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Snapped: Poole council’s controversial “spy car” caught speeding by police safety camera
7:00am Saturday 1st February 2014 in News By Diana Henderson

Bournemouth Echo: Snapped: Council’s controversial “spy car” caught speeding by police safety camera Snapped: Council’s controversial “spy car” caught speeding by police safety camera

A DRIVER of the camera car used to enforce parking regulations in Poole has been caught speeding.

Out patrolling for motorists contravening highway laws, the driver was trapped by the Dorset Police safety camera car.
It is believed the “spy car” was exceeding the 30mph speed limit by 6mph in Banks Road, Sandbanks on the morning of Saturday, January 18.
The driver is believed to have received a speeding ticket.
The penalty for speeding is a fixed fine of £100 and three points, however a £110 driver awareness course may be offered.

Borough of Poole has confirmed that a driver of the £67,000 Citroen camera car, which uses GPS satellite technology and an infrared camera system to record vehicles parking where loading and waiting is prohibited, was caught speeding.

Steve Tite, traffic manager said: “We can confirm that the council has received a notice for an alleged speeding offence which occurred on January 18.
“While it is not council policy to comment on individual matters such as this, we would expect all staff to drive safely and responsibly while on council business.
“We will be speaking with the individual concerned,” he added.

Ken Sanson, chairman of the Sandbanks Association said residents had not been complaining about excessive vehicle speeds.
“The residents are careful, observant and law abiding,” he said.
Fines of £70 are dished out for parking offences and Poole issued 2,423 from its camera car in 2012/13 and 1,189 this financial year up to the end of August.

Fines are halved if paid within two weeks.
Labelled “cash cows” by local government secretary Eric Pickles last September, he said councils were breaking the law by using parking enforcement powers as money-makers.

However, Julian McLaughlin, head of transportation services said at the time: “A recent independent review of parking in Poole has identified that the use of the camera car is an efficient way of providing a parking enforcement service around schools, bus stops, taxi ranks and no loading/waiting areas.”

Dorset Road Safe says:
“Speeding is a traffic offence with potentially serious consequences and driving at excessive or inappropriate speeds continues to be a problem that can result in a collision, often resulting in fatal, serious and slight injuries.
“We enforce the speed limits in Dorset to reduce the number of people injured on our roads and to reduce the devastation that collisions cause both on the roads and for the people involved in collisions.
“The difference of a few miles per hour really can mean the difference between life and death.”

Steve Tite, traffic manager said: “We can confirm that the council has received a notice for an alleged speeding offence which occurred on January 18.
“While it is not council policy to comment on individual matters such as this, we would expect all staff to drive safely and responsibly while on council business.
“We will be speaking with the individual concerned,” he added.