Message signs may contain speed cameras.
Message signs may contain speed cameras.
Author
Discussion

deltaf

Original Poster:

6,806 posts

274 months

Thursday 8th May 2003
quotequote all
Taken from another site, so i have no other info as of yet.
But, i wouldnt put it past them.

As of the 14th July 2003 information boards CONTAINING SPEED CAMERAS that
calculate average speed over 1 mile sections will go live on the M4
(Wales).
These cameras continually re-asses your speed and are linked to the
DVLAetc.who issue fines / points. They have been on trial for a while but
now they go live.

Please pass onto any one who may use the Wales stretch of the M4.

david_h

579 posts

284 months

Thursday 8th May 2003
quotequote all
That's it with this and the digital speed camera's I've decided to run around with no no. plate son the car.

sod em all.

plotloss

67,280 posts

291 months

Thursday 8th May 2003
quotequote all
There are currently roadworks on J5-J7 of the M4.

If you read the highways agency gumph it states that speed 'sensors' are being installed.

I can only hope that this is TrafficMaster rather than SPECS...

Matt.

JohnL

1,763 posts

286 months

Thursday 8th May 2003
quotequote all
What's the penalty for no number plates?

deltaf

Original Poster:

6,806 posts

274 months

Thursday 8th May 2003
quotequote all
Not sure but up to £1000 fine and withdrawal of the mark.....Madcop?

>> Edited by deltaf on Thursday 8th May 13:06

paolow

3,258 posts

279 months

Thursday 8th May 2003
quotequote all
its been time to leave the country for some time

Alan420

5,618 posts

279 months

Thursday 8th May 2003
quotequote all
Grrr.

Davey Boy

13,369 posts

275 months

Thursday 8th May 2003
quotequote all
I have heard that it is a SPECS system.

If my Road Angel picks it up I'll post the location.

dazren

22,612 posts

282 months

Thursday 8th May 2003
quotequote all
If this is true it may well lead to the burning of innocent signs. Remember the M25 variable scameras are already hidden behind signs on the overhead gantrys, so it is nothing new.

DAZ

mondeoman

11,430 posts

287 months

Thursday 8th May 2003
quotequote all
Wot the F3ck is going on in this country??

rich 36

13,739 posts

287 months

Thursday 8th May 2003
quotequote all
F£ck sake!!!
When will it all end? when i use th M25, i just stick with the rest of e'm and hope for the best

icamm

2,153 posts

281 months

Thursday 8th May 2003
quotequote all
It's definately becoming time for a Roadangel and radar detector.

domster

8,431 posts

291 months

Thursday 8th May 2003
quotequote all
Remember that digital camera technology relies on correctly spaced character sets in the correct font on regulation size number plates.

I am not condoning anything illegal at all, but I have been told that the system cannot recognise the ovaloid rear number plate of a Rover 75. This must be the car's greatest selling point

Also, I believe that motorcyclists do rather well from forward facing digital gantry cameras. How long before the police ask motorcyclist to wear their number plate on their helmet?

madcop

6,649 posts

284 months

Friday 9th May 2003
quotequote all

deltaf said: Not sure but up to £1000 fine and withdrawal of the mark.....Madcop?

>> Edited by deltaf on Thursday 8th May 13:06


The Road Vehicles (registration and Licensing) Regs 1971 with their many ammendments, impose conditions as to the manner and form in which registration plates must be exhibited (regs 17 - 23) They make further conditions such as the need to notify the DVLA when buying, selling or altering a vehicle, or when changing address.

Schedules 2 and 3 to the 1971 Regs set out the colouras and specifications for the registration plates. The incresingly common use of stylised lettering on number plates is not provided for in the regulation and the computer-generated italicised writing on some plates does not appear to be unlawful. Reg 18(3) requires the registration mark to be fixed and displayed so that the letters and figures are easily legible in normal daylight. IF THE WRITING ON THE PLATE IS NOT 'EASILY LEGIBLE' (a question of fact for a court to decide) OR THERE ARE FIGURES THAT LOOKLIKE LETTERS AND VICE VERSA REG 18 WOULD APPEAR TO BE BREACHED. Providing that the dimensions set out in paras 9-18 of Sch 2 Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regs 1971 are complied with, number plates need only be 'easily legible'

Some drivers and owners as you are all aware are extremely creative in trying to fashion words, letters, acronyms etc on existing plates. Where bolts are moved or positioned hiolding the plate onto the car or moving letters/numbers/spacings apart in this way, they will commit the offence under:-

Section 42(1) Vehilce Excise and Registration Act 1994. No specific power of arrest, triable summarily. Fine

(1) If a registration mark is not fixed on a vehicle as required by virtue of Section 23, the relevant person is guilty of an offence.
(2).....
(3) In subsection (1) 'the relevant person' means the person driving the vehicle or, where it is not being driven, the person keeping it.




Obscured Registration Mark - Section 43(1) Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994. No specific power of arrest, triable summarily. Fine.

(1) If a registration mark fixed on a vehicle as required by virtue of Section 23 is in any way -
(a) obscured
(b) rendered, or allowed to become, not easily distinguishable, the relevant person is guilty of an offence.



If a person can show that he/she had no reasonable opportunity to register the vehciel and that the vehicle was being driven for the purpose of of it being registered, he/she has a defence to a charge under Section 42(1); not fixing a registration mark (sect 42(4)). The burden of proof is on the defendant.

Under Section 43(1) (obscured registration marks), the person charged has a defence if he/she can show that he/she took all reasonable steps which were reasonable practicable to prevent the mark being obscured or not easily distinguishable.


The penalty for not having a number plate fixed or obscuring/altering it so that it is not 'easily legible' is covered under Schedule 3 Road Traffic offenders Act 1988 This schedule relates to the issue of Fixed Penalty tickets for the appropriate offences listed in that schedule.

For the offences listed above, the penalty is fixed at £30 and is non endorseable.

I cannot tell you the maximum court fine for this as I cannot find it at present. I will do so later today. It is possible for DVLA to withdraw the specific plate if it is abused.

I hope that answers all your questions about no number plate fitted and moving the letters around etc! as I know you law abiding PHers would never contemplate such dreadful acts against the law



>> Edited by madcop on Friday 9th May 09:27

domster

8,431 posts

291 months

Friday 9th May 2003
quotequote all
Cheers madcop. I'm sure we would never do such a thing

However, what about the Rover 75 number plate being unreadable as the software searches for the 'right angle' of a typical plate to read it? Does this mean all Rover 75s are illegal. Let's hope so, eh!

And it does seem a bit unfair to have one rule for bikers (ie no front plates mean they are immune to Truvelos and forward facing digicams) and another for cars. Both are road users etc. I wonder if you could run a car without the FRONT plate only, and then argue that this goes for bikers, so why not for cars?

I suppose the final point is that many naughty motorists would consider the penalty for misspacing a number plate as far less than the prospect of losing their licence/job/home/wife/budgie. Maybe reducing the speeding fines to 30 quid a shot would help

ATB
Dom

hertsbiker

6,443 posts

292 months

Friday 9th May 2003
quotequote all
hi chaps, so does this mean that my plate being located on the side of the bike, but rearward facing *really is legal* providing it is the full barn-door sized standard issue plate??? I can't see that it fails to comply with the visible by daylight requirement...?

madcop

6,649 posts

284 months

Friday 9th May 2003
quotequote all

hertsbiker said: hi chaps, so does this mean that my plate being located on the side of the bike, but rearward facing *really is legal* providing it is the full barn-door sized standard issue plate??? I can't see that it fails to comply with the visible by daylight requirement...?



Must be legible and visible from the rear. If it is on the side then it will not be visible from the rear and therefore not displayed. Section 43(1) will get you!

deltaf

Original Poster:

6,806 posts

274 months

Friday 9th May 2003
quotequote all
LOLOL Carl...youll try anything!..I was wondering about shifting my plate to the far right of the bumper area, it can still be seen from the front but would tend to be biased to the right of the car.
Just to make things hard for the likes of specs...etc etc...

domster

8,431 posts

291 months

Friday 9th May 2003
quotequote all
Not sure that would do anything. The point is that SPECS software looks for the shape of the plate, wherever it is in view.

It's a bit like saying 'I will drive on the far right of the road rather than the middle' to fool the camera.

plotloss

67,280 posts

291 months

Friday 9th May 2003
quotequote all
Theres a chap that has suggested that the software in Specs isnt all that good.

He has put an extra two plates on the front of his car and reckons both SPECS and Con Charge are fooled by it.

Matt.