Safe Speed Forums

Because cameras bring in lots of money! Pot hole repairs bring in none.

Jo - have stated this fact quite often .Next time I go out with digital camera ,might just get a pic of them . But then ,lets not get all fired up on each other . That's just what GS wants ,nes't pas ?

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

I was just pointing-out that the ones on a route I use are ADDITIONAL to the existing FLASH-EQUIPPED gatso cameras.
I DO NOT recommend taking pictures of them, the police are arresting people taking pictures of such well-known terrorist targets as bus stations and flower beds....I think a bit of sense is needed here....especially if you are standing in front of them.

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

but the gatso sticker is on the back

But the add-on units is in front of the camera !

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

And how many counties spent an obscene amount of money last year modifying limits/signs that are now screaming "we've got no cash for potholes" ?? OH-we've now got a new measurement of the size of a pothole -(but at the moment it seems to have been removed) -there was a comparison to dinner plates on one page .

_________________
lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

Stop press - don't know whether it was the CC local county councillor ON MY E MAIL FOI request ,but my local lot ,Warks , got my request on possibly 23/02 -got a reply this afternoon as below -

"FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 - INFORMATION REQUEST


Your request for information has now been considered. The information you have requested is enclosed below:

Thank you for your email concerning the new equipment at the existing camera sites at xxxxxx

The sites referred to have been recently converted from old wet film technology cameras to new digital technology cameras, as part of this process a new flash unit was installed at each of the sites to allow more illumination at the site and therefore give a better clarity of photo.

The aerial on top of the flash unit is used to transmit the photos taken by the camera to the police headquarters computer server. It is primarily used to send data however it is possible for the camera to receive data when needed by the police server. The aerial dose not interact with the radar unit contained within the camera housing"


So much for "no new cameras "-well true -we'll just upgrade the existing ones -wonder how the upgrade was justified ,or paid for .

_________________
lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

Yet

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Views expressed are personal opinions and are not necessarily shared by the Safe Speed campaign

Have a close look at this (not very good photo -

Certainly an aerial to me .

( Or perhap we're expected to think it's a lighting conductor )

_________________
lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

ok so .. i want to upgrade my existing film gatso for a digital one i can either:
- replace the whole unit for a digital one (presumably with aerial), does that get an extra flash? or are new digital gatsos designed differently to allow for this.
- upgrade the internals plus install a new flash, with the aerial since the existing housing doesn't allow for that.

seems a little surprising to me that the hassle of installing an extra flash and a whole new pole plus wiring is the better/cheaper option than replacing the old camera with a new one.

is there an aerial on the herts ones ?....
i presume it would be possible to upgrade the internals, add a flash and either transmit images by some hardwire link or phone line... or still to manually load them off the camera memory at intervals.

And from these ( posted elsewhere too)




the new flash is not at the start ,but a few yards from the start of the calibration markings .
Might try and remember to take the digital camera out tomorrow and get a shot of how far it is ,failing that -just drive past one -there's one not far from me .

_________________
lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

Why do you assume it is a flash unit ?

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

[quote="jomukuk"]Why do you assume it is a flash unit ?[/qulte]


See my reply from my FOI

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

I wonder if it is a security device. So it only records when the unit is 'under attack' - hence then it sends piccys back to Police HQ for 'help' ?
The offence not being that of a the posted limit but of vandalism ?

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Safe Speed for Intelligent Road Safety through proper research, experience & guidance.

I wonder what happens if the unit is unable to establish a link back to "Police HQ". There's all sorts of RF interference out there, I wonder how robust their link is. Would also be interested in the technical steps taken to ensure there is absolutely no chance of any interference between the transmitter and the radar. In fact, this has me wondering a lot about the radar, if anyone knows; like how does it recognise it's own returns, does it use a pseudo-random "jittered" PRF, or a constant one, which could leave it open to spoofing. What minimum size of RCS is required for triggering? I appreciate that this is off topic, but if anyone who knows about these systems, with a level of technical understanding (no, not you GreenShed, I said understanding) would be willing to PM me I'd appreciate it.

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Regulation without education merely creates more criminals.

Modern gatsos' don't use radar....they use the same buried sensor that the truvelos do.
The modern gatsos on the A505 have the same unit in front of them...and the camera also has a flash attachment.
And just because the FOI response said so, doesn't make it so.
It seems to me that a lot of FOI responses are incorrect, if not downright lies..(see the climategate emails)

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

What makes you say that?
Would such a system make the lengthy graduation marks useless? Wouldn't the three-line system be in place instead?

Also, Gatso Digital RCS (Radar Camera System) ?

Which part of the A505 are you referring to?

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Views expressed are personal opinions and are not necessarily shared by the Safe Speed campaign

Can assure you that unless they've found some way of getting in the sensors without damaging the road surface ( and I'm not being sarcastic) then those locally (certainly the one just down the road ) have no sign of buried sensors .Been down this bit of road in all lights,and any sensor burying would involve sealing of the surface with tar/bitumen ,which shows up as shiny surface at night .The sensors could have been put in by moleplough ,but i always thought Truvello sensors were pressure sensitive .
The bit about non interference with radar was prompted ( possibly with my question) "Please also state whether this aerial transmits during any emanation of radar pulses from the Gatso unit and to where, either during emanation of Gatso radar or at any other time"

The position of the additional unit is approx three markings ( just less than ) from the start marker ,from memory where the first flash occurred when one misfired into my face .

_________________
lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

The ones on the A505 are deinitely gatso, and definitely have flash units inbuilt, which means they are not using Ka band doppler radar to check speed. They also have the same marks on the road that were there when they were the old units.
The buried sensors are not pressure sensors, they are piezo-electric....it says so on the truvelo site (assuming they are not lying).

_________________
The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing