therefore be avoided, whereas moving traffic coppers can't.
Much as I appreciate that more traffic cops would have an impact on the haphazard driving antics exhibited by a sizeable minority, they would also have an impact on the responsible driver who regularly ventures into 3 figures when it is safe to do so. And a ticking off won't be your reward when collared for doing 150mph will it?
I do of course appreciate that there are numerous vicars on here with 500bhp rocketships who only exceed 70mph on trackday sessions with their congregation, and will therefore regard any speed limit contravention as a heinous crime against humanity regardless of circumstance.


Kevin

Pink_Floyd

Some good points Kevin

I guess the argument for fixed cameras in high risk areas is a valid one, and one I tend to go with. I am however more likely to verge toward the less cameras, more police in other areas. That said, as you correctly state, it's sometimes no better having police over cameras with regards to being flexible............

I don't think though that anyone venturing into three figures on a public road could ever be considered responsible, in fact the two statements just don't fit in one sentence for me. There are those who act whiter than white, and on occasion I too can come across like this. However what I would say is if someone chooses to speed, regardless of how good a driver they think they are, lives are often put at risk. If you're willing to take the points etc then do what you like, just don't come on a public forum moaning about it afterwards, (not a dig at the OP ) or worse talking about 'racing mates' on public roads.

Too many people moan about being caught speeding, or not being allowed to speed. They don't moan about being caught without road tax and insurance however. Those are 'accepted' criterion of motoring, rules that are 'OK' to follow. The same people will moan about uninsured drivers putting up insurance etc, they don't however moan about the person speeding who gets it wrong, misses a junction on a country road and causes a fatality.

To speed is seen as a right. Sadly it's not.

Olly.Wrx

iTrader: (10)

I agree with that.


Just down the road from me there was two police officer standing in the road behind a parked nissan mica with no marked police car near by,in the dark with a speed camara.
People couldnt even see them enough to slow down the traffic and make the road safer.They were there just to catch people for fines imo.

c_maguire

I would disagree with regards to the assertion that you cannot drive responsibly if you significantly exceed the speed limit. As regards speed, my driving (for the most part) would be perfectly legal if this were Germany, IOM or India(?) and unless you believe the majority of Germans are irresponsible behind the wheel then how does it suddenly become irresponsible here provided the use of speed is made whilst conscious of the fact that other drivers here are less conscious of speed than those in Germany. For most people here the assertion of irresponsibility is linked primarily to the fact that the speed limit has been exceeded, and who says the limit is 'right' anyway. It's abitrary and nothing more, and although I wouldn't want to encourage all to 'better the ton' on a regular basis the 70mph limit is frankly pedestrian.
As somebody who has ridden bikes since I was 15, I am acutely aware of my mortality and as such always consider other road users and endeavour to limit the risk to life to mine only.

Kevin