The barstewards....

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neil_cardiff

Original Poster:

17,113 posts

265 months

Monday 10th June 2002
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Here we go - I just went for a pint of milk and I am hoping it's not going to be the most expensive pint ever.

On a busy Cardiff road, which is dual carraigeway both ways - no centre bit - one whole road - there are two cameras one pointing one way the other the opposite. Now I went through the first, which was behind at 30 which is correct and as I cleared it and slowly accelerated past the markings on the opposite side of the road for the opposite side facing me at around 35 - 40, the one facing me friggin flashed!

No other cars - Where do I stand - I don't think I was anywhere near 40 as a friend of mine got caught doing 38 thru there - its 30 both ways.

Can anyone help?

I wouldn't have thought they could do that?

relaxitscool

368 posts

267 months

Monday 10th June 2002
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They don't work both ways, only from the rear.

nonegreen

7,803 posts

271 months

Monday 10th June 2002
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Forget it your in the clear

Nacnud

2,190 posts

270 months

Monday 10th June 2002
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I had this happen to me a while ago and I certainly sweated until enough time had passed to be very sure of no nasty surprises in the post.

At the time, nobody I spoke to was 100% sure. It's nice to see it confirmed on PH.

ZZR600

15,605 posts

269 months

Monday 10th June 2002
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so even if they mark up the side of the road going towards the camera they cant do you ? ( sorry if this seems a bit fik )

relaxitscool

368 posts

267 months

Monday 10th June 2002
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I'm 99.99% sure GATSO's only measure speed going away from them, if they didn't you'd never catch a motorcycle

neil_cardiff

Original Poster:

17,113 posts

265 months

Tuesday 11th June 2002
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Cheers Guys, What made it worse was that I was hoofing me girlfriend mum's Merc, and (oh the shame) it was automatic - they simply don't kick down quick enough (well the old c220 dosen't).

I was dreading the kicking her old man would have given me....

madcop

6,649 posts

264 months

Tuesday 11th June 2002
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There are Gatso cameras thatwill get you from the opposite direction, i.e. the lens faces you and takes the picture of the front of the speeding car. there are quite a few of these in the Bedfordshire area and one or two in Bucks, Through Princes Risborough and again on the A418 towards Leighton Buzzard.

They are quite easy to spot as the camera lens is round and sticks out from the box. The lens is also coloured red which I believe is an infra red filter so that the flash does not dazzle or blind the offending driver. The problem with these cameras is that you cannot avoid the evidence when it arrives as it clearly shows yours truly with a big cheesy grin (or otherwise)
The only way to get away with these ones is to don a diguise. Long blonde 'rug' and copious boots No7 may well do the trick but make sure you have shaved well and take your chances when you get stopped for something else in that garb

outlaw

1,893 posts

267 months

Tuesday 11th June 2002
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quote:

There are Gatso cameras thatwill get you from the opposite direction, i.e. the lens faces you and takes the picture of the front of the speeding car. there are quite a few of these in the Bedfordshire area and one or two in Bucks, Through Princes Risborough and again on the A418 towards Leighton Buzzard.

They are quite easy to spot as the camera lens is round and sticks out from the box. The lens is also coloured red which I believe is an infra red filter so that the flash does not dazzle or blind the offending driver. The problem with these cameras is that you cannot avoid the evidence when it arrives as it clearly shows yours truly with a big cheesy grin (or otherwise)
The only way to get away with these ones is to don a diguise. Long blonde 'rug' and copious boots No7 may well do the trick but make sure you have shaved well and take your chances when you get stopped for something else in that garb



oh yea, you can im in beds
and it all Truevelos pics .
I sent back and got out of

ZZR600

15,605 posts

269 months

Tuesday 11th June 2002
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quote:

I'm 99.99% sure GATSO's only measure speed going away from them, if they didn't you'd never catch a motorcycle



The reason i ask this is because in chideock there is 2 cameras and in each direction they have the markings on the side of the road going towards the camera , anyway these cameras are in a 30 zone so ive never set them off

Its the one on the a30 that fashed me last sunday im worried about , i was doing 90-100 along a stright and it was hidden behind a sign oh well they have 5 more days
i think it only flashed once though ?

>> Edited by ZZR600 on Tuesday 11th June 07:47

GreenV8S

30,254 posts

285 months

Tuesday 11th June 2002
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quote:


On a busy Cardiff road, which is dual carraigeway both ways - no centre bit - one whole road.




By the way, as I understand it the road you described was not a dual carriageway - that is defined by having a physical separator/island between the two directions (hence two separate carriageways) rather than the number of lanes in each direction and/or road markings. Doesn't matter here, but would be a bit more important in NSL.

neil_cardiff

Original Poster:

17,113 posts

265 months

Tuesday 11th June 2002
quotequote all
I stand corrected. Thanks.

North Road, just off the big roundabout by the Hospital for those who haven't been for a while. They just recently added the second one looking out of Cardiff.

Whatever you do don't jump any Traffic Lights in Cardiff either - virually all the main ones have cameras on 'em.

madcop

6,649 posts

264 months

Tuesday 11th June 2002
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quote:

Its the one on the a30 that fashed me last sunday im worried about , i was doing 90-100 along a stright and it was hidden behind a sign oh well they have 5 more days
i think it only flashed once though ?
quote:


Misconseption to think that they only have 5 days left.
They have 14 days to send it in the post. this counts as service if they can prove it went within that time.

The fact that you didnt receive it until sometime after the 14 days is immaterial.

If it only flashed once then you have gone past a camera with a dummy unit installed.
You will not receive a summons for this as no camera is within the unit.
The idea is to frighten people into slowing down as they think they have been captured and therefore are more careful in the immediate future.

ZZR600

15,605 posts

269 months

Tuesday 11th June 2002
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Madcop dont worry bloody thing got here today 83 in a 60

madcop

6,649 posts

264 months

Tuesday 11th June 2002
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OOOPS! If you think it only flashed once then ask for the photgraphic evidence.

Speeding is one of a very few offences that require corroboration. That is why there are two photos taken.

If for some reason the camera only went off once, then you may have a shout at getting it binned.

Best of luck

ianpicknell

107 posts

266 months

Wednesday 12th June 2002
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quote:

Speeding is one of a very few offences that require corroboration. That is why there are two photos taken.


Am I right in saying that one photo does not corroborate the other, but that the speed-sensor within the GATSO is corroborated by a manual check of the distance the car has travelled between the two photos (using those little white dashes on the road)?

Marc_100

2,646 posts

270 months

Wednesday 12th June 2002
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I heard a rumour that it is against 'civil liberties' for speed cameras to take photos from the front of the car. Is this yet another urban legend?

madcop

6,649 posts

264 months

Wednesday 12th June 2002
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quote:

I heard a rumour that it is against 'civil liberties' for speed cameras to take photos from the front of the car. Is this yet another urban legend?



Yes it is an urban legend as you have the option to not have your photo taken, purely by driving under the speed limit!!!
There is nothing subversive about these type of photos
that would contraveneyour civil liberties.

>> Edited by madcop on Wednesday 12th June 10:44

madcop

6,649 posts

264 months

Wednesday 12th June 2002
quotequote all
quote:

Am I right in saying that one photo does not corroborate the other, but that the speed-sensor within the GATSO is corroborated by a manual check of the distance the car has travelled between the two photos (using those little white dashes on the road)?



Something like that. The second photo obviously shows the distance travelled within the little white lines. This corroborates the actual electronic speed calculation as the camera flashes are at a constant time interval. The faster you travel, the further up the white dashes you appear in the second photo.
as the distance between the lines is known, the speed can be calculated from that as well if there appears to be a problem with the electronic calculation.

If for instance you were travelling at 30mph and the unit malfunctioned taking your photo and registering a speed of 48mph, it would be easy to define the actual speed from the position of the vehicle in relation to the white lines,
If that makes sense!

>> Edited by madcop on Wednesday 12th June 10:53

JonRB

74,879 posts

273 months

Wednesday 12th June 2002
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quote:
I'm 99.99% sure GATSO's only measure speed going away from them, if they didn't you'd never catch a motorcycle
Just to be pedantic, the cameras are capable of taking photos of advancing vehicles and take one photo rather that two in this configuration.

However, as far as I am aware (based on when I worked with the systems in 1995) single photos taken by a GATSO on an advancing vehicle are not legally admissable as evidence.

So the short answer is an agreement with everyone else - you're in the clear.