Speed Fines Refunded - Devon!

[WildCat]

Teeniest paragraph on the "In Brief" column in "Sunday Express".

Sunday Express said:

Nearly 1700 drivers were wrongly fined for speeding und are to get their money back. More than £100,000 of fined revenue ist due to be repaid after errors were found in the use of a mobile camera in South Devon. Last year a judge through out cases against 4 drivers because the speed lollies on the A379 were too far apart. About 150 are to be repaid by credit card in next two weeks. Devon und Cornwall Prats said the priority was to remove points from licences of those wrongly fined between November 2002 und March 2005

So - just £60 refund und no compensation for insurance hikes und tarnished driving records then. Not to mention any stress or worries this caused those people

Und "within two weeks" All should be corrected within 28 days or they should be fined £2500 und given the points on their licences" per their own threats as I understand from reading these sites to be the case - as I have never - Gott sei Dank! - received one!

But then I drive to C O A S T

[Nic Jones]

Just down the road from my house, lots and lots of people I know got done by a scamera van including my old dear, who has just received a cheque back from the scamera partenrship, but as you say no extra payment for interest gained on that amount or any insurance hike she received.

What a con ripping off the innocent motorists.

[deeps]

First I've heard of this, this needs to get alot of publicity.

****ing shamefull!

[Nic Jones]

It has had a lot of press coverage in the SW, particularly the Exeter area, it's to do with illegal spacing of repeaters and road markings etc.

The local paper ran a big campaign on it, upset the vonhosen type something cronic

Having said that it wasn't exactly difficult to spot the van, but most people didn't know what the limit was, question is will they bother to tell all the holiday makers from oop north etc that they can claim the points/money back?

I suspect not...

Sorry about the length of the link,
www.thisisexeter.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=137015&command=displayContent&sourceNode=136999&contentPK=13806503&moduleName=InternalSearch&formname=sidebarsearch

[vonhosen]

Nic Jones said:

The local paper ran a big campaign on it, upset the vonhosen type something cronic

What makes you think it upsets me (my type whatever that is) ?

>> Edited by vonhosen on Sunday 28th May 16:21

[Nic Jones]

Bit tongue in cheek, the 'obey speed limits at all costs' group were up in arms over this.

[vonhosen]

Nic Jones said:

Bit tongue in cheek, the 'obey speed limits at all costs' group were up in arms over this.

If it's not a legal limit it's not a limit.

[deeps]

vonhosen said:

Nic Jones said: Bit tongue in cheek, the 'obey speed limits at all costs' group were up in arms over this. If it's not a legal limit it's not a limit.

Blimey Von, have you been on the wine this fine Sunday

[turbobloke]

Watch out for the ricochet. This is a fairly small hole in the business plan but it's there. Does the M5 run through their patch?

[deeps]

turbobloke said:

Watch out for the ricochet. This is a fairly small hole in the business plan but it's there. Does the M5 run through their patch?

yes for 20 miles until it terminates near Exeter. Why?

[turbobloke]

deeps said:

turbobloke said: Watch out for the ricochet. This is a fairly small hole in the business plan but it's there. Does the M5 run through their patch? yes for 20 miles until it terminates near Exeter. Why?

When the Wilts scammers had to repay over £300k in fines over officialdom's incompetence in the Folly Bottom affair (I kid you not) they suddenly found that the M4 had lots of accidents of unspecified causes which 'must' therefore be speed related and as a result the motorway on their patch was 'unsafe' - so of course they started scamming it. That's when we got the M4 protest, which stopped them (for a while).

Motorways represent easy pickings, obviously, but with the added advantage that the victims who are mugged come from all corners of the country rather than just locals, and lots of locals might make a local stink. So the financial shortcomings can be made good with minimal fallout. Kerching.

[turbobloke]

More here

Speed fines to be refunded
From the Amesbury Journal, first published Wednesday 2nd Mar 2005.

WILTSHIRE Constabulary could be facing a compensation bill of more than £1m for thousands of motorists unlawfully accused of speeding on the A303.

Wiltshire and Swindon safety camera partnership is writing to 2,467 drivers punished for breaking a temporary 40mph limit at Folly Bottom between September 2003 and January 2004, telling them they are entitled to a refund and their licence points rescinded.

But the partnership has again come under fire for its actions over the fiasco, this time for trying to get away without fully compensating drivers, and is now facing the prospect of an independent investigation.

Clair Allison, of Amesbury, whose legal challenge prompted the decision that the penalties were incorrectly imposed, believes this does not go far enough.

"What about the other 3,000 drivers caught after that?" she said. "I would advise anyone affected to seek legal advice.

"If people go to them [the safety camera partnership], they will just get their £60 back and the points taken off. But every one of them will have incurred higher insurance costs and some will have lost licences and livelihoods. There should be compensation for that."

The Folly Bottom speed restriction was flawed because signs were either not put up properly or were not appropriately documented.