Discussion
castex said:
That's a residential area. I would want my children to be able to cross the road in safety. Kids drop things, forget where they are. Spur of the moment. That sort of thing.
This would have been cool on a dual carriageway.
So put a permanent big yellow speed camera there with nice white lines on the road that people become aware of and know is there. Having a mobile one is not there to deter but catch. This would have been cool on a dual carriageway.
mdavids said:
V8RX7 said:
castex said:
That's a residential area. I would want my children to be able to cross the road in safety. Kids drop things, forget where they are. Spur of the moment. That sort of thing.
Then don't let them out by themselves until they can cross the road - it's really not hard - google "Green Cross Code"I don't want random lemmings damaging my car.
The outdoors is for cars, not people. In fact, can't we just do away with 30 mph limits, I'd get home from work at least 30 seconds faster.
Why do people have to rigidly stick to 30 outside those houses yet it's fine to drive at 60 outside houses in the countryside ?
Mental note made of the users on here in support, well done! Totally agree, mobile unit is there to catch and a permanent yellow camera would sort the problem in quick time, and permanently, if the area is THAT at risk (i.e. school).
Some of you however, seem to have the most brain dead of children, who seem to like playing with traffic.
Some of you however, seem to have the most brain dead of children, who seem to like playing with traffic.
fangio said:
wormus said:
Yeah, inhibiting the use of a safety camera in a residential area where it could do some good.
When they are are already a scarce,underfunded overfunded resource. What a dick.
Some dicks still believe they are safety cameras; they're not, they ARE tax machines. When they are are already a scarce,
]
Just because it generates revenue it does not mean that it cannot be a safety camera.
All you have to do is open your eyes and look at the residential are it is sitting in, with the open greenery where kids are likely to be playing.
If you are going fast enough to get caught on that estate, then you are a danger and no amount of people like you squealing "scamera! Tax machine!" is going to change that.
To any person with an ounce of common sense, if you aren't observant enough to spot a camera van then in that particular place you aren't observant enough to be exceeding the speed limit.
blindswelledrat said:
Actually you are the one being a dick.
Just because it generates revenue it does not mean that it cannot be a safety camera.
All you have to do is open your eyes and look at the residential are it is sitting in, with the open greenery where kids are likely to be playing.
If you are going fast enough to get caught on that estate, then you are a danger and no amount of people like you squealing "scamera! Tax machine!" is going to change that.
To any person with an ounce of common sense, if you aren't observant enough to spot a camera van then in that particular place you aren't observant enough to be exceeding the speed limit.
Shame then that our local revenue collector sits well tucked into this layby in front of the cemetery. Perfect for catching people on a wide dual carriageway with its 30mph limit, as they exit the (faster) A road and round the corner. By the time you've seen it, it'd be too late. Not a single house to be seen along the entire stretch. If they were so concerned with safety rather than money one might expect they park on the opposite side and enforce the limit in front of the houses, or perhaps a few hundred yards around the corner where people regularly do 40-50 past the school and the 'safety' van hasn't been seen once in ten years. But you're right, safety first. All those corpses need the traffic to slow down!Just because it generates revenue it does not mean that it cannot be a safety camera.
All you have to do is open your eyes and look at the residential are it is sitting in, with the open greenery where kids are likely to be playing.
If you are going fast enough to get caught on that estate, then you are a danger and no amount of people like you squealing "scamera! Tax machine!" is going to change that.
To any person with an ounce of common sense, if you aren't observant enough to spot a camera van then in that particular place you aren't observant enough to be exceeding the speed limit.
For the record I've never had a speeding penalty in all my years of driving. No axe to grind, just sick of hearing how these things are geared toward safety when it's blatantly untrue. The only other location the van operates in our part of the city is also a wide dual carriageway with an artificially low limit, even less habitation (none) and again just after the limit drops down 30mph... Safety first.
rainmakerraw said:
Shame then that our local revenue collector sits well tucked into this layby in front of the cemetery. Perfect for catching people on a wide dual carriageway with its 30mph limit, as they exit the (faster) A road and round the corner. By the time you've seen it, it'd be too late. Not a single house to be seen along the entire stretch. If they were so concerned with safety rather than money one might expect they park on the opposite side and enforce the limit in front of the houses, or perhaps a few hundred yards around the corner where people regularly do 40-50 past the school and the 'safety' van hasn't been seen once in ten years. But you're right, safety first. All those corpses need the traffic to slow down!
For the record I've never had a speeding penalty in all my years of driving. No axe to grind, just sick of hearing how these things are geared toward safety when it's blatantly untrue. The only other location the van operates in our part of the city is also a wide dual carriageway with an artificially low limit, even less habitation (none) and again just after the limit drops down 30mph... Safety first.
^^^ This is my experience tooFor the record I've never had a speeding penalty in all my years of driving. No axe to grind, just sick of hearing how these things are geared toward safety when it's blatantly untrue. The only other location the van operates in our part of the city is also a wide dual carriageway with an artificially low limit, even less habitation (none) and again just after the limit drops down 30mph... Safety first.
There are several schools in my area - number of nearby cameras - NONE
My mate went for a 7am drive on a sunny sunday in the Cotwolds and at the bottom of a long straight there was a camera van - no houses nearby, no kids, hardly any traffic about but an easy place to generate revenue.
Before the geniuses state that if it's an easy place to "speed" then you shouldn't "speed" there - that logic leads to speeding outside schools - because there are never any cameras there
rainmakerraw said:
Shame then that our local revenue collector sits well tucked into this layby in front of the cemetery. Perfect for catching people on a wide dual carriageway with its 30mph limit, as they exit the (faster) .
Just to clarify, I agree that in many cases they are cynically placed and offer nothing in the way of safety at all.I am merely referring to the location in this thread, which is what we are discussing. It is in clear view on a residential road with open playing spaces.
blindswelledrat said:
fangio said:
wormus said:
Yeah, inhibiting the use of a safety camera in a residential area where it could do some good.
When they are are already a scarce, underfunded resource. What a dick.
Some dicks still believe they are safety cameras; they're not, they ARE tax machines. When they are are already a scarce, underfunded resource. What a dick.
Just because it generates revenue it does not mean that it cannot be a safety camera.
All you have to do is open your eyes and look at the residential are it is sitting in, with the open greenery where kids are likely to be playing.
If you are going fast enough to get caught on that estate, then you are a danger and no amount of people like you squealing "scamera! Tax machine!" is going to change that.
To any person with an ounce of common sense, if you aren't observant enough to spot a camera van then in that particular place you aren't observant enough to be exceeding the speed limit.
mdavids said:
Exactly. Kids shouldn't be let out till they're 18, they just can't be trusted to behave like adults.
You must have a better class of 18 year old than the ones I've seen about. 18 year olds acting like adults. I'd almost pay to see that!As for the argument about kids playing on the road when was the last time you saw any parents allowing their children outside to play other than in the back yard or in a park?
And when was the last time you saw a kid wanting to drop the playstation/xbox/wii and go outside?
Not saying the Porsche driver was or was not a hero (don't know enough about the road to comment). More a comment on the way kids are rarely seen playing outdoors these days.
A while ago a mate was done by a speed camera and a few days later saw one parked in a layby. He pulled in behind it, opened the bonnet and made a pretence of checking a few things. Closed the bonnet and wandered round to the back of the car, opened the hatch, grabbed some sandwiches and sat eating them, all in clear view of the camera operator. Then as he finished the sandwiches he caught the camera operator settling into his seat expecting my mate to drive away at which point he got out and went to the back of the car again to put his sandwich box away and root around for a bit just killing time. He was there for about 40 minutes in the end.
I should also point out the scamera van was parked on the edge of a dual carriageway on a perfectly straight piece of road in a 70 area. Most definitely a tax gatherer.
There's obviously two sides to this, and it's easy to pick extremes to make the point either way.
From the stories in this thread some vans are parked in places where it isn't about safety but revenue generation. This would obviously be crappy behaviour that harms the image the cameras (and the police) have amongst the public.
Equally though, if it's an appropriate 30 zone (and yes, appropriate is subjective...) then the vans and cameras should surely be welcomed?
Those paying attention to the road will see it and not be caught (and arguably won't be speeding in an inappropriate place anyway as they're paying attention), whereas the people who are actually a danger because they are both speeding and not paying enough attention to see a big police van on the side of the road will be caught.
Although comical, Mr Porsche also isn't doing car enthusiasts any favours because he is in what the great unwashed will see as an enthusiast's car, and he is actively blocking the attempts to make that road safer by the police.
Obviously that's not what he thinks he's doing, but that'll just be another bit of evidence used to show that everyone without an electric car is a murderous lunatic hell bent on speeding past schools and murdering puppies at any cost.
This hero no doubt saved numerous speeders from getting caught whilst drinking alcohol prior to then driving off at speed past some schools and murdering more children. Just think of the headlines the daily mail could haphazardly cobble together. Man drinks and drives whilst blocking safety camera near school, branded hero by enthusiast community.
It's not the view we hold, some would argue it's not a sensible view at all, but there are lots of other people in the world and how our actions appear to them are unfortunately more important than how f
king hilarious we think it is to park our Beetle in front of a camera van. When the repercussions of our community's incessant fkwittery eventually catch up it will at least give us plenty to whine about on the internet though! 
Now, I'm off to do a burnout past a funeral procession
From the stories in this thread some vans are parked in places where it isn't about safety but revenue generation. This would obviously be crappy behaviour that harms the image the cameras (and the police) have amongst the public.
Equally though, if it's an appropriate 30 zone (and yes, appropriate is subjective...) then the vans and cameras should surely be welcomed?
Those paying attention to the road will see it and not be caught (and arguably won't be speeding in an inappropriate place anyway as they're paying attention), whereas the people who are actually a danger because they are both speeding and not paying enough attention to see a big police van on the side of the road will be caught.
Although comical, Mr Porsche also isn't doing car enthusiasts any favours because he is in what the great unwashed will see as an enthusiast's car, and he is actively blocking the attempts to make that road safer by the police.
Obviously that's not what he thinks he's doing, but that'll just be another bit of evidence used to show that everyone without an electric car is a murderous lunatic hell bent on speeding past schools and murdering puppies at any cost.
This hero no doubt saved numerous speeders from getting caught whilst drinking alcohol prior to then driving off at speed past some schools and murdering more children. Just think of the headlines the daily mail could haphazardly cobble together. Man drinks and drives whilst blocking safety camera near school, branded hero by enthusiast community.
It's not the view we hold, some would argue it's not a sensible view at all, but there are lots of other people in the world and how our actions appear to them are unfortunately more important than how f
king hilarious we think it is to park our Beetle in front of a camera van. When the repercussions of our community's incessant fkwittery eventually catch up it will at least give us plenty to whine about on the internet though! Now, I'm off to do a burnout past a funeral procession
SturdyHSV said:
Those paying attention to the road will see it and not be caught (and arguably won't be speeding in an inappropriate place anyway as they're paying attention), whereas the people who are actually a danger because they are both speeding and not paying enough attention to see a big police van on the side of the road will be caught
Kind of playing devil's advocate here to a degree, but I've often wondered if putting a great distraction like a camera van along a stretch of road where children might be crossing is actually the safest way to protect themWhilst I agree that there are vans parked in areas to reduce speed for safety reasons, they do seem to be in the minority.
Most vans that I see are hidden out the way to catch people rather than to provide a visible deterrent. This is what gives them a bad name and this is why people do things like the Porsche driver.
I got my first 3 points in 10 years this week, overtaking on a crawler lane - camera van not visible until I pulled out for the overtake. For this reason, I have no respect for their use. Most people manage to drive without crashing due to going too fast, they tend to crash because of a lapse of concentration which a camera isn't going to stop.
Most vans that I see are hidden out the way to catch people rather than to provide a visible deterrent. This is what gives them a bad name and this is why people do things like the Porsche driver.
I got my first 3 points in 10 years this week, overtaking on a crawler lane - camera van not visible until I pulled out for the overtake. For this reason, I have no respect for their use. Most people manage to drive without crashing due to going too fast, they tend to crash because of a lapse of concentration which a camera isn't going to stop.
I don't have any issues with speed cameras at all, whatever their type, whatever their location.
I agree that they are quite often in areas in which a higher speed can be considered safe, and that they are placed in certain places simply as revenue streams.
However, there is a speed limit, if you go over it you are breaking the law, if you don't want to get caught then don't speed! How is that a hard concept to grasp? There is no excuse not to know what speed you're supposed to be doing on a particular bit of road.
To block a camera outside houses, where drivers respecting the limit probably makes the area nicer for the people living there, makes that the guy a hero? Biggest bellend I've heard about today in my book!
I agree that they are quite often in areas in which a higher speed can be considered safe, and that they are placed in certain places simply as revenue streams.
However, there is a speed limit, if you go over it you are breaking the law, if you don't want to get caught then don't speed! How is that a hard concept to grasp? There is no excuse not to know what speed you're supposed to be doing on a particular bit of road.
To block a camera outside houses, where drivers respecting the limit probably makes the area nicer for the people living there, makes that the guy a hero? Biggest bellend I've heard about today in my book!
Edited by Alex@POD on Friday 29th April 13:34
I'm a bit confused. ( It's easily done)
The larger green spaces appear to be the front gardens of some houses or the side garden of one house ( which also has an enclosed rear garden, so I expect the ones on this side of the main road do too)
Other than that there are the grass verges.
Not really "open spaces where children play" is it?
Also the sight lines driving along that road look great.
15' from the road to a six foot high fence on one side, with no obstrucions so no kids appearing from nowhere.
30 foot on the other side of clear unobstructed view, unless some sprog is going to hide behind the green switching box/dog piss collector.
The larger green spaces appear to be the front gardens of some houses or the side garden of one house ( which also has an enclosed rear garden, so I expect the ones on this side of the main road do too)
Other than that there are the grass verges.
Not really "open spaces where children play" is it?
Also the sight lines driving along that road look great.
15' from the road to a six foot high fence on one side, with no obstrucions so no kids appearing from nowhere.
30 foot on the other side of clear unobstructed view, unless some sprog is going to hide behind the green switching box/dog piss collector.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff