A closer look at your friend, Mr. Speed Van

I think the lights that they put out flash in the infrared spectrum (so as a human you do not see the flash), but the cameras are IR and visible-spectrum capable, so they need only IR flash at night time.

And I think the TAMS website here:
http://www.tams.act.gov.au/move/roads/road_safety/speedandspeeding/speed_camera_information/speedcampolicy

will provide enough specific information for you.
They’re legislated to measure to within 2km/h, and cane be pointed at wherever the operator wants to target.

My apologies for spelling the word *van* incorrectly, its funny what people pick on when they have nothing better to do.

Any help on the message above would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Start a new thread mz_350z – and run your text through a spellchecker. This site is not kind on people who cannot spell words with only 3 letters.

Hey guys,

I’m looking for anyone that can let me know when does the ven takes a photo of the speed that your doing. I was speeding yesterday in 100 zone, going aprox 115, and managed to drop it down to 85 in a matter of seconds some 20 metres away from the ven,thanks to the good breaking system. And as was reaching the ven i didnt see any red flashing lights.

How good are these ven cameras and when do they actually record your spead, as soon as you show up around the corner or as your driving past the ven. Any help, thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks! Jaz

*Gasp!* My God bonfire! Gerry is obeying the law! The horror! Slap him down quick! He really needs to get with the program and realise that the law only applies when it doesn’t inconvenience you.

If Gerry is anything like me, he sticks to the speed limit in the left lane, and lets dickheads hoon past him in the right to be pinged by the cameras.

Caf was right when she said speed cameras are a tax – but an optional one. More cameras in more places I say. Maybe that would leave the ACT budget in a healthier condition (no, I’m not factoring the Stanhope effect, before anyone starts…)

So do the mobile speed camera vans only operate the camera out the back? If no do they ever operate a camera out the back and front at the same time?

Wouldn’t tbe the first time the CT published something about law enforcement that was factually incorrect though….the amateur journos there make a habit of it

It’s been around a long time however and was reportedly in the canberra times.

Dusty

Sorry, that story is an urban myth

i bet youre one of those puckered sphincter types who sits on 80 in the right hand lane on the parkway while traffic builds up dangerously behind you.

fuckwit.

No Speed – no fine.

I’m all for the fixed cameras/vans, because I am one of the few people in Canberra that actually *tries* to follow speed limits – and boy does that pi55 people off! (Yeah, I’m the guy that takes my foot off the accelerator when tail-gated, follows speed limits – yes even 50kmh in the suburbs!, *knows* how to merge).

And yes, I’ve even been caught by them (13kmh over in a 60), and you know what?! I deserved it…

Don’t get upset for being caught out doing something – just ‘fess up and pay – “show [them] the money”!!!

Kerces:
A bloke did wind down the window on the van, stick his head out and worriedly ask what I was doing…. I just replied that I was getting photos of the wording that you can not read as you drive past…. he then stuck his head back in and the window wound up.

Here’s a funny story for you that is True, from very reliable sources, and may account for the Do Not Approach story.. A bunch of guys stopped and approached a van one day a couple of years back when the speed vans first came in, and while speaking to driver, one guy removed a numberplate from the Van. They then drove off, attached said plate to their car and proceeded to ‘fang it’ past the van about a dozen times. It was all discovered when the speed van was issued with a dozen of its own fines !!!

I believe they contribute to fostering a sense of community and increasing social capital – it’s a great feeling of comraderie when a fellow Canberran flicks their lights to warn you of an approaching van…

As far as the revenue-raising argument goes, even if it is effectively a tax at least it’s an optional one.

sorry thumper, there are no police in the vans, what are you talking about?

sure, but then they lose their licence and keep on driving anyway, possibly in an unregistered car, and the speed cameras don’t do much to slow them down.

I reckon that receiving 2 or 3 fines from speed cameras would be enough of an incentive for most people to start modifying their driving behavior.

Bonfire,

I’m not sure it’s so much police laziness as a lack of resources to police.

But i agree with the point in general.

I agree. It doesn’t take a degree in psychology to know that sanctioning somebody well after an event is unlikely to change their behaviour. Doesn’t work with dogs, why should it work with people.

my main obhection to speed camera vans is that if im observed infringing a a law, its the duty of the police to bring it to my attention immediately so that i can alter my infringing behaviour.

a legitimate law enforcement practice.

speed camera vans take pictures, which soem weeks later translate into a fine from the gummint.

you have no real idea when and where you infringed and no opportunity to correct your infringing action.

revenue generation at its finest.

‘speeding’ is low on the totem pole of accident factors, and this bizarre focus on it as a cause of accidents masks police laziness and govt revenue addiction.

strangely enough, the ct had an excellent article on this very topic a few weekends ago.

I was done 7 km/h over.

I hear they only set them to 5km/h above the limit. On a 3 or 2 lane road its only taking pictures of the lane closest to the van.

So at what point does the machine take the reading vg ?

If the first reading is from the numberplate region of your car, and the second reading from the top of the windscreen, you would have travelled an additional metre+ in the nanosecond it took to take the 2nd reading.

It may not sound like much, but it’ll add something like 20kmph (22.222 reciprocal at 80kmph) to your actual speed.

Dodgy?

Its a laser that will tell you the speed going towards and away. Doppler effect, ever heard of it? Only difference between that and the Police ones is they take your picture as well. Nothing dodgy at all

My wife socialises with a young fellow who has a job working these vans. They are contracted out to a private company, of which he works, mostly after hours.

She’s told me several anecdotal stories that he has told her, in regards to which lanes they check, front versus back numberplate, actual speeds that they zap you on and so forth.

It’s dodgy from the ground up.

Question: If you’re not allowed to approach the vehicle and it’s under constant surveillance, how did they react to you taking photos of the van JR?

Yeh…good point riotgirl 🙂

I’d much rather see a fixed red light and speed camera on every traffic light intersection.

They often have the vans on stretches of road that arenot safety concerns… why never is school zones?

el, they probably pay for themselves after about a week or two

“Do not approach vehicle”…so if you do are you liable to procecution? If so on what charge? Even if you approached the vehicle and peered in through the side window for instance I can’t see any criminal or civil offence there. Dumb sign….

A reasonable safeguard, even.

I think it was due to vandalism (throwing objects etc) and aggressive drivers aiming their car at the vans intentionally to freak out the operators inside. I remember reading a small news article about it nearly a year ago.

Seems like a reasonable safegaurd to me.

On another note, they’re pretty expensive vans considering their use consists of sitting on the side of the road.