Safe Speed Forums

Yesterday afternoon, I had a bit of a fright. The A38 westbound at the Menheniot turnoff (just before Liskeard) is a favourite hunting ground for the local pratnership. This is right at the bottom of a fairly long hill where for years it has been common to "take a run at it" so that you don't need to change down before the top of the hill. However, the Menheniot turnoff is dangerous because it's a right turn and traffic leaving the A38 must slow to about 30 in the outside lane before exiting. So, probably one of the most defensible places to stick a scamera van. That said:

This scamera van was parked in the entrance to a farmer's field with its offside almost on the carriageway. Spotting the scamera, I felt pretty smug because I was right on the 60 mph limit for my vehicle. There was a lorry in front of me, which slowed as we approached the scamera, so I started to overtake. We were approaching a left-hander, so I could see there was nothing in front of the lorry and so no reason for him to move into the right-hand lane. As the lorry drew level with the scamera (with me now alongside the rear wheels of his trailer), the lorry suddenly swerved half into my lane, forcing me to brake very sharply and sound my horn to warn him of my presence.

As I recovered my senses, a swift rearward check revealed the scamera operator getting out of the vehicle. He had opened his (sliding) door just as the lorry approached!

I've tried contacting the D&C Scameraship, but they only want to talk to "customers" between 9:00 and 10:00 each morning and 14:00 and 15:00 in the evening. I intend complaining about this because I see the near miss directly caused by the scamera operator. However, should I complain to the pratnership, inform the local police, or both?

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Will

Waste of time. You will probably get busted for sounding your horn Aggressively!

Scamera squads are above the law. Hence all the illegal/hazardous parking they get away with on a daily basis. One parks near us completely obscuring a major junction.

I have had two similar incidents near mobile camera sites, one like yours and one involving the car in front panic braking.

Perhaps one of the newspapers should do a survey on this kind of occurrence.

No doubt supporters of the mobile muggers will have something moronic to say in their defence.

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Speed camera policy Kills

Nonetheless, I phoned the pratnership to complain. While the supervisor paid lipservice to my complaint, I felt an undertone that nothing would be done. In parting, I said that I suspected there was a slim chance that they'd take the operator to task for the potential fatality he'd caused, and an even slimmer chance that they'd use this incident to deter operators from setting up in positions likely to put road users at risk. She did not contradict my suspicions.

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Will

Update: I drove past the same place the day after complaining and the scamera van was back in action. However, this time the offside of the van was nearly two feet from the kerb. I'm hoping that my complaint had some effect and the better positioning was partly down to the operator taking heed (but I could be looking for porcine aviators).

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Will