View Full Version : Control Freaks
Please beware if you use this motorway
Those new electronic signs on the M4 were switched on this Tuesday. The
bad news is that they are rigged with the SPECS speed cameras.
SPECS is a computer-camera based system. As you go past the sign a
digital camera reads your number plate. When you go past the next sign
your number plate is read again. The computer 'knows' how far apart the
signs are so it can work out your average speed between the two, or
three or four.
The system is fully automatic and will issue a ticket without any form
of human intervention. It does this for every single vehicle that
passes. You will not know you've been caught as the cameras don't flash.
They work 24/7, 365 days a year, and theoretically, there's absolutely
no limit on the number of tickets that the system can issue.
The whole section of the M4 between Theale (J12) and Membury Services
(between 14 and 15) is wired, both ways. The system is set to trigger a
ticket at 78 mph. Radar detectors will be of no use as SPECS is entirely
passive, there is no radar or laser beam to detect.
Be warned and spread the news.
Thanks for that m8!
its all part of Blair's
'tough on the causes of crime'
etc
ie - poll tax on wheels - so they can fund more revenue generating control freakery
The Diplomat
04-11-2003, 10:51
Hmmmmmm
Just read the " Hoax " article HERE (http://www.speedcheck.co.uk/news.htm#) ;)
its all part of Blair's
'tough on the causes of crime'
etc
ie - poll tax on wheels - so they can fund more revenue generating control freakery Blair is just a complete ****
Assuming that these cameras had been real in the first place, have you bothered to consider that the problem may not be the camera but people speeding in the first instance? This thread isn`t a warning about a supposed new type of speed camera, it is more a whinge that you won`t be able to go around breaking the law.
Assuming that these cameras had been real in the first place, have you bothered to consider that the problem may not be the camera but people speeding in the first instance? This thread isn`t a warning about a supposed new type of speed camera, it is more a whinge that you won`t be able to go around breaking the law.
when I got done for doing 41 in a 30mph zone on North rd in Cardiff (to all intents and purposes a dual carrieageway) - like that was public enemy no1???
3 year endorsement and a £60 fine - its all to fund the increasing bearacratic parasites who do nothing apart from busybody around working out how to tell everyone else what to do and think
paulyoung666
04-11-2003, 11:03
when I got done for doing 41 in a 30mph zone on North rd in Cardiff (to all intents and purposes a dual carrieageway) - like that was public enemy no1???
3 year endorsement and a £60 fine - its all to fund the increasing bearacratic parasites who do nothing apart from busybody around working out how to tell everyone else what to do and think
whinge all you want but at the end of the day you knew the speed limit so there you go :dozey:
how would you feel if a relative of yours was wiped out because someone was speeding ???????????
im sure you would be the first to condemn there actions ;)
Stuart W
04-11-2003, 11:08
AFAIK.... you cannot be prosecutied for speeding in this way.
I could well be wrong, but, as I unserstand it you need to be caught speeding. The Police have used road markings to judge speed for some time, but, they only use the markings to judge the speed of the driver... if they see the driver is speeding, they then follow the driver to record his speed so they can say "you were doing 68 in a 40" instead of "You must have been speeding to have got there so quick".
Having said that, I am one of teh minority who think speed cameras are OK. It makes me laugh when people complain that they have been caught speeding by a camera they didn't see! Imagin robbing a bank, going to court and seeing the CCTV footage, then going for the defence of "I didn't know they had CCTV".
If you break the law, you risk being caught. If the Police can increase that risk in *any* way, how is this a bad thing??
the 'law'
in Nazi germany was to gas and shoot people
Assuming that these cameras had been real in the first place, have you bothered to consider that the problem may not be the camera but people speeding in the first instance? This thread isn`t a warning about a supposed new type of speed camera, it is more a whinge that you won`t be able to go around breaking the law.
i agree speed limits are put there for a reason.......yes it is sometimes annoying keeping to the speed limits but havent u seen the adverts "speed kills"..........
if you go too fast you also have the risk of loosing control of the vechile.....for crying out loud the speed limits are there for the safety of people not to ruin your fun :mad:
the 'law'
in Nazi germany was to gas and shoot people
Slightly different scale .... ???
We may not agree with being caught, I have :blush: , but the basis behind them is sound.
when I got done for doing 41 in a 30mph zone on North rd in Cardiff (to all intents and purposes a dual carrieageway) - like that was public enemy no1???
Unless I am mistaken, a road can be a dual carriageway and still have speed restrictions in place.
Anyway, you knew the speed limit (and speed limits are usually there for a reason) and ignored it. Was the extra 11 miles per hour worth the punishment?
Sadly, the implementation of speed limits in the UK is inconsistent and in many cases illogical. This is the reason why they are so routinely ignored and why speed cameras are therefore so widely hated - they enforce what is perceived by many to be ludicrous.
It's well known that stretches of open rural road between villages across the UK have 30mph limits simply because the local council wanted to avoid the cost of extra signs to increase the limit back to 60pmh and then drop it to 30 again 2 miles down the road. This is not to say that it is therefore OK to ignore all 30mph limits, but it does illustrate the contribution that incompetent road traffic management has made to the state of general disdain in which our speed limits are often held.
It is also well within living memory that open roads once had no speed limit at all, and the 'national speed limit' - initially 55mph, later upped to 60 for single carriageways and 70 for dual - was a product of the oil crises of the 1970s that somehow failed to go away again afterwards. Modern vehicles are infinitely safer at high speed than their 1970s counterparts (the stopping distances quoted in the highway code are now wholly inaccurate) and 70mph on a m-way is now positively pedestrian. I would be happy to have a m-way speed limit of 90mph with extensive use of speed cameras as a trade off. At the moment it is Labour's fear of the green lobby, not road safety, which prevents m-way speed limits being raised even to 80mph, even though Police forces have favoured an 80 limit for years.
A couple of years ago, the DoT announced it wanted to make speeding as socially unacceptable as drink driving. If they are to achieve this, they will have to undertake a comprehensive review of how speed limits are determined and enforced, from the ground up, and educate town and county planners and highways engineers as well as drivers.
paulyoung666
04-11-2003, 11:55
maybe cars are safer but are the drivers any better or more complacent because there cars are safer ???????????? , the way some people drive at 70 mph i would be real scared to see them doing 90 mph :shocked: :shocked: :shocked:
timewarrior2001
04-11-2003, 11:59
The funny thing about all this speed camera malarky is that I have a book somewhere written by an ex traffic cop and he tells you exactly how to defend yourself.
Now theres some strange rules regarding speeding, such as unless you have passed two speed signs, i.e moving from a 60 to 30 zone you are not illegally speeding, after the second sign your nicked my son.
All speed camers of the gatso design have to be situated in a place that they can be seen and they must be bright yellow in colour. If not the speeding ticket cannot be legally issued.
Now this just doesnt account for speeding, double yellow lines, if they are badly maintained and not unbroken or capped with a T at the end, you cannot be fined for parking there.
On 40Mph roads, if you intend to park on the road, you must park facing oncoming traffic and have your parking lights on. Just how many modern cars have parking lights?
The whole laws of the highway code need to be revised and all drivers should be re-tested on them.
As mentioned in a previous post I agree with the fact the braking distances are massively outdated, My car is 15 years old and it can stop faster than the quoted distances on the highway code.
when I got done for doing 41 in a 30mph zone on North rd in Cardiff (to all intents and purposes a dual carrieageway) - like that was public enemy no1???
3 year endorsement and a £60 fine - its all to fund the increasing bearacratic parasites who do nothing apart from busybody around working out how to tell everyone else what to do and think
While I will concede that there are instances where the posted speed limit is really too low for the road in question, there may well have been a good case for having a lower speed limit on this section of road. Besides, as other people have pointed out, you knew what the limit was and deliberately chose to ignore that rule, so you have to accept any punishment you receive.
Now, I will admit to having exceeded the speed limit from time to time, but if I got caught and penalised then I have no one else to blame but myself. There certainly isn`t any point in moaning about the speed camera that got me.
whinge all you want but at the end of the day you knew the speed limit so there you go :dozey:
how would you feel if a relative of yours was wiped out because someone was speeding ???????????
im sure you would be the first to condemn there actions ;)
I agree that there is no reason to complain because there is more than adequate warning on that stretch of road.
However I think the speed limit on that stretch is diabolical, and too much leeway is given to local authorities for setting speed limits on roads, there are huge inconsistencies between the town that I live in and one 5 miles further down the road, I complained to the Highways Authority over one dangerous issue and they didn't care as they said I had to speak to the local authority.
Yes, speak to the very same idiots who implemented the silly idea!
I think it can be like drunks in charge of a brewery letting local councils set speed restrictions for busy A class roads and dual carraigeways.
I keep seeing these figures about how many pedestrians lives would be saved if people didnt speed or speed limits were lowered, but at the end of the day how many of these people were killed or injured whilst walking down the pavement?
And before you wonder the answer is no, I have never had a speeding ticket or even a parking ticket in my 20 year driving, often involving driving all over the country for work. :shocked:
also we have the nauseous 'road humps' and farcical 'pinch points'
whoever thought them up needs a good kick up the ar5e
they cannot be ignored regardless of what speed you are doing
once again - control freakery
paulyoung666
04-11-2003, 13:22
also we have the nauseous 'road humps' and farcical 'pinch points'
whoever thought them up needs a good kick up the ar5e
they cannot be ignored regardless of what speed you are doing
once again - control freakery
surely that is the point of them being there , to make you take notice and slow down , if they did not do that there would be no good , excuse me but are you having a bad day or summat , just wondered that was all :p
surely that is the point of them being there , to make you take notice and slow down , if they did not do that there would be no good , excuse me but are you having a bad day or summat , just wondered that was all :p
all I am illustrating is that instead of 'traffic calming'
al they do is irritate people and make the traffic and tempers worse
and reduce the value of your house if they happen to have one built outside yours
paulyoung666
04-11-2003, 14:07
all I am illustrating is that instead of 'traffic calming'
al they do is irritate people and make the traffic and tempers worse
and reduce the value of your house if they happen to have one built outside yours
why do they devalue your house ????????? , i for one would rather have traffic calming rather than the local idiots screaming up and down my road , the road into my estate has humps in it and talking to people living there it makes the road much
slower than my road which is the road out and has no humps and therefore makes it a magnet for the local idiots who see it as a drag strip for there own personal use , and yes i have asked the council to put humps in my road but they wont for some strange reason :shrug:
Speed limits are speed limits and law abiding, good citizens should without second thought respect them. I try myself to maintain my car's speed according to the speed limits and try to ensure that I concentrate and respect other road users. I also feel amazed at so many drivers who do not control their vehicles according to the requirements of the Highway Code. In fact, I wonder how many passed their driving test?
If you are caught speeding: Good, 41 mph in a 30mph zone is unacceptable regardless of the quality of the highway you are using.
:wavey:
why do they devalue your house ????????? , i for one would rather have traffic calming rather than the local idiots screaming up and down my road , the road into my estate has humps in it and talking to people living there it makes the road much
slower than my road which is the road out and has no humps and therefore makes it a magnet for the local idiots who see it as a drag strip for there own personal use , and yes i have asked the council to put humps in my road but they wont for some strange reason :shrug:
the things that devalue the house are the 'pinch points' as the prats in the council refer to them
they consist of narrowing the road so only one car can go in one direction - one direction having priority - like a valve
they devalue your house as people are always sounding their horns at each other day and night arguing about who has right of way. Ihave seen two incidents of cars going head on into each other trying to beat each other through the gloriously named 'traffic calming measure'
and if.....as the poster above mentioned in his risible comments, we all abide by the law then why do we have to have these things in addition to the revenue generating cameras?
Assuming that these cameras had been real in the first place...
not sure if you are assuming that because this is a hoax regarding the M$ then it means the cameras dont exist... these cameras do exist, just not on that part of the M4 ( they were used in the M62 roadworks earlier in the year I believe and are also on the M6 thelwall viaduct roadworks )
they devalue your house as people are always sounding their horns at each other day and night arguing about who has right of way. Ihave seen two incidents of cars going head on into each other trying to beat each other through the gloriously named 'traffic calming measure'
And these are precisely the kind of tw*ts who would otherwise be hurtling through the residential area at ludicrous speeds. Of course, it would *never* be possible that having an accident blackspot outside your front door would have a negative effect on house prices. :rolleyes:
paulyoung666
04-11-2003, 15:59
the things that devalue the house are the 'pinch points' as the prats in the council refer to them
they consist of narrowing the road so only one car can go in one direction - one direction having priority - like a valve
they devalue your house as people are always sounding their horns at each other day and night arguing about who has right of way. Ihave seen two incidents of cars going head on into each other trying to beat each other through the gloriously named 'traffic calming measure'
and if.....as the poster above mentioned in his risible comments, we all abide by the law then why do we have to have these things in addition to the revenue generating cameras?
re read gogogo's post again he said he ' tries ' not he does , so i take it you have these traffic calming measures outside your house do you ????????????
timewarrior2001
04-11-2003, 16:01
surely that is the point of them being there , to make you take notice and slow down , if they did not do that there would be no good , excuse me but are you having a bad day or summat , just wondered that was all :p
hey have you seen the latest addition to Stockton High Street?
For the people not familiar with the highstreet......
Its the widest highstreet in the UK, it was pedestrianised in the early 1990's and they made a right abortion of it. The only traffic allowed down the high street now is buses and taxis.
A few weeks ago they started making more alterations, they have narrowed certain points and prioritised traffic flow. Why? only Buses and Taxis can use that section of the damned high street. This is spending public money for the sake of spending, I noticed that one particular narrow point is right in front of the town hall. Perhaps theres no bus stops close enough for councillors and thye jump off there when the bus inevitably slows down.
Oh yeah I forgot to add, when they pedestrianised the place, they added speed bumps along the permitted traffic route, buses used to literally throw you out of the seat because of them.
so i take it you have these traffic calming measures outside your house do you ????????????
no I don't
but I was staying in a place about a year ago
where there was one very near to the house
they had chosen to locate it on a corner with lots of foliage to conceal the traffic viewing other traffic coming from the other direction
many a time I heard 'horn wars' and screeching of tires as people fought it out over who had right of way - even saw two guys having a punch up over it once
I would certainly be put off buying a place that had one of these things outside it
also - how come the taxis get special priority for certain lanes - what makes them so special?
timewarrior2001
04-11-2003, 16:09
many a time I heard 'horn wars' and screeching of tires as people fought it out over who had right of way - even saw two guys having a punch up over it once
It should show clearly on either side using arrows which vehicle has right of way. There should be no punch ups, it works in my town on a busy road, no-one resorts to violence because thye know you crash and ignore the signs your insurance is gonna be crippled with that and a dangerous driving conviction.
It should show clearly on either side using arrows which vehicle has right of way. There should be no punch ups, it works in my town on a busy road, no-one resorts to violence because thye know you crash and ignore the signs your insurance is gonna be crippled with that and a dangerous driving conviction.
yes it does show clear arrows but it is not clear at what distance you have to be b4 you have to give way to the other car. what happens on some roads (not that one I mentioned above) is that cars see these things in the distance and accelerate towards them in a sort of 'chicken' game to get through before they have to 'give way' to the other traffic.
Maybe its not the same in the traffic calm shangrila where you dwell
timewarrior2001
04-11-2003, 16:16
yes it does show clear arrows but it is not clear at what distance you have to be b4 you have to give way to the other car. what happens on some roads (not that one I mentioned above) is that cars see these things in the distance and accelerate towards them in a sort of 'chicken' game to get through before they have to 'give way' to the other traffic.
Maybe its not the same in the traffic calm shangrila where you dwell
Dont get me wrong I think are bloody stupid, and I know they cause a LOT of damage to your car if you clip the kerb of them.
zoombini
04-11-2003, 16:16
I have a road hump right outside my house.
Its damn annoying!
Every few minutes there is a "WHUMP!" when a car goes over it at speed, even the odd "CRASH, BANG!" as larger wagons etc go over it & something falls off.
I live in fear of 2 people trying to get past & hitting my car while doing so.
In addition, there are usually parking restrictions on them so the houseowner loses the ability to park outside his own home.
Yes, I'd agreee that it devalues your house, because I certainly would not want to buy a house with one outside.
However,this is going OT, but do we care, seeing as the topic is a hoax?
However,this is going OT, but do we care, seeing as the topic is a hoax?
sorry about that
did not know it was a hoax when I posted it
but it does not mean it will not happen in the future
I was reading about problems they have with ambulances also with these humps and things. Causes no end of aggrro for rushing someone with, say, a spinal injury to hospital.
OK, fines for road traffic offences: so what in your wisdom, peachy, would be the alternatives, assuming you agree there has to be law applied to road traffic offences. Instead of fines: community service, compulsory wearing of a dunces cap; being named and shamed, how about imprisonment, no,no,no, I'm sure in the end you would agree that fines and license endorsement are best deterent. Money raised through fines should cover costs involved, purchase, updating and maintenence of the equipment; perhaps you have evidence to prove money raised is revenue raising?
Also, those road humps are usually demanded by the residents in the roads concerned, God knows I hate them myself, especially when I see selfish, arrogant 4x4 drivers speeding through them, road humps are there usuallly for good reasons: schools etc. Even pinch points have to be employed as someone said earlier remember the idiots who drive at high speed, if vehicle drivers acted responsibly at all times, which for the most part they don't, then these measures would not be needed.
:wavey:
OK, fines for road traffic offences: so what in your wisdom would be the alternatives, .
:wavey:
you must have some laws of course
it's the glamorization of fast cars and going fast and loud in films and magazines and stuff that causes most of the aggro
fines - yeah
but what about the stolen cars going through speed cameras - they never follow those up
what my chief point was was the grinding financial oppression of the middle class reasonably law biding person and using the law to its very letter rather than its spirit to address issues under the banner of the collective good.
paulyoung666
04-11-2003, 16:32
hey have you seen the latest addition to Stockton High Street?
For the people not familiar with the highstreet......
Its the widest highstreet in the UK, it was pedestrianised in the early 1990's and they made a right abortion of it. The only traffic allowed down the high street now is buses and taxis.
A few weeks ago they started making more alterations, they have narrowed certain points and prioritised traffic flow. Why? only Buses and Taxis can use that section of the damned high street. This is spending public money for the sake of spending, I noticed that one particular narrow point is right in front of the town hall. Perhaps theres no bus stops close enough for councillors and thye jump off there when the bus inevitably slows down.
Oh yeah I forgot to add, when they pedestrianised the place, they added speed bumps along the permitted traffic route, buses used to literally throw you out of the seat because of them.
no i havent seen it yet , i try to avoid going into stockton if i can help it as they have made such a sodding mess of it , i would rather go shopping in m'bro , strange really when i live in norton , anyway , if people took more notice of the signs then surely you wouldnt have as much grief would you , or is it a sod em all attitude when people get behind the wheel :shrug:
timewarrior2001
04-11-2003, 16:42
OK, fines for road traffic offences: so what in your wisdom, peachy, would be the alternatives, assuming you agree there has to be law applied to road traffic offences. Instead of fines: community service, compulsory wearing of a dunces cap; being named and shamed, how about imprisonment, no,no,no, I'm sure in the end you would agree that fines and license endorsement are best deterent. Money raised through fines should cover costs involved, purchase, updating and maintenence of the equipment; perhaps you have evidence to prove money raised is revenue raising?
Also, those road humps are usually demanded by the residents in the roads concerned, God knows I hate them myself, especially when I see selfish, arrogant 4x4 drivers speeding through them, road humps are there usuallly for good reasons: schools etc. Even pinch points have to be employed as someone said earlier remember the idiots who drive at high speed, if vehicle drivers acted responsibly at all times, which for the most part they don't, then these measures would not be needed.
:wavey:I have no problem with fines, what I have problems with is penalty points, one accidental 35mph in a 30 zone (we all know how easy that is) gets your insurance affected for 5 years. It does not mean your a bad driver, it doesnt mean your likely to crash, it doesnt mean you are likely to kill someone. What it DOES mean is you were wathcing the road ahead instead of staring at your speedo making sure you didnt speed whilst not seeing that car in front brake.
I find myself more concerned avoiding hidden cameras etc than I am about kids crossing the road. I am not likely to get penalty points for knocking over a child, but I am guaranteed them by exceeding th espeed limit by 10%.
Much better to watch the road ahead than feel pressured to monitor your speedo in case of accidental speeding.
paulyoung666
04-11-2003, 17:01
I have no problem with fines, what I have problems with is penalty points, one accidental 35mph in a 30 zone (we all know how easy that is) gets your insurance affected for 5 years. It does not mean your a bad driver, it doesnt mean your likely to crash, it doesnt mean you are likely to kill someone. What it DOES mean is you were wathcing the road ahead instead of staring at your speedo making sure you didnt speed whilst not seeing that car in front brake.
I find myself more concerned avoiding hidden cameras etc than I am about kids crossing the road. I am not likely to get penalty points for knocking over a child, but I am guaranteed them by exceeding th espeed limit by 10%.
Much better to watch the road ahead than feel pressured to monitor your speedo in case of accidental speeding.
deffo more than a smattering of truth in that i reckon :tu:
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