A19 Southbound bridge cameras

[gRsf12]

Travelling home Thursday night I noticed two cameras on tripods on the bridge over this (A19) dual carriageway (in open country South of Teesside/North of York) for those that don't know it). IIRC it was the Knayton/Borrowby junction, where to exit you go under the bridge and back on yourself. Both cameras facing the southbound carriageway connected to a van sat off the bridge on the East side, shielded by the bushes and trees along the main carriage and along the country lane that includes the bridge.

Now the road below approaches this on a long left-hand sweep, so approaching traffic would not be able to see the van at all and the cameras are fairly obscured by size and by virtue of the bridge being bounded by railing, so the tripods are not so obvious.

How legit is this? I thought that these things were supposed to be conspicuous (or is that just officers with hand held stuff?). Additionally, what are the requirements for camera operations where no camera signs are employed - as there are no camera signs along the length of the A19 near there from Teesside to York that I know of?

[anonymous-user]

gRsf12 said:

How legit is this? I thought that these things were supposed to be conspicuous (or is that just officers with hand held stuff?). Additionally, what are the requirements for camera operations where no camera signs are employed - as there are no camera signs along the length of the A19 near there from Teesside to York that I know of?

Do they have to be conspicuous? I remember seeing a recent episode of Traffic Cops on BBC1 where the cop was sat on top of a hill poking his speed gun through a gap in some bushes...............

[Dwight VanDriver]

As far as I am aware (local) there are no fixed camera sites on the A.19 north of York in NYorks area so it may be that a mobile unit was operating or maybe ANPR Unit (2 cameras).

There is no requirement at law to identify/warn the presence of speed detecting devices ahead. HMG promised a code of practice that cameras should be colour marked to make conspicious but it seems has not ensured that this was carried out.

DVD

[Dibble]

I think there are ACPO visibility guidelines, but they are just that - guidelines. Individual Chief Constables etc can choose to ignore them if they want to.

There's always the possibility that the items weren't speed cameras, they may have been ANPR, tax, traffic monitoring etc.

[WildCat]

Was a talivan - another Big and Mad Tigerlike Cat (has much bigger claws than me - a lawyer - specialist subject - you guessed - motoring law ) lives up that way. Asked him - he says they have been active at different spots along A19 recently - his b2 has been going beserk!