ooops my unblemished licence...
Discussion
is now on shaky ground! Just coming to the end of the A3 in London and I did not see a plod with hand held laser gun, I do not know how fast I was going as I was to busy concentrating on the road, but I am sure it was not 50mph!
What is the deal with hand held laser guns, do they have to stop you there and then or is it like a gatso and you get a ticket in the post?
What is the deal with hand held laser guns, do they have to stop you there and then or is it like a gatso and you get a ticket in the post?
You may be alright. Hand held guns are often used to determine a rough speed before they hunt you down. It certainly used to be the case that hand-held devices were inaccurate due to inevitable movement of the officer's hand which magnifies over distance and that may still be so hence the mounted versions in vans which are rigid, I think. Police often use the hand-held guns whilst sat in their cars as they have to form a view someone is speeding before stopping them. It saves their petrol and by definition means they can clock far more cars than if they were patrolling up and down the motorway tryng to sneak up on people.
In any event, NIP must be served on you within 14 days.
In any event, NIP must be served on you within 14 days.
NUTSKIE.. said:
Hi Chippy,
Vested interest (!!) where exactly (and time) was he there. I use that section regularly and would hate to think that I contributed more than required to our beloved Govt.
hi there,
they were just before you hit the 40mph zone where the camera is (Robin Hood roundabout) just before it goes into two lanes, I was about to nail it and overtake a van so I could get ahead of him at the lights, I have no idea how far they could see up the road but when I saw them I was doing about 55mph but I was slowing down!!
LuS1fer said:
You may be alright. Hand held guns are often used to determine a rough speed before they hunt you down. It certainly used to be the case that hand-held devices were inaccurate due to inevitable movement of the officer's hand which magnifies over distance and that may still be so hence the mounted versions in vans which are rigid, I think. Police often use the hand-held guns whilst sat in their cars as they have to form a view someone is speeding before stopping them. It saves their petrol and by definition means they can clock far more cars than if they were patrolling up and down the motorway tryng to sneak up on people.
In any event, NIP must be served on you within 14 days.
many thanks for the info v interesting, alhough from the way they had parked I cannot see how they could chase anyone as they were facing the wrong way, anyway I am just annoyed with myself, I haven't driven my toy for weeks as I have a crappy runaround for London and I only drive my toy when I go for decent drives, but I thought I would take her out as I was worried the battery was getting a bit low, so basically I saw red and nailed it! My own fault!
skinny said:
you're fine. as far as i know they can't do anything if they see you speeding on the gun unless they chase you and stop you - and even then i believe they need someone with them to corroborate (sp?) their story.
I don't think this is true. I'm sure they can write your details and the time down and send you a nice letter in the post.
Hopefully not in this case though. They usually have a degree of tolerance so if it is a 50 limit and you were doing 55-60 you might get away with it. The human speed trap is more picky than the automated one, ensuring they get the excessive speeders.
chippy69 said:
If they did'nt stop you there and then, chances are you've got away with it.
thanks, if I do I will count myself lucky and be a bit more sensible ni the future, what annoys me about this bit of road is it is a three lane carriageway and the speed limit is 50mph! crazy!
i think its crazy as well, however, as a resident in New Malden, slowing the A3 has had one huge benefit.
the sound generated by the A3 is substancially lower. it used to be intrusive and we live half a mile away. now, its virtual silent.
its the only good thing.
tinman0 said:
vixpy1 said:
If they did'nt stop you there and then, chances are you've got away with it.
thanks, if I do I will count myself lucky and be a bit more sensible ni the future, what annoys me about this bit of road is it is a three lane carriageway and the speed limit is 50mph! crazy!
i think its crazy as well, however, as a resident in New Malden, slowing the A3 has had one huge benefit.
the sound generated by the A3 is substancially lower. it used to be intrusive and we live half a mile away. now, its virtual silent.
its the only good thing.
Its still ridiculous though. With better junctions I'm sure it wouldn't be necessary.
On the noise front, they could also fit quieter tarmac, fence the road, or just say 'sorry you didn't have to buy a house nearby'!
deeps said:
Sorry to sound pessimistic but I think they'll almost certainly be sending you a NIP :-(
They dont use handhelds to guage who is speeding then pursue them in the plod car, that's a fairy tale, they're after all they can screw.
oh well I had a nice weekend not thinking about I will have to see what happens, I am going to try not to worry about it as there is nothing I can do, and it was my own fault!
I see where you are coming from regards noise I am surprised 10mph makes a noticeable difference but I guess it does. The only thing I can add is the lanes are quite narrow and I have seen people (before the speed limit reduction) hitting the central reservation as they don't know the width of their car.
Thnx Chippy,
I will keep my alook out in the future.
A3 approach to Robin Hood roundabout: is that the one where there are no side roads, no junctions, no shops, a central reservation between the carriageways, no hospitals, no schools, the road is fenced in, no houses, a three lane into two to slow the traffic apporaching London naturally and very good visability ?
Clearly a requirement to radar all the motorists then?!
Good luck with the 55 (I believe it is usually: limit + 10% + 2 mph)= not all forces though
I will keep my alook out in the future.
A3 approach to Robin Hood roundabout: is that the one where there are no side roads, no junctions, no shops, a central reservation between the carriageways, no hospitals, no schools, the road is fenced in, no houses, a three lane into two to slow the traffic apporaching London naturally and very good visability ?
Clearly a requirement to radar all the motorists then?!
Good luck with the 55 (I believe it is usually: limit + 10% + 2 mph)= not all forces though
If you receive a ticket and are certain that you hadn't been speeding, if it was a static camera, ask to see the independent calibration records and the manufacturers recommended maintenance and calibration schedule.
For a mobile unit, ask for the records of where the camera was used on that day and also ask to see the routine independent calibration records and because it is a portable unit it should also have a daily calibration check, so ask for records of that too, also ask to see the manufacturers recommended maintenance and calibration schedule.
For a mobile unit, ask for the records of where the camera was used on that day and also ask to see the routine independent calibration records and because it is a portable unit it should also have a daily calibration check, so ask for records of that too, also ask to see the manufacturers recommended maintenance and calibration schedule.
KentishS2 said:
If you receive a ticket and are certain that you hadn't been speeding, if it was a static camera, ask to see the independent calibration records and the manufacturers recommended maintenance and calibration schedule.
For a mobile unit, ask for the records of where the camera was used on that day and also ask to see the routine independent calibration records and because it is a portable unit it should also have a daily calibration check, so ask for records of that too, also ask to see the manufacturers recommended maintenance and calibration schedule.
thanks kentish, valuable information, tbh I cannot be sure I was not speeding but I do know that I was slowing down as has been said it is a natural point at which to slow down because you are approaching traffic lights, if I was speeding then I can't really argue even though I do disagree with the limit on this road, the law is the law
thanks everyone for the useful info
NUTSKIE.. said:
Thnx Chippy,
I will keep my alook out in the future.
A3 approach to Robin Hood roundabout: is that the one where there are no side roads, no junctions, no shops, a central reservation between the carriageways, no hospitals, no schools, the road is fenced in, no houses, a three lane into two to slow the traffic apporaching London naturally and very good visability ?
Clearly a requirement to radar all the motorists then?!
Good luck with the 55 (I believe it is usually: limit + 10% + 2 mph)= not all forces though
I think you are thinking of the right place, the Robin Hood roundabout has an entrance to Richmond Park that I believe you can no longer drive into but used to be able to and then the road goes up a hill towards Roehampton.
I agree, this spot surely does not require a Police presence, you are slowing down anyway and there is already a speed camera there.
I used to use that section of the A3 a lot many years ago when traffic was less and the limit was, iirc, 70.
Very hairy at times, especially in the wet.
Last month I was in the area to the east of the A3 and heading back to the M25 then M1. My Satnav directed me, rather oddly I thought, onto the A3 via an obscure local junction a mile or two south of the Robin Hood section. (Somewhere around Raynes Park). Odd really since the route to the office I had been visiting had taken me off the M25 at Leatherhead so the completely different route returning was a real puzzle. Decided to go with it to see where it did take me!
It seems a shame that the 50 limit has been applied and all the scameras installed BUT I have to say that on all the occasions I have used that stretch in the last few years the traffic density has been horrendous, any time of day or night, and I can't imagine what it would be like if the 50 limit did not deter some people from taking liberties.
As for the noise thing - not all down to reduced limits I suspect, though the effect could be significant. (I seem to remember that there used to be quite a few concrete sections around on the A3 a few years ago?) Most vehicles are MUCH quieter than they used to be even 10 years ago and tyres are certainly a huge improvement in most cases.
I live a mile or so fron an airport and it is very noticable that the more modern planes have the capability of being much much quieter than they were as well. When the older ones take off - usually freight stuff in the early hours - they are very noisy by comparison. Of course night time nouise diffusion does tend to seem louder than daytime so maybe the comparison is a little unfair.
Very hairy at times, especially in the wet.
Last month I was in the area to the east of the A3 and heading back to the M25 then M1. My Satnav directed me, rather oddly I thought, onto the A3 via an obscure local junction a mile or two south of the Robin Hood section. (Somewhere around Raynes Park). Odd really since the route to the office I had been visiting had taken me off the M25 at Leatherhead so the completely different route returning was a real puzzle. Decided to go with it to see where it did take me!
It seems a shame that the 50 limit has been applied and all the scameras installed BUT I have to say that on all the occasions I have used that stretch in the last few years the traffic density has been horrendous, any time of day or night, and I can't imagine what it would be like if the 50 limit did not deter some people from taking liberties.
As for the noise thing - not all down to reduced limits I suspect, though the effect could be significant. (I seem to remember that there used to be quite a few concrete sections around on the A3 a few years ago?) Most vehicles are MUCH quieter than they used to be even 10 years ago and tyres are certainly a huge improvement in most cases.
I live a mile or so fron an airport and it is very noticable that the more modern planes have the capability of being much much quieter than they were as well. When the older ones take off - usually freight stuff in the early hours - they are very noisy by comparison. Of course night time nouise diffusion does tend to seem louder than daytime so maybe the comparison is a little unfair.
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