He fought the law and won

Alleged speeder forces police climbdown

By PH Staff / Tuesday, 30 May 2006 / Loading comments

Yellow background illegal?

A retired computer engineer took on the authorities whom he argued had created a road packed with baffling and distracting speed limit signs -- and won.

Trevor Faulkner was stopped by laser gun-equipped police for speeding on the A58 Wetherby Road. He was travelling at 43mph in a stretch he was convinced should be a 50mph -- although West Yorks Police argued that it was a 30mph zone.

He pleaded not guilty and argued that the three-mile stretch of highway near Scarcroft confused road users as to what the speed limit is, and was scattered with unsafe, distracting information. Additionally, he argued, using the pictures in the Highway Code as a basis, that some of the signs used were illegal because they had a yellow background.

Buttressing his case with photos taken along the offending stretch of highway, his case was won when he appeared in front of magistrates and the police failed to provide evidence in support of its case.

What incensed him was that he saw one of the police officers grinning when he passed their car. He told the Yorkshire Evening Post: "I assume that they regarded the exercise as a game or as a joke, rather than as evidence of a serious offence. One of the officers said that they never catch local drivers, who are aware of the speed trap. This behaviour appears to me to come close to entrapment."

The police said that the speed limit sign didn't meet legal requirements, which was why the force failed to take further action. Faulkner is now asking for an apology from Chief Constable Colin Cramphorn.

There's a lesson for us all: do your research.