Safe Speed Forums

totally agree the placing of some of these vans is totaly out of order, although i would like to think these are older photos rather than newer ones

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now retired

I think that makes you an optimist.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

no one of the vans was ours and it was decommissioned about 3 years ago

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now retired

Some of the pics are old, but I know that at least some of them show current locations - Vastern Road, Reading (central reservation, double yellow lines) and Marlow Hill, High Wycombe (entrance to school) for definite.

The photos also highlight the problem with the use of these vans on motorway bridges - most of the livery is obscured by the barriers. I don't see the need for speed cameras on motorways at all, but if the partnerships really want to run camera vans on motorway bridges they should place at least two portable "Police Speed Check Area" signs well in advance of each location to prevent last-minute panic braking. Failure to do this is just plain irresponsible.

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“For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong.” - H. L. Mencken

Surely these mini-gatsos that some of the scamera vans are using cannot be used as evidence for prosecution -- we all know the faults of Gatso cameras where it can give false readings, but these portable Gatsos don't have the white lines painted in the road, so how are you supposed to verify the readings?

Camera Operator: Here's one that is about 2 1/2 years old but is still used and indicative of ECP's attitude toward safety:

http://www.speedcam.co.uk/index2.htm Scroll down to "This van is parked on a bridge overlooking the A12 at Essex."

Here is the multimap link to the talivans location:

mega link to multimap

Driving south and coming of at the road has a lot of vegitation on it obscuring the view across to the bridge (which would be to the right) the only signage was as in the picture, the road is 60mph and as such at the first point you can see the sign, cones and van you are well within the stopping distance quoted in the Highway Code and on a bend.

I stopped to take pictures, spoke to the operator who gave me his speil and when I contacted the Partnership office I was told:

"The cones and signs were put up by the contractor - then bloody well get them back to do it properly!

We can suspend traffic regulations - So let me get this straight you are creating a safety hazard to control a safety hazard, I've never seen that one in any of my safety manuals.

It's academic - that's what the NASA engineers said about an 'o' ring failure on Atlantis that was caught during prep, seven months alter Challenger blew up from the same failure!

And my favorite - What's your name and what do you know about safety - Brett Day TechSP, MIIRSM. Safety Consultant.

They put the phone down on me at that point!!

Granted this one wasn't covert but it was dangerous, clearly these people don't give a shit either about safety or adhering to the rules.

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Gordon Brown saying I got the country into it's current economic mess so I'll get us out of it is the same as Bomber Harris nipping over to Dresden and offering to repair a few windows.

Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done.

http://www.wildcrafts.co.uk

I put a question, similar to my original post, to my local Road Safety partnership. If anyone's interested, I received the following bland and predictable response:

Dear Mr #####

Thank you for your email of 31 December 2005 regarding the operation of mobile camera enforcement.

All mobile enforcement undertaken as part of the safety camera programme is carried out in an overt manner, with the van being clearly visible and the route on which the enforcement takes place being well signed. The fact that a route has signing which indicates camera enforcement takes place should provide the detterrent to speeding motorists. It is important to remember however that speed limits should be complied with at all times and not just where there is a possibility of enforcement.

I hope this information is helpful.

regards

#### ####
Project Manager
Lancashire Road Safety Project

Difficult to argue but I'd still state that many of the operators are experts of disguise!

Oh yeah. Take Anglesey, for example, the Menai Bridge - Amlwch road.

Length: about 20 miles.
Camera signs: about one every mile.
Talivan placements: "somewhere on this road".

Indeed there are signs indicating that cameras are at work, but this is totally useless as an advance warning mechanism. They might as well just put up a sign as you enter Anglesey saying "there are camera vans somewhere on this island, but we're not going to tell you where " .

Well thanks a bunch for the advance warnng.

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Brian

Well done nedsram for hitting the nail well and truly on the head.

The intermittant speed camera signs on the 20-mile stretch of M4 through Wiltshire are another example.

SCPs are stretching the signing regulations to the limit in order to maximise their "takings" while still complying with hypothecation rules.

Camera vans have virtually no deterrant value and should be scrapped immediately.

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“For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong.” - H. L. Mencken

Have been sitting thinking about this and have been looking.

Was taught in the forces how to set up an ambush, over crests of hills, on corners, behind large clumps of vegitation or natural obsticles etc, looking towards the target with the sun behind you.

Have seen quite a few talivans over the last two weeks and looked at them from the point of view of is this a good place to set up an ambush.

Most of them I could say yes, they would be.

Of at a tangent as usual...

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Gordon Brown saying I got the country into it's current economic mess so I'll get us out of it is the same as Bomber Harris nipping over to Dresden and offering to repair a few windows.

Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done.

http://www.wildcrafts.co.uk