Fisherman wrote:
ts something that can be very difficult for a defendant to challenge.
If the vehicle was in view for a long time its just about impossible to challege successfully, particularly if it was clearly going much faster than the rest of traffic.
When a camera is set up just past a corner, or some other obstacle that pervents the operator having a good view of the car, there is more leeway for defendants due to the short time it was possible to see the vehicle before the speed gun was triggered.
When you say obstacle - do you mean cannot see at all, or has only a limited view... such as through the camera lens?
The best view the operator has here is of the road beyond the limit, where it is legal to drive at 60 mph.
Incidentally, NONE of the accidents which were used to justify the cameras involved speeding - not even as a contributory factor (FoI to the camera partnership concerned) yet these toady individuals claim that the
speed camera has reduced accidents. I think what you will find is the engineering measures, coupled with the fact motorists rarely go back to repeat their accidents has eliminated the (perceived) problem.
We now have FIXED cameras at this site (where up to 10,000 cars a day pass in summer) and in qualifying those, they showed accidents had increased while the site was being used as a mobile site, and STILL no accidents involving speed were used to qualify... NOT EVEN inappropriate speed.
The limit was reduced from 60 to 40 at the behest of a group of local residents who met in the pub opposite the mobile site.
The County Council granted their request in order to show that they took citizens concerns seriously.
They replaced the hatched central median with a solid one, adding sheltered lanes, placed islands at either end with bollards and lamp standards (both of which have been mown down by drivers trying to overtake who didn't see them) and reduced the speed limit.
However they FAILED to ensure pedestrians used the sheltered crossing and one pensioner still crosses at 45 degrees with his dog off a lead, through busy traffic!!
As you can see the site is straight, with good sight lines, wide verges and footpath - so wide that cyclists and pedestrians share it - and nearly all the accidents which occurred took place beyond the bend in the distance.
The one casualty at this end was a pedestrian who was drunk, and attempted to stop a passing car by lurching in front of it... to quote the safety camera partnership employee... "in a determined manner!"
My view is shared by our local police inspector - this situation arose in order to generate money from passing motorists, by engineering a stretch of road which encourages the unwary to go faster than an arbitrary limit which has no reflection on the safety of road users.
The courts system is being used to support this, and as a result is causing a
general lack of respect for the law.
Recently a local man with a dubious reputation was found to have a Kalashnikov in his house.
Several people knew of this, or had heard the rumour, but only one person contacted the police with this information.
It was found to be a de-activated or replica - but nobody knew that at the time!
IMHO THAT "don't care, it dosen't affect ME" attitude is symptomatic of the damage which is being done all over the country by PERCEIVED injustices in the courts.