Speed camera thrown off motorway bridge
Discussion
A £10,000 motorway speed camera has been cut down with a blow torch and thrown off a bridge.
The Devon and Cornwall force camera was monitoring the 50mph speed limit imposed at roadworks on the southbound lanes of the M5 near Exeter.
When officers discovered that the camera was missing they looked over the edge of the motorway bridge where it was situated and spotted it in water below.
"We are assuming it was a disgruntled motorist who was caught speeding on Wednesday night," said spokesman PC Roy Adams.
He appealed for anyone who was driving in the area to come forward if they saw anyone in the process of cutting down the camera, which was on a metal pole.
PC Adams said the camera was a write-off and the film inside would have been ruined.
"So if anyone was driving there on Wednesday night and they were flashed at by the camera, the evidence is now at the bottom of the river," he added.
Another one down... how many to go???
The Devon and Cornwall force camera was monitoring the 50mph speed limit imposed at roadworks on the southbound lanes of the M5 near Exeter.
When officers discovered that the camera was missing they looked over the edge of the motorway bridge where it was situated and spotted it in water below.
"We are assuming it was a disgruntled motorist who was caught speeding on Wednesday night," said spokesman PC Roy Adams.
He appealed for anyone who was driving in the area to come forward if they saw anyone in the process of cutting down the camera, which was on a metal pole.
PC Adams said the camera was a write-off and the film inside would have been ruined.
"So if anyone was driving there on Wednesday night and they were flashed at by the camera, the evidence is now at the bottom of the river," he added.
Another one down... how many to go???
what a top piece of detective work that is...
Sounds like the camera was doing a good thing in this case - the camera was located in roadworks in a 50mph limit. I feel sorry for the blokes who have to work the other side of the cones - dangerous job anyway, not even counting dodgy drivers taking them out at 70mph.
I can understand why a motorist who was flashed did it though. But let's face it - they deserve a ticket.
T/.
I can understand why a motorist who was flashed did it though. But let's face it - they deserve a ticket.
T/.
IMO, if they switched it off when the workers left the site, you might have a point, but while the electronic gestapo officer is merrily and indiscriminately snapping away day & night, it can burn in hell for all I care.
dazren said: I can't condone this if the camera was monitoring a section of roadworks.
Edited to say there are an awful lot of people here starting to be taken in by these invidious contraptions.. oh it's okay in roadworks.. it's okay outside schools.. bollocks it is.. Show me the evidence that anyone of these things has saved any lives.. they represent an injustice of massive proportions and the de facto abdication of the police from sensible (human!) traffic enforcement. No-one wins from these things. Kill them all!!!
>> Edited by CarZee (moderator) on Friday 7th March 11:16
Valid point Carzee (before editing your post), but do we know if this section had "narrower" lanes during the road works in which case the 50 limit should still stand.
I'm reminded of the recent motorway roadworks north of Birmingham where they had a SPECS camera enforcing a 40mph due to the width of the lanes. Take it from me with lorries in lane 1 and 2 and a wide merc in lane 3 there isn't much room for error.
Variable speed limits A'la M25 is another subject that needs to be looked which could provide the opportunity for >70 mph sections when low traffic density permits. However I wouldn't trust any of a our "betters" to do this, far more likely to slow everyone down to less than 70 for political reasons.
DAZ
Edited coz Carzee started it....and crap spellin.
>> Edited by dazren on Friday 7th March 11:23
I'm reminded of the recent motorway roadworks north of Birmingham where they had a SPECS camera enforcing a 40mph due to the width of the lanes. Take it from me with lorries in lane 1 and 2 and a wide merc in lane 3 there isn't much room for error.
Variable speed limits A'la M25 is another subject that needs to be looked which could provide the opportunity for >70 mph sections when low traffic density permits. However I wouldn't trust any of a our "betters" to do this, far more likely to slow everyone down to less than 70 for political reasons.
DAZ
Edited coz Carzee started it....and crap spellin.
>> Edited by dazren on Friday 7th March 11:23
dazren said I'm reminded of the recent motorway roadworks north of Birmingham where they had a SPECS camera enforcing a 40mph due to the width of the lanes. Take it from me with lorries in lane 1 and 2 and a wide merc in lane 3 there isn't much room for error.
If this type of enforcement was coupled with some common-sense solutions such as restricting HGVs to Lane 1 in narrow roadworks, perhaps Joe Average would have a little more sympathy.
>> Edited by miniman on Friday 7th March 11:30
CarZee said:IMO, if they switched it off when the workers left the site, you might have a point, but while the electronic gestapo officer is merrily and indiscriminately snapping away day & night, it can burn in hell for all I care.
dazren said: I can't condone this if the camera was monitoring a section of roadworks.
Edited to say there are an awful lot of people here starting to be taken in by these invidious contraptions.. oh it's okay in roadworks.. it's okay outside schools.. bollocks it is.. Show me the evidence that anyone of these things has saved any lives.. they represent an injustice of massive proportions and the de facto abdication of the police from sensible (human!) traffic enforcement. No-one wins from these things. Kill them all!!!
>> Edited by CarZee (moderator) on Friday 7th March 11:16
How long before we hear a story of a child being knocked down outside a school because the driver was distracted by a speed camera and kept looking at his speedo to make sure he wouldn't get flashed!!!!!!!!!
FourWheelDrift said: How long before we hear a story of a child being knocked down outside a school because the driver was distracted by a speed camera and kept looking at his speedo to make sure he wouldn't get flashed!!!!!!!!!
This is a double-edged sword, though. Our reasoned reaction would be that a driver is safer at 32mph concentrating on the road than 29mph concentrating on the speedo. I suspect the goverment might, however, use that reasoning to bring in GPS-controlled speed limiters to physically stop us going over 30.
miniman said:
This is a double-edged sword, though. Our reasoned reaction would be that a driver is safer at 32mph concentrating on the road than 29mph concentrating on the speedo. I suspect the goverment might, however, use that reasoning to bring in GPS-controlled speed limiters to physically stop us going over 30.
Nanny state here we come........
I am not a number I am a free man!!!!
FourWheelDrift said:
miniman said:
This is a double-edged sword, though. Our reasoned reaction would be that a driver is safer at 32mph concentrating on the road than 29mph concentrating on the speedo. I suspect the goverment might, however, use that reasoning to bring in GPS-controlled speed limiters to physically stop us going over 30.
Nanny state here we come........
I am not a number I am a free man!!!!
One episode of The Prisoner includes a car chase between an E-Type and an Elan. Those few minutes of TV sowed the seeds of my doom...
This will have been said many times before,
speed doesn't kill, numpties do.
Someone with sense would see roadworks and therefore reduce their speed to something sensible at which they feel confident so that they could stop if they need to. Cameras distract drivers from the road.
I think it would be fantastic if there was an added element in driving tests which somehow caught out idiots who drive beyond their abilities, and then we'll shoot them
speed doesn't kill, numpties do.
Someone with sense would see roadworks and therefore reduce their speed to something sensible at which they feel confident so that they could stop if they need to. Cameras distract drivers from the road.
I think it would be fantastic if there was an added element in driving tests which somehow caught out idiots who drive beyond their abilities, and then we'll shoot them
The problem is that all to often the speed restictions remain in place over-night, on Sundays and long after the work has been completed, anything to extract a few more pounds from drivers. The widespread abuse of speed restrictions and cameras has led to the publics disrespect of them wherever they are sited. Let them all burn in hell or rot in a drainage ditch at the side of a motorway!
dazren said: I can't condone this if the camera was monitoring a section of roadworks.
DAZ
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