Foiled again by 'Revenue Raising Speed Cameras'

P to P is used in the UK, but so are speed cameras, millions of them! if you think its bad here, you should try driving anywhere over there.

Thanks Tad – probably a good idea, but in this case I do accept that I was over the speed limit and will pay my fine, lose my point, and will be more mindful in future. The fine isn’t really my concern – my annoyance is more about the people who still speed between the cameras. I really like the point-to-point idea and am going to suggest this to the local MPs.

Sounds to me like the speed camera got this one right.

Just write in and explain. If you really haven’t been done before your chances of getting it changed to a caution are better than even.

SPEEDING = BIG FINE
MOBILE PHONE WHILE DRIVING = BIG FINE

Now there’s rules on using speed cameras lawfully so an innocently parked vehicle taking a phone call could easily cast doubt on the use of the speed cameras – anyone know the specifics?

Well most cars now come with cruise control so there is no excuse for this knuckle dragging bogan behaviour. Dunno about the Monaro, but I am getting really annoyed with the crap on the Parkway. Bring on P2P cameras.

Sad but true!

At least people aren’t suggesting that the cameras are run by Police again.

The Gumberment are going to put cardboard cutouts of MARKED policecars on the side of the road! 😉

DJ – they could increase the presence of marked cars by dressing up the Protective Services guys in AFP gear, with AFP marked cars. Oh, wait – they already did that!

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

This has been done to death. Everyone knows that speed cameras don’t achieve a thing except raising revenue.

Please…. don’t speed and no fine. Simple. Follow the simple and basic laws and no fine. Don’t and get caught, fine. No, I am no angel. Yes, I have paid my fines in the past when I was caught.

Bighead “Also an increase in the number of MARKED police cars on the road would be a massive help”…. how do you think the ACT Government could increase revenue to pay for this?

Why can’t we do that? Speed cameras that might actually result in people NOT speeding! Ooops – silly me, I forgot … it isn’t about the speeding, its about the REVENUE.

They do this in NSW with the Safe-T-Cams.

The other variation to this is with one camera on a stretch of road with lines painted depicting the distance and is then timed with the timestamp and checked by an operator at a central location and the speed is calculated. They use this concept in the UK.

deezagood said :

That is an interesting concept Bighead – I wonder if this has been tried anywhere?

Yes this is common in Victoria starting on the Hume Hwy near Seymour, all the way down to Geelong (Hume -> Ring Rd -> Princes Freeway).

They are called ‘point to point’ cameras.

They take a picture of the front and rear of every passing vehicle and calculate how long it took you to travel between them. So irrespective of whether you pass each set of cameras on the speed limit, if the calculations come back that you have been speeding between them, a fine is issued.

The concept of detecting speeding offences by the time elapsed between two given points on the road is used somewhere in Asia. Can’t remember where but about 5 years ago a mate of mine got pinged travelling between two toll stations – his elapsed time between the two meant he averaged 25km/h over the limit!

How so VYBerlina? What would be the point?

Different people will have different ideas about how ‘not to get caught’, some of which will include trying to maintain speed until the 2nd checkpoint then slowing markedly. My suspicion is that the variation in ‘techniques’ for not getting caught will cause more angst and confusion as people alter speed at different parts of the speed trap.

Thanks Madman – good advice!

The thing that frustrates me the most about speed cameras – when people jam on their brakes as soon as they see one – even if they’re doing 5 under. Reflex I guess!

You could always detest the fine if you got it and say the lights were flashing therefore it was packing up/setting up and didn’t have it’s display sign up.

The lights are there for occupational health reasons for when the operator is on the outside of the vehicle; usually taking the sign up and down or changing the speed limit sign on it. Hopefully you had a passanger witness…

How so VYBerlina? What would be the point?

The trouble with this type of approach is that instead of the traffic slowing together around the speed cameras, they will try to speed up and slow down, causing even more anarchy.

Thanks madman – I hate the idea of getting ‘done’ by a speed van, given they are often parked in places where you can see them well over 100 metres away! The flash did go off, but only once.

That is an interesting concept Bighead – I wonder if this has been tried anywhere?

dragonflygal said :

I think I got one today too – on Belconnen Way…. in the dark….with the van’s orange lights flashing… yeah, I probably deserved it but….I’m hoping they got the guy beside me!

Dragon – usually when the lights are flashing they are not in operation and are either setting up or packing down.
They have 28 days to issue you an infringement – but in this case I don’t think you will get one…. 🙂

Diddums

I think we’d all like to see more visible policing picking up all the other dangerous behaviours other than just speeding.

Having said that I’m a fan of fixed, signposted cameras.

Anyone who is going over the limit, and misses all those signs, is not driving well and is a danger to all.

I suggest this with some caution. While I am not a fan of speed cameras at all. I do not have an issue with watching the speeds that drivers are doing. One thing that seems to come up every so often is the idea of actually putting markers on certain points of the road and working out the time it takes to travel between the two distances. This would be more expensive to set up but I feel it would be a more appropriate solution. Also an increase in the number of MARKED police cars on the road would be a massive help.

I think I got one today too – on Belconnen Way…. in the dark….with the van’s orange lights flashing… yeah, I probably deserved it but….I’m hoping they got the guy beside me!

This has been done to death. Everyone knows that speed cameras don’t achieve a thing except raising revenue.