Gatso Protest

[Steve Horrocks]

Speeding doesnt kill, however excess speed for the conditions does. Driving at 29mph past a school in a narrow road lined by parked cars is legal, but highly dangerous. Driving at 35mph on a clear country road, lined by fields with good visibility, miles from any houses. That country road used to be NSL but it happens to be in Cambridgeshire where blanket 30mph limits seem to keep turning up on country roads. You will never find a speed camera in the first location, you can put money on one being in the second location.

The problem is lack of education, both of drivers and people in general. A good proportion of the sports car fraternity seem to take an interest in driving to the point to learn more about driving than is considered necessary by the powers that be. All of us have seen that there are many complete idiots who shouldnt be driving. The rep boys who overtake in the hard shoulder, the 50 year olds hogging the middle lane in their micras who change lanes without warning, single mums inconsideratly parking in their citroen picassos the lot. Dangerous driving is not synonymous with speeding and the cameras will never catch them.

Cameras have the potential to do great good but the government has proven the fact that they cannot be trusted with them. Cameras should be abolished and replaced with more police, not hatos or jumped up traffic wardens, on our roads. This should be supplemented with a driving test where new drivers must show they can drive to the conditions and not just learn how to pass the test

^^^^^^^^^^^^ what he said!!^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[Vindezal]

Immigrant,no license or tax killed someone recently a child. but got 2 months in jail


MOST COUNTRY LANES ARE NATIONAL LIMIT 60!not being funny.

Putting speed cams on blind bends-no good. I love taking the twisty old alternitive route to work, the new straight road has old bozos doing 40mph in a 60!! the twisty road which is marked at nearly every bend with different limits i just sail through at 60 takes me 2 minuits for the same stretch of windy road than the straight new one. Like seeing my MR2 doing its work.

Flashes in the dark startle drivers/and why have to look at your speedo most the time???!!! no enjoyment.

I hear coppers have once caused a diliberate accidents on high ways. (only what I hear) I dont trust em (sorry)



All I say is drive sensibly and remember high way code. It does help.But then I did take my test only 8 years ago.

[Sidewinder]

I'm a great believer in everyone having to take their driving test every five years, in a bid to remove some of the clearly clueless individuals that we all come across on the road. However...this will never happen. Ridding the country of Gatsos will never happen either, as they've proved themselves to be excellent sources of income for the local constabularies.

I really do admire a show of solidarity (being a strong union man and all that), but it's a fruitless excercise.

The ONLY way to rid the country of Gatso cameras is for EVERYONE not to speed and thus not get flashed, and thus not fund the damn things.

[Sidewinder]

I hear coppers have once caused a diliberate accidents on high ways.

What utter rubbish.

[Vindezal]

I hear coppers have once caused a diliberate accidents on high ways.

What utter rubbish.

(sorry from another mk1 owner) I wouldnt know myself.

anyway, I have grown out the fear chav stage of life now. I see police as doing there different jobs dont bother me.. except cameras

[sadako]

MOST COUNTRY LANES ARE NATIONAL LIMIT 60!not being funny.

They are, but a disterbing trend is emerging in certain counties where the 30mph reductions around villages are being extended outwards for many miles for seemingly no reason.

The whole camera thing is getting to the point where its effectively saying "Dont go outside your own patch or you'll get caught out on a road you dont know." It is becoming a threat to your freedom of movement.

[GT4 Nick 966]

In general, the Cumbria Constabulary are very good at their job, they seen to reckonise the difference between responsible man pressing on and chaver being a dick (The type of car helps also).

The police have there faults like everyone else, just that they are supposed to set a good example.

I have been let off before by the local motorway police many moons ago for doing 155mph on a stretch of motorway at 2am. As the policeman said, it would be a different story if it was 2pm, the car was 100% road legal and my driving was safe enough as he put it, apart from the speed (I think he enjoyed the chase lol). I admit 155mph is excessively fast, even at 2am but the road condition were as perfect as your ever going to get.

But all that does account for camara vans & gatso's, they cant tell the difference between 2am & 2pm or if the roads are wet etc....

Anyway, I'd have thought the bobby would be against the speed camara as its put them out of a job.

[Lauren]

Anyway, I'd have thought the bobby would be against the speed camara as its put them out of a job.

I think the police tend to only have a collective opinion, ie they'll toe whatever is the law whether it is flawed or not, particularly when it comes to the matter being discussed.

[Andy F]

I think we should have different speed limits depending on conditions.
When you drive through France and Spain, if its dry its 80/90 but if its wet it goes down to 60, this seems a sensible solution, on motorways anyway.

[zero]

Seem's to me the best bet is to be a copper.
(knowing where the speed traps are) and if you do get stopped flash your badge
or get some german plates

[Leon.]

The ONLY way to rid the country of Gatso cameras is for EVERYONE not to speed and thus not get flashed, and thus not fund the damn things.

Nige, how right you are! That's the best line of the whole thread!

[sadako]

The ONLY way to rid the country of Gatso cameras is for EVERYONE not to speed and thus not get flashed, and thus not fund the damn things.

Nige, how right you are! That's the best line of the whole thread!

The cams only work because of the fixed penalty system. If everyone who was NIP'd took it to court the whole system would collapse

[Hurstie1981]

You can elect to go to court anyway?

Beind dealt with by way of FPN (fixed penalty notice) means that you do not have to go through the court system if you wish. At the end of the day, the majority of people will admit to speeding, and do not want to spend a day in court and have their names in the local paper saying that they were in court and what for.

Secondly, the police do not get income from the cameras, the government does, and the number of people fined does not mean more money for the police.
Gatso cameras do not put the police out of a job. There is not enough please for a start, and if all we did all day was sit on the road with a camera in our hand, who would be out there trying to catch burglars, street robbers and car theives.

[ENSMR2]

Here in Herts Constabulary the Gatsos and mobie camera vans are manned/managed by civilian staff.

[ENSMR2]

Thought I should add.

All fixed camera sites are located in accordance with DfT criteria at specific collision hot-spots, where 4 or more people have been killed or seriously injured in the previous three years, and where data shows that traffic regularly exceeds the speed limit. Mobile camera sites require there to have been 2 or more people killed or seriously injured over a three year period.

In addition, 15% of camera activity can be carried out at sites that do not fit the above criteria, where there is evidence of excess speed and other factors such as requests from local residents. This is the case for many roads, as there have been letters from residents asking for speed enforcement as they have difficulty in accessing the main road due to the excessive speed of vehicles within the mph limit.

Safety Cameras in Hertfordshire are used solely to reduce casualties, and not to raise revenue, as stated in certain sections of the media. Any revenue from cameras can only be used to finance camera operations, and any excess is retained by the treasury, not by the police or its partners, HCC and the Magistrates Court Service.

[GT4 Nick 966]

Secondly, the police do not get income from the cameras, the government does, and the number of people fined does not mean more money for the police.

Who do you think pays the police? I always thought it was the government, (ie: you and me at the end of the day, they are servants!). If the police earn the government more money then the government will raise spending allowence for the police. Its common sence, spend money on what makes money.

[Lauren]

Thought I should add.

All fixed camera sites are located in accordance with DfT criteria at specific collision hot-spots, where 4 or more people have been killed or seriously injured in the previous three years, and where data shows that traffic regularly exceeds the speed limit. Mobile camera sites require there to have been 2 or more people killed or seriously injured over a three year period.

In addition, 15% of camera activity can be carried out at sites that do not fit the above criteria, where there is evidence of excess speed and other factors such as requests from local residents. This is the case for many roads, as there have been letters from residents asking for speed enforcement as they have difficulty in accessing the main road due to the excessive speed of vehicles within the mph limit.

Safety Cameras in Hertfordshire are used solely to reduce casualties, and not to raise revenue, as stated in certain sections of the media. Any revenue from cameras can only be used to finance camera operations, and any excess is retained by the treasury, not by the police or its partners, HCC and the Magistrates Court Service.

Sounds like the DfT criteria is basically saying that they can install cameras wherever they like.

[sadako]

Here in Herts Constabulary the Gatsos and mobie camera vans are manned/managed by civilian staff.

Civilians legally cannot make an informed impression of speed. Only a police officer can do that.

[Jon M]

Apparently the ABD (Association of British Drivers) asked the government to prove that the cameras are not being used to generate revenue, by reducing the fine to £5. Funnily enough they said no...

[euphonium_john]

Hi Folks.

Glad to see this has generated some interest.

Please email me if you want to keep informed - I'm building up quite a list.

Need to decide exactly what we're protesting about for the publicity. Basically we, the motorist, are sick of being persecuted. See Jeremy Clarkson's article in this months top gear. Trouble is, there's a lot of apathey too - people just accept this is the way it is - NO NEED.

So if you have ideas exactly what we should protest against let me know

[email protected]



Cheers!

Euphonium_John.