Speed vans and bikes...

Speed vans and bikes...

Author
Discussion

mx5tom

Original Poster:

573 posts

172 months

Sunday 31st August 2014
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Right, so I'm sure this has been done to death, but I keep finding conflicting info...

Let's assume someone was riding a bike down the motorway a bit too quickly and spotted a speed camera van parked on an upcoming bridge.

Am I right in thinking that all they need to prosecute is to write down the reg number after the bike has gone past?

Farky

868 posts

203 months

Sunday 31st August 2014
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I believe they have camera recording equipment facing the other way. Could be wrong tho.....just what ive heard

Mastodon2

13,818 posts

164 months

Sunday 31st August 2014
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Farky said:
I believe they have camera recording equipment facing the other way. Could be wrong tho.....just what ive heard
If this is true, and it probably is because these fkers are sneaky, your best bet is to pop and big wheelie, get your plate pointing down at the road so they can't read it and hold it until you're out of view. Maybe.

GTIR

24,741 posts

265 months

Sunday 31st August 2014
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I doubt it.
They need an operator to point the camera in the right direction so unless they quickly spin round to grab the other camera it's highly unlikely. Also, where are they going to mount it?

They do have cameras on the outside but I think that's just CCTV to protect the operator from attacks.

podman

8,850 posts

239 months

Sunday 31st August 2014
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mx5tom said:
Am I right in thinking that all they need to prosecute is to write down the reg number after the bike has gone past?
That is quite corre4ct but the newer vans do have multiple cameras on them.

I did hear mouting your number plate on spring washers makes them unreadable once your moving but of course stops your plate from cracking so often, officer..

mx5tom

Original Poster:

573 posts

172 months

Sunday 31st August 2014
quotequote all
GTIR said:
I doubt it.
They need an operator to point the camera in the right direction so unless they quickly spin round to grab the other camera it's highly unlikely. Also, where are they going to mount it?

They do have cameras on the outside but I think that's just CCTV to protect the operator from attacks.
God I hope you're right.

Long'un

93 posts

186 months

Sunday 31st August 2014
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I'm sorry to say they must have cameras to catch your number plate on the way past...

I was caught on my bike by a camera van, and I thought I might have got away with it with no front number plate. Apparently not!

Mr Trophy

6,808 posts

202 months

Sunday 31st August 2014
quotequote all
mx5tom said:
GTIR said:
I doubt it.
They need an operator to point the camera in the right direction so unless they quickly spin round to grab the other camera it's highly unlikely. Also, where are they going to mount it?

They do have cameras on the outside but I think that's just CCTV to protect the operator from attacks.
God I hope you're right.
Not that I want the OP to st himself, but, I've been in one of these vans. There was a mount for the back (window) & a mount at each side (window) for the "speed gun".

The cameras are used for the side if a motorbike pass on a "normal road". However, I am pretty confident in saying these cameras are no where near good enough to pick up a reg from a-high.

EDIT - In the van I was in, there was no camera in the middle of the van. OP, was the scam van sideways pointing down?

Hooli

32,278 posts

199 months

Sunday 31st August 2014
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What you need to remember is - don't have distinctive leathers or helmet & that no matter how many cameras they contain, they all burn smile

mike-r

1,539 posts

190 months

Monday 1st September 2014
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Long'un said:
I'm sorry to say they must have cameras to catch your number plate on the way past...

I was caught on my bike by a camera van, and I thought I might have got away with it with no front number plate. Apparently not!
+1

They have thought of the possibility that bikes may pass them, surprisingly.

toxgobbler

2,903 posts

190 months

Monday 1st September 2014
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podman said:
That is quite correct but the newer vans do have multiple cameras on them.

I did hear mounting your number plate on spring washers makes them unreadable once your moving but of course stops your plate from cracking so often, officer..
May also result in perverting the course of justice or something, there was a thread in SP&L last year sometime about it.

mx5tom

Original Poster:

573 posts

172 months

Monday 1st September 2014
quotequote all
Mr Trophy said:
EDIT - In the van I was in, there was no camera in the middle of the van. OP, was the scam van sideways pointing down?
The van was parked on a motorway bridge, with the side of the van facing the carriageway. For them to have gotten the reg, they would have had to have had a camera on the opposite side of the van to get me after I'd gone under the bridge...

(Also, I had considered stopping on the hard shoulder under the bridge and waiting until they'd gone home... But figured it would cause more problems than it was worth.)

Mr Trophy

6,808 posts

202 months

Monday 1st September 2014
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mx5tom said:
The van was parked on a motorway bridge, with the side of the van facing the carriageway. For them to have gotten the reg, they would have had to have had a camera on the opposite side of the van to get me after I'd gone under the bridge...

(Also, I had considered stopping on the hard shoulder under the bridge and waiting until they'd gone home... But figured it would cause more problems than it was worth.)
I think you should be OK, keep us posted.

black-k1

11,889 posts

228 months

Monday 1st September 2014
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While I’m sure they can note down the reg number, I’m not sure that would be viable in the stated circumstance. On the bridge over the motorway the scam van is going to have to be parked on one side and will probably be up on the kerb. The operator is going to have to “clock” the OP then get safely out of the van, leg it across the road and record the bikes number in that split second it’s readable before the bike is too far down the road. Even on a very narrow road, that’s going to be difficult.

The only other way to do it would be to record everything on camera and “zoom” to the reg. number later when reviewing the footage.

However, I thought that in order to prosecute using camera footage, they had to have a continuous shot of the offending vehicle from the moment of the offence to the collection of the reg. number. I know some scam vans were fitted with three cameras specifically to catch bikes.

The first camera facing the on-coming traffic was used to show the vehicle speeding (with speed info etc. “in shot”), the second was a fish eye camera that showed the vehicle passing the van and the third picked up the rear of the vehicle. The idea was that the fish eye camera would pick up the offending vehicle before it left the view of the front facing camera, and then would still have a view of the vehicle until after it was picked up by the rear facing camera.

In the OPs situation, there is no way the van can keep a continuous shot of him as going under the bridge will block the view.

mx5tom

Original Poster:

573 posts

172 months

Monday 1st September 2014
quotequote all
black-k1 said:
While IThe operator is going to have to “clock” the OP then get safely out of the van, leg it across the road and record the bikes number in that split second it’s readable before the bike is too far down the road.
So what you're saying is... Next time, don't slow down, speed up? wink

black-k1

11,889 posts

228 months

Monday 1st September 2014
quotequote all
mx5tom said:
black-k1 said:
While IThe operator is going to have to “clock” the OP then get safely out of the van, leg it across the road and record the bikes number in that split second it’s readable before the bike is too far down the road.
So what you're saying is... Next time, don't slow down, speed up? wink
It's certainly an option! biggrin

Tall_Paul

1,915 posts

226 months

Monday 1st September 2014
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Or: spot camera van, fake a breakdown, pull over onto hard shoulder and wait for them to go home. biggrin

An option if you were going a few leptons too many over the speed limit!

GTIR

24,741 posts

265 months

Monday 1st September 2014
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Years ago I was on a ZX9 following my mate on his Ducati. We were properly hoofing it around MK at 7am on a Sunday. We came down one of the many carriageways doing silly speeds and both straight lined the roundabout. My mate was in front - and to be honest I was struggling to keep up - and I heard him ease off over the other side of the roundabout then a split second later open it up again.

On the exit was a TrafPol just setting up his speed camera. As I went past he just pointed his finger at me and followed me as I went past. hehe

Luckily nothing came of it but we did get out of dodge sharpish. smile

He still recalls the story at every meet up.

DrDoofenshmirtz

15,187 posts

199 months

Monday 1st September 2014
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If there is a lorry around, simply nip in front of it and hide (speed match) until you're well clear of the bridge.

I have ridden under many camera vans on the Mway, sometimes a bit faster than I should have (if they aren't in the usual places), and never heard anything.


Edited by DrDoofenshmirtz on Monday 1st September 16:59