Safe Speed Forums

Hi, hope someone can help me out!

I was driving on the A12 at the weekend heading home. 2 lane dual carriageway, loads of streetlights, 50 mph limit, no roadworks. I'm in the right hand lane, empty in front, sparse traffic in the left hand lane.

Having just passed one gatso at about 45 I come up to the next junction (Google Earth makes it about 200m away). The lights are showing red, so I slow down, drop down to 2nd about 30m away. The lights then change to red/amber so rather than slow any further I just keep going and hit the junction maybe fractionally before the red/amber lights go out and the green comes on.

Flash, flash. Wailing & gnashing of teeth, etc.

Looking through the forum postings, it seems as though there is a one second-ish delay after the lights go red before the camera is activated but I don't know how quickly the camera de-arms itself after the lights go red/amber.

I am 100% certain that the light was on red & amber at least 1 second before I hit the junction. No way do I jump red lights, ever.

The car on my passenger side has also started moving as I came to the junction and he also looked pretty stunned that the camera fired!

I see 4 possibilities:

1. I tripped it due to hitting the junction too soon
2. Matey next to me tripped it likewise
3. It picked up my speed (30ish as I was now accelerating). Obviously less than the 50 limit, though.
4. This camera is faulty, dammit!

NIP hasn't appeared yet but if and when it does do you think I should take it on the chin or argue it. Like I said, I am 1000000% certain that the lights were changing on my approach to the junction and went fully green as I passed over it.

If I request the photos do they usually show the state of the lights as well as the back end of my car?

All help gratefully recieved!

Chids

I believe red & amber always lasts 2 seconds so those two statements do sort of contradict each other...

The cameras might well only be connected to the red light and no other part of the controller, and if so would deactivate only after the power has been cut to the red light.
As there is a delay between the photos there is a chance that the first photo would show the lights at red & amber, and the second would show them all off, all on, or at green depending on the timing, lights in use and shutter speed.

Unless it was a dummy unit (if they exist and are in use anywhere) then chances are it will have photographed your vehicle. If you hear anything then you definitely want to ask for the photos.
With red & amber they might not bother. Especially if the second photo doesn't also show the red light being on.

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Andrew.

But it is not unknown for traffic lights to go out of sequence. If the controller develops a fault, for example.

I have noticed one set of lights that often goes wrong and changes from green to amber to red in less than 3 seconds.

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www.thatsnews.org.uk / www.thatsnews.blogspot.com / http://thatsmotoring.blogspot.com/

Then it is not a set of traffic lights. Legally.

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Andrew.

I think you would find (if you can go back) that the "sensor" for tripping the lights to take a photo is "after" the stop line (you will see the tarmac lines for the sensor) so you should have had to have crossed the stop line (on red) to trigger the photo / camera flash.

I know it is a long shot but could you go back and have a look at how they work as normally you recieve an NIP usually within 14 / 21 days addressed to the reg. keeper of the vehicle concerned.

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"There But For The Grace of God Go I"

"He Who Ain,t Made Mistakes Ain,t Made Anything"

Spannernut

hello did u get convicted for this in the end? it happened to me the other day ive only had my license 21 months and have 3 points already!