Can camera vans automatically identify vans?

[Tom_C76]

As above really. Was driving down the A11 today on cruise at 73mph when a refrigerated van came belting past me, doing at least 85 at a guess. Then he spotted the camera van as he came up out of the dip and braked very sharply.

Does the camera system allow for the ticket to identify his van as being subject to a 60mph limit on dual carriageways? If so I suspect he may have a nasty letter coming as he didn't brake until he was pretty close to the van and I suspect it was targeting the downhill section 500m earlier.

[HantsRat]

The camera doesn't automatically but the operator knows the restrictions on certain vehicles and will process this.

[Tom_C76]

That's good to know, he was driving like a tool irrespective of speed. Late braking to dive up the inside at roundabouts isn't clever, particularly when you then get outdragged coming out of them.

[C. Grimsley]

I think the vehicles get checked on the data base and if it's listed as a van get the required limits used, had a couple of tickets now in my van as didn't know they had different limits.

Carl

[kowalski655]

Off topic a bit but what about Gatsos?
How does their radar know to flash a van at 60 and a car at 70?

[Steve H]

I've always assumed that fixed cameras are set to fixed speeds, haven't been proven wrong (so far ).

Camera vans will apply the different limits, a guy working for me was copped for 58 on a single carriageway NSL.

[dacouch]

There are fixed cameras that can tell a van / truck and issue tickets at their relevant speed.

They have them on the A1

[SS2.]

Steve H said:

I've always assumed that fixed cameras are set to fixed speeds, haven't been proven wrong (so far ).

This is the control unit from a Gatso Type 24 - different trigger speeds can be set for different vehicle types (in the picture, it's 87 km/h for lorries and 108 km/h for cars).

[cptsideways]

In Wiltshire the Gatso's on A Roads have axle sensors in the road, well the one ones on the A303 do.

I found out when a Gatso identified my 4x4 had a trailer on the back & pinged me accordingly.

[Hooli]

cptsideways said:

In Wiltshire the Gatso's on A Roads have axle sensors in the road, well the one ones on the A303 do.

I found out when a Gatso identified my 4x4 had a trailer on the back & pinged me accordingly.

Used to be (might still be, not been for years) one on the A24 near Horsham outside a garden centre. It'd detect the coach I drove as a lorry so trigger because I was doing 62mph, never ever got a ticket though so I guess they do check the photos before sending out the tax bill.

[speedking31]

C. Grimsley said:

I think the vehicles get checked on the data base and if it's listed as a van get the required limits used, had a couple of tickets now in my van as didn't know they had different limits.

But you're forgetting that the camera is only used to target vehicles and verify the speed after the operator has a preformed opinion that the vehicle was speeding, oh hang on ...

[pc.iow]

I received 3 points for 83mph in my VW Transporter on the A3 last year, between Guilford and M25 by a van. Seemed quiet a good deal.

[Steve H]

SS2. said:

This is the control unit from a Gatso Type 24 - different trigger speeds can be set for different vehicle types (in the picture, it's 87 km/h for lorries and 108 km/h for cars).

Interesting, thanks.

Is this always done via axle detection as the other posts suggest?

[SS2.]

Steve H said:

Is this always done via axle detection as the other posts suggest?

I always understood it was the magnitude of the reflected radar which allowed the unit to differentiate between cars and larger vehicles (ie HGVs).

[Steve H]

So where does that leave vans?

[SS2.]

Steve H said:

So where does that leave vans?

Size dependent, but probably free from being snapped by fixed cameras at a speed which is greater than their class may allow and less than the trigger threshold for cars.

[Steve H]

Ta, that makes sense .

[Blue Oval84]

So let's just say I've driven a Kangoo quite a bit recently, now if I'd hypothetically travelled through a Gatso at 70mph instead of 60mph (on an NSL dual carriageway), can I presume that it's unlikely to have differentiated such a small van as an actual van and sent me a ticket?

[cologne2792]

If Single Cab pick up trucks are subject to 50mph Single Carriageway and 60 mph Dual Carriage way but Double Cab pick up trucks are not - where does this leave the Supercab / Kingcab ? Does anyone have a definitive answer as even the legal explanations I've looked at seem a little unclear and assumptive ?

[SS2.]

cologne2792 said:

If Single Cab pick up trucks are subject to 50mph Single Carriageway and 60 mph Dual Carriage way but Double Cab pick up trucks are not - where does this leave the Supercab / Kingcab ? Does anyone have a definitive answer as even the legal explanations I've looked at seem a little unclear and assumptive ?

It's not the case that all single cabs are subject to special speed limits and all dual cabs not.

Have a read of this.