Tuesday 10th July 2001

Speed Camera Freeze

Met Police in common sense shocker!

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[jimbro1000]

Did I read this right? Dare I believe my eyes? I''ve never objected to being stopped by traffic police when I''ve been speeding (thankfully I''ve only been caught over slight infractions). At least you can "reason" with them!

[sybaseian]

Now all we have to do is convince the $"£%hole who's in charge of the Welsh Police that has been advocating doubling the number of speed 'revenue generators' cameras.

[apache]

YEEEEHAAAARR!!

[jmorgan]

Probably until the instalation team catch up. As for Wales, well the south, the mobile ones are are well in use as well. In one town I have heard a story (may not be true) of a police car putting on the blue lights past a set of cameras then turning off once past (again just a story?)

[bosshog]

Good stuff. I have to say though - I have no objection to cameras on most roads in London really, because just about everywhere you go it’s very built up. And having lived there for a while and seen SOO many people drive like idiots about the place, and I'm sure most accident statistics that the government use are generated in the streets of London. What I object to the most with speed camera's is when you see then on nice long straight motorways, country a roads, dual car. for no apparent reason. As a further note, this is also the reason I believe that the government are so aout of touch with the motoring public is: 1 - they never use it. 2 - they live work in London, which is totally different to most people in the country. 3 - they don't understand why everyone does'nt use public transport - have they every had to use it year in and uear out? 4 - they observe the average motorist as someone who lives in a city, and have no regard for anyone who lives in a town or the country side.

[Don]

quote:4 - they observe the average motorist as someone who lives in a city, and have no regard for anyone who lives in a town or the country side.

Couldn't agree more. With all your points. London has different problems to nearly everywhere else in the country and solutions for London CANNOT be expected to work sensibly elsewhere.

[ricardocliftioni]

I live in Yorkshire but spend a lot of time driving around the Greater London area. I know, as does everyone else, that the speed cameras only catch the people that are new to that stretch of road or just not paying attention and that those who want to speed exessively, do it between the cammeras. I have no objection to cameras in built-up areas and a traffic lights as I realised long ago that if I keep to the speed limits and drive correctly then I arrive only a minute or two later than if I had been speeding and that the limits are generally there for a good reason. What really pisses me off though is when cameras are placed on de-restricted roads and when speed limits are suddenly imposed on what have always been de-restricted roads. More and more unnecessary limits are being imposed all over the country making it a real pain to get about. Why can't the goverment spend their money on driver training rather than on blanket speed limits? Why can a driver pass his or her test and never again have to prove that they are capable of understanding the rules of the road? Why doesn't the government add £1 to the Road Fund Licence and send every car owner a copy of the highway code with each renewal? People have accidents because they are careless not because they are driving over the speed limit.

[dubbs]

Classic example:- Opposite me there is a primary school, the main road it is on is nice and twisty as it goes downhill to a sharp left hand bend. Round this bend there is a a parade of shops with a zebra crossing, sweet shop, dry cleaners and more importantly kebab shop and chinese takeaway... amongst other shops. weekend nights about 22:30 to 01:00 the occassional boy racer (probably about 15 a night) careers down the hill screeching round the corner. One night, there will be someone with kebab or chinese in hand that's never going to go home. At the same time its a quick-ish road during the day, hardly anyone takes notice of the fact the school is there and therefore a higher risk of kids coming out. This is a prime place for a camera but they don't install it. Why? because it would be clearly seen and noone would get caught BUT they would be slower and it would save lives. Instead the council have put a camera on a long straight road where it is easy and safe to do 40mph (even though it is a 30). And that's Bromley. But this happens everywhere! They go on and on about speed killing but it's them that are killing. For every 5mph you lose on the long dual carriageway because of irresponsibly placed cameras - you end up going faster where they are missing to make up time. In turn this puts any area that doesn't have a camera at risk - they are forcing the speeding off the safe roads and onto the unsafe (but uncamera'd) one's.

[tvr_nut]

Drove my TVR from Weston to Rugeley in Staffs this w/e, and found a nice twisty A road with some good overtaking straights now a 50mph with cameras on every straight bit. A real bummer when behind a "dithery-git", who braked to 35 for every bend. Result - pissed off by time I reached the de-restricted and uncamera'ed bit, and ended up going faster on the clear few miles than otherwise would have done (only overtook 9 cars & a lorry). I assume the idea is to avoid accidents by "dumbing down" all roads to the point where it becomes a long train of vehicles stuck behind the slowest driver? Question: Where a GATSO is on the RHS of the road, facing you, can you overtake the car in front without getting zapped?? Name and address NOT supplied!!