last week the m5 was shut at jnc 8 due to a chemical leak in tewksbury.so i thought i would take a detour off at jnc 7 (worcester) and join the m50 at jnc 1.
well imagine my horror when i got to work on monday to find a letter from west mercia police force waiting for me. the letter stated i was caught doing 39 in a 30 zone.
anyway as i traveled this road on that day i didn’t see no flash or nothing.
tuesday came and i was going to south wales again so i thought i would go and take a look at where this camera was.i did the whole stretch of road and there isn’t one static camera. or a safety camera van on that route to my knowledge on the date in question.
so whilst tewksbury was under a chemical attack and knowing full well that trucks will be finding a diffrent route around it .the [zb] set up a speed trap,trap being the operative word.
i will be contacting the force and asking them for a copy of the photo just to make sure i was actually in a 30 zone and asking them if my fine will go to victims of crime and not funding more of these[zb]ing cameras.
as i said above if i’ve done the crime i’ll pay the fine
Just a thought jonboy, could it be one of the ‘distance/average speed’ type camera systems that are also being used?
All they do is register your plate at one point, then a bit further along the road do the same again, the distance between the two points is fixed and your average speed is calculated based on the time its taken you to travel between the two points!!
The cameras to look out for are the ‘blue’ ones that are often found above you on bridges, especially on the dual carriageways/motorways etc. (Although they can be anywhere I guess) This type do not flash and I believe its a digital image of the reg. that is taken and they are linked to a central computer that processes the info.
Biker… the cameras I think you are talking about are not speed detection cameras for breaking speed limits. You see a lot of these Blue loes with what look like little camera’s pointing in both directions, but I have been told that these are traffic monitoring sensors, for traffic flow. These are then used in systems such as TrafficMaster, and AA roadwatch etc…
But John, I would have thought you would have been able to request any evidence that they have against you, and you should be able to see it. So if it was a camera then, you should be able to see the photo.
Is it still the case that one police officer on his own, cannot charge you with anything??, coz it would your word against his if he see’s you speending but cant offer anything in evidence other than his word. there for you can say, no I wasnt and its your against his…
The cameras which take an average speed are the ones found on the A628 around Stocksbridge… on the road from M1 into Nottingham… on the Thelwall viaduct on the M6 to name a few places. They are forward facing, always on high up gantries and consist of a camera in the middle, a round speed sensor bulge on one side of the camera and a round infra-red bulge on the other side. They don’t flash or anything and are easy to miss. They’re completely automated, linked to the DVLA and if caught you can expect the ticket on your doormat the next morning.
I picked a guy up about a month ago (on trade plates) he showed me a notification of a fixed penalty fine he had recieved over a year ago, he had never replied to it, and had heard no more about it,
He said it had come through the post and as it wasn’t recorded delivery he intended to ignore it, as 5% of letters in the post get lost there was no proof that he had actually recieved it.
He made a bit of sense when he said that "if every letter was recorded it would amount to a great deal of additional expenditure, and was it their policy to not pursue unanswered mail.
It certainly got me thinking, anyone else got any info on this.
So what are the speed cameras on the A43 going up past Silverstone, which face the oncoming traffic?
Also on the notice board at work there is a notice about the cameras which measure average speed (I think they were only on the M6, M4 and M42 - but may well be elsewhere since the notice was posted). Apparently the cameras are only triggered at 76mph. So unless your wagon is unrestricted (like some of the Irish wagons that hammer past me on the motorway) you wont get caught anyway.
Also ask for a copy of the calibration certificate for the camera and proof that the officer operating the camera is qualified. This happened to me last year while driving my car 44mph in a 40mph after the police diverted us off the A14 near Thrapston after several letters they backed off. Didnt help when caught 56mph in 50 limit on M6 road works fair catch.
Crispie
I believe if you plan to pay the fixed penalty you cannot ask for the photo and cetificate fo calibration. You can only do this if you are going to take the matter to court.
The blue cameras are Traffic Master they work the same way as the Specs, but don’t read the whole number plate. Some cameras face forward to get a photo of the driver to stop people saying they don’t know who was driving, but I don’t think GATSO will face forward becuase of the flash when a picture is taken.
Lostpup:
So what are the speed cameras on the A43 going up past Silverstone, which face the oncoming traffic?
Also on the notice board at work there is a notice about the cameras which measure average speed (I think they were only on the M6, M4 and M42 - but may well be elsewhere since the notice was posted). Apparently the cameras are only triggered at 76mph. So unless your wagon is unrestricted (like some of the Irish wagons that hammer past me on the motorway) you wont get caught anyway.
The new digital ( average speed ) cameras were I believe first used in Nottingham and I believe they were considered by some to have been a failure as they failed to catch the expected number of speeders ( IMO this means they were a success as they obviously persuaded drivers to slow down which is I believe the purpose of speed cameras. )
They are always up high on ( usually ) a blue pole. They do not have to catch you speeding over a fixed distance, if you are travelling fast enough to trigger the first camera it will do you there and then but it will also check your speed over the distance between 2 cameras. They are being increasingly used in roadworks especially on the M6/M62 in the Lancs/Cheshire area.
if it,s a fair cop hands up,but you can ask the police force where you where nicked for all of the the above,and when you see if they have you so to speak bang to rights change your plea it might cost a bit more but if you think you dint do it you pay your money etc.
The average speed distance cameras the ones high up on blue poles are in abundance in notts, I assume they are seen as a succsess as there are more and more going up!
They are all down the A610 from the M1 to the city, all around the ring road. There are new ones going up on the A46 (the single carriage way between the A606 and Bingham) and on a couple of side routes used to cut through.
Lostpup:
So what are the speed cameras on the A43 going up past Silverstone, which face the oncoming traffic?
Also on the notice board at work there is a notice about the cameras which measure average speed (I think they were only on the M6, M4 and M42 - but may well be elsewhere since the notice was posted). Apparently the cameras are only triggered at 76mph. So unless your wagon is unrestricted (like some of the Irish wagons that hammer past me on the motorway) you wont get caught anyway.
The rear facing ones are GATSO’s, the forward facing ones at road level (like GATSO’s) are Truvelo’s and the ones up on the ornate stands are SPECS.
Can I suggest a visit to ukspeedtraps.co.uk/frames.htm which is an excellent site and will keep you entertained for hours! It also has a big user created list of all the known speedtraps in the UK.
I got a ticket through the post a few weeks ago, said I had done 34miles in a 30 zone going toward the M62 near Howden, N.Yorks. It was a sunday morning at something to nine a.m. The police had photographic evidence the document said. O.K I thought, I was in the area around that time. I saw a white transit van sitting at the B.P garage on the opposite side of the road after the island I was about to turn at and saw it was a police speed awareness vehicle. I have been given the option of the usual £60 plus 3 points or go on a two hour speed awareness seminar costing £50 and no points. I am going on the latter, after all the course is held in Hull and I can do a bit of retail therapy afterward , I dont get to see big cities these days !!!
Yep, money is definitely better than points in my opinion, and it’s a tenner less! Wish I’d had that option when I got nobbled in the truck coming down the A1 in Berwickshire. [zb]s. 3 more points and I’m done for
Also ask for a copy of the calibration certificate
Q:an i have a copy of the calibration certificate?
A:no all certification is correct and meets the required standards.the certificates are to support the prosecution case and are only avalible if theres a court hearing
Q: can i have a copy of the photo?
A: yes, but the purpose of the photo is to recorded the registration plate,not the driver so recognition may not be possible.you can request to view the pictorial image by making an appointment at the central ticket office, droitwich.
i also like the way that there is no contact phone number on the notice so how the hell do i make a appointment
Fenman:
I picked a guy up about a month ago (on trade plates) he showed me a notification of a fixed penalty fine he had recieved over a year ago, he had never replied to it, and had heard no more about it,
He said it had come through the post and as it wasn’t recorded delivery he intended to ignore it, as 5% of letters in the post get lost there was no proof that he had actually recieved it.
He made a bit of sense when he said that "if every letter was recorded it would amount to a great deal of additional expenditure, and was it their policy to not pursue unanswered mail.
It certainly got me thinking, anyone else got any info on this.
He was lucky or full of it,if you dont respond to the notification you will end up with a MS90 which means failing to give details,which can be points and fine not exceeding £2000
and knowing full well that trucks will be finding a diffrent route around it .the [zb] set up a speed trap,trap being the operative word.
