Safe Speed Forums

It was announced today that police in South Australia will start to use a $120,000 speed camera hidden in a household wheelie bin. Described as the next generation of camera it will be used to catch 'criminals' in narrow suburban streets, or other roads difficult to access with standard unmarked scamera cars or lasers.

The authorites threw in the name of some notorious sections of country road that would be targetted as if to justify the introduction as 'part of the campaign to reduce road trauma'.

If I were at all cynical I would expect that the scameras would only be seen in city areas as a wheelie bin sitting out on a country road would not only be unusual but perhaps vunerable to theft or damage. (People here do carry firearms.)

The cameras are described as having a greater memory capacity, image capacity, easier to use and download. The use of the bin is explained as 'really just to keep the elements' off the camera.

Given that there is a multitude of speed limits in Adelaide City these bins will make a killing, particular in 40kph (24 mph) areas where it is difficult to know what the actual speed limit is.

The police announced that they expect to reap an extra $22.5 million in all fines and penalties next year, reaching a record $77.8 million. No mention on the benefits to the public or how it makes a safer environment.

This 'progress' is from the same group of con artists that use a scamera near an extremely busy (and badly designed) five street roundabout that has about two accidents a week. Due to the 'high' accident rate, albeit that most collisions occur below 10kph and are due to failing to give way, the area is considered a 'black spot'. The scamera is then placed several hundred metres up the road and catches 'speedsters' in an area that changes from 60 to 50kph. The scamera has never prevented one accident at the roundabout!

Once again the driving public is being used as a cash-cow for the government coffers.

Pictures of the bin may be seen on the web site run by the Advertisier and Sunday Mail newspaper.

_________________
The more abstract the truth is that you would teach, the more you have to seduce the senses to it. (Nietzche)

They have these in Switzerland - mate!

They stick out like sore thumb - you know what they really are ! Trouble is you end up causing accidents by ..... looking out for wheelies in strange places!

The funniest one we ever saw -- was halfway up a mountain road. And - very cynically placed on the steepest bit - and they only allow 3mph over a posted! In "fairness" - they had placed a "speed watch" sign - about 2 miles before the wheely.

But they forgot one thing --- they trained all Swiss blokes to to be crack shots - in case the EU invaded them to get hands on their solid gold cuckoo clocks. Some wheelies are great for target practice on secluded mountains

And I thought LanCASH£re were

sounds like an easy way to nick em :p

I used to frequent the weymouth area in Dorset a couple of years back and went to a coppers wedding there once.After they had all got drunk and merry the question of speed came up,and one of them told me where they had a camera,it was hidden in a bin with the lens looking out of one of the slits;I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself a day later!