Scamera Proved To Be A Revenue Earner

[wanty1974]

Hello all,

Those nice, nice people at the 'freedom of information project unit' at Gwent police have sent me some very interesting information.

The scamera I was flashed at on the A4042 Cwmbran to Newport Road in South Wales is located on a road which only has four 'slight injury' collisions since 1998. This is on top of the camera being hidden behind a bridge pillar.

I know that camera sites which do not meet the 'keep the revenue' guidelines do not give any form of defence in my speeding case, but how can I go about exposing this to the powers that be (obviously will be writing to the local rag). What determines the stretch of road that a camera covers with regards to accident stats?

Thanks in advance.

[streaky]

wanty1974 said:

Hello all, Those nice, nice people at the 'freedom of information project unit' at Gwent police have sent me some very interesting information. The scamera I was flashed at on the A4042 Cwmbran to Newport Road in South Wales is located on a road which only has four 'slight injury' collisions since 1998. This is on top of the camera being hidden behind a bridge pillar. I know that camera sites which do not meet the 'keep the revenue' guidelines do not give any form of defence in my speeding case, but how can I go about exposing this to the powers that be (obviously will be writing to the local rag). What determines the stretch of road that a camera covers with regards to accident stats? Thanks in advance.

Paul Smith ([e-mail]) is your best bet for getting this properly into the public domain - Streaky

[jmorgan]

Some info from the nags gob so to speak
Link to DFT site on the subject.

DFT said:

Visibility of fixed site enforcement cameras (including digital cameras): Al camera housings (existing and new) should be visible to road users and not obscured behind bridges, signs, trees or bushes. The minimum visibility distance should be 60 metres where the speed limit is 40 mph or less and 100 metres for all other limits.

Don't know if its any use?

>> Edited by jmorgan on Monday 15th December 10:31

[wanty1974]

I actually don't think the camera is visible from 60 metres, but it's a busy dual carriageway and I don't really want to get out and measure it!

[jmorgan]

wanty1974 said:

I actually don't think the camera is visible from 60 metres, but it's a busy dual carriageway and I don't really want to get out and measure it!

Just a thought.

Where on the A4042 is this scamera?

[wanty1974]

It's just before the roundabout in central Newport that takes you over the river, under the railway bridge.

Out of interest, why can't the suspicious siting of a scamera count in your defence, if you have such proof?

Edited to say... perhaps my speed was over the limit, obviously, but I'm not going down without a fight!

>> Edited by wanty1974 on Monday 15th December 11:07

[puggit]

Maybe you could just state that your money should go to the Treasury instead of the Scameraship?

[jmorgan]

Thats the one after a 50 to 30 limit on a down slope?

[wanty1974]

Yes. Why the interest? You're not the magistrate that's going to send me down, are you?

[jmorgan]

Nope, I travel that way often. Just checking I am thinking of the right one.

[Dave J]

I also live in Newport , and that camera is a scam .

I dont think its visibl from 60m .

Isnt there a rule that says that 15% of cameras are exempt from the requirement for roads deaths .

Do you have the address for the feedom of info group ? , I wouldnt mind seeing this data for *all* camera sites in Gwent ???

Dave

[wanty1974]

Ah... now... don't mind giving you the contact (via email) if you, like me, want to check one stretch of raod, but they do everything by hand. They have to search the stretch of road you are on about (you can't just say 'all the camera sites'), sift the accidents on other roads in the vacinity, then read through all the accident reports to give you a summary of the incidents.

It's a very small department of three people and they are very, very busy (but lovely)!

[wanty1974]

Dave J said:

Isnt there a rule that says that 15% of cameras are exempt from the requirement for roads deaths.

Can anyone back this up with a link?

[wanty1974]

I have actually just read all the accident info for this site in detail and infact out of the four accidents, which could possibly be put down as people driving too fast for the conditions (this is wet Wales, after all), although not over the speed limit, only one accident occurred on the carriageway the scamera covers.

I love this.

[james_j]

Don't forget that some authorities have been seen to be putting accidents down to "excess speed" even if it wasn't or they don't know.

[blueyes]

There's a speed enforcement site audit form on the ABD website, which you can download, print, fill in and send to lots of people.

www.abd.org.uk/site_audit_form.htm

Hope that helps