Speed Cameras....

[BlueBot]

This should be a lively discussion, hehe, so tell me what you all think? Personally I think it's our thieving government just taxing us more and more, it silly. But that's just me...

Steve

[Allen]

What else would I vote?

[revol68]

whilst i despisespeeding and lil boyracers it is obvious that speed cameras are placed so as to get the highest revenue as opposed to making the roads safer.

But reallly we need to be movig away from car based transport but with out decent public transport then people wil continue to need cars even if they are polluting killing machines.

P.s.im not a bloody hippy okay!!

[Skii]

If they were placed in accident blackspots and areas where safety is paramount, ie outside every School , fair enough - but they aren't. They are simply placed in areas where they will catch the most drivers.

Don't ban them, they are essentially a good idea, but they have been been taken to the extreme.

[wilsonian]

totally agree with you there Skii,

they've put up alot around the tameside area - non of which are in "back spot areas". there on nice stight roads with hardly any "danager zones" around!

the best on is just round a corner on a sparsely built up area, can't see it untill it's too late, plus theres no signs for it (there is coming the other way but it doesn't clock people coming from that direction!)

i really do hate them!

[Giddy]

maybe we should try something along the lines of this:

[blockers]

I think Skii is on the right lines there
They are essentially good, and they could prevent a lot of accidents, as long as people have good warning so they dont slam their breaks on.

What i think is better than speed cameras though at the boards that either tell you what speed you are doing, or telling you to slow down. As they do make you more aware of the speed limit, and is more like a gentle reminder.

Its so annoying when they put speed cameras on straight bits of road, especially if that is on the only place to over take anyone....

What i found amusing was a couple of years ago, coming back from the channel tunnel (in car) is the road that joins the M25 has 3 speed cameras in about as many miles. Just to really piss off all those foriegn drivers...hehe. Dont know if they are still there or not.

The other irritating thing is the way they put a sign up and then dont have any cameras.

In towns, or busy areas traffic calming is much more effective. Those things you have to drive round, not speed bumps

[Butuz]

Most of them are just anothe form of stealth tax. However, the ones that are put in dangerous areas in order to stop faggots speeding past primary schools and stuff, are needed and are valued by me. The other 90% that are put on roads that used to be 60 and are now 50, can go get burnt for all i care.

Butuz

[Allen]

I think they are great in the sense that it makes some drivers more aware of their speeds, and I think that all towns should have them in as there should be NO reason to go over 30 when there are pedestrians and children on bikes around.

But I also agree that some are suspiciously placed...

[Allen]

as long as people have good warning so they dont slam their breaks on

Well I'm sorry, but if they have to slam their brakes on then they shouldn't be going that fast in the first place!

And don't worry peeps, I'm far more relaxed today so am not gonna go off on a tangent here!

[Shad]

There are 2 new digital forward facing cameras on the A339 between Basingstoke and Newbury now, and they're quite well hidden. And to make matters worse, they are within about 1/4 of a mile of each other and both pointing the same direction.

Trouble is they're nicely hidden behind signs. It bothers me that these cameras aren't being used as a deterrant but simply as a tool to catch people. I think that if the police and authorities concentrated on stopping people from becoming criminals in the first place, instead of catching them after they've broken the law, it would be a much better system.

[Zak33]

ANybody know how much a Gatso costs?

Cos its a lot of dough.....and frankly I'd rather the money was spent on Officers to stand by the road and wave me down,and give me a roasting...

cos then....I'd behave.

And those officers could move about, and do other jobs.

In fact....on the face of it.....I'd rather a human being slapped a £60 fine on me and roasted me ONCE on a long journey than me get 3 lots of speeding tickets for 74 in a 70 and not know about it for 2 weeks.

Does that all make sense?

Stop buying GATSO's and start employing more officers.

Cos a HUMAN being, even an irritated over powering Policeman MIGHT see the truth, and realise you didn't realise you were 4 mph over the limit of a dry, clear, well lit downhill section on a trailing throttle, or had just been cut up by an old lady doing 11 mph or whatever it might be.

My £0.02

[G4Z]

I think speed camers are a crap idea, now hear me out....

If we oculd trust the authoritys to place then in actual blackspots they would be a good idea. and example of this is that near where I live there is a well known blackspot near morpeth, some1 was killed there 2 or 3 weeks ago, and there is no camera. what do you find as you go down one of the citys major roads? a speed camera enforcing a 30 limit on a dual carrigeway size bit of straight downhill road with no houses on either sides....

I agree, the cash should be spent on actually employing people rather than these machines, will never happen because simply people arnt as efficent as GATSO's
I have never been caught on one yet, but I was caught on a red light cam over a year ago, ticket came, gave them fake addy of the driver, heard nowt else

the only reason I got flashed was because the lights changed really fast and if I had hit the brakes I would have went skidding out into other lane rather than just slowing down and taking the corner witch I did.

tbh, call me cynical but Im sure that the lights with cams on do seem to be that much quicker to change from amber to red.

[G4Z]

also, should point out that gatos wont catch drunken drivers at all.... and also point out that speed inst the number 1 cause of road accidents, afaik its drink driving.

[BlueBot]

a Gatso costs about £40,000 including the shiny metal casing. They also cost lots to keep up and running with film, but they are a huge revenue tool for the government.

I admit that I am a quick driver, but I speed when it's safe, it if's raining or icy I drive slowly and carefully. Speed cameras do not take this into account, you get the same fine for doing 90 on a clear day with little traffic in a modern car as you do if you are caught doing 90 on an icy road in an old out of MOT car, it's plain stupid.

But although I speed I drive to the stated speed limits around schools, and I am always careful in towns, can anyone imagine living with themselves if they killed a kid? I couldn't!

Steve

A nice little stat for everyone to think abouty, only 8% of road accidents are due to excessive speed... So how can Gatso's be for our own saftey?

[Stoo]

There's one here just around the corner from me, pointing down a hill.. it's been burnt down twice and there was a bit in the local newpaper about it with this police spokesperson saying about how it was there for safety etc etc..

What a load of crap! It's blatently a revenue generation tool, and the really silly thing is that during most times of the day the road is at a complete standstill, so you'd be lucky to catch anything doing more than 5mph..

Around here we had some nice bit of dual carriageway, until the local council decided it would be a good idea to plonk a load of roundabouts all over the shop then make nearly the whole stretch a 40mph limit.. on the dual carriageway!

Bloody politicians..