30 August 2009

The Speeding Camera Vans of the ACT

| Doctor Evil
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A big congratulations to the driver of ACT Govt speed camera van with rego plate YFA-46R that was stationed on the center median strip of the Monaro Highway north bound lanes, just near the Snowy Hydro copter shop today, Sunday 27 August .

After a long day of keeping our roads safer by sending out fines in the mail next week, it was time for the operator of speed camera van YFA-46R to pack up at about 6:00Pm tonight.

Obviously in a hurry to get those fines processed and in the mail, speed camera van YFA-46R pulled out onto the right hand lane without lights and drove for probably 200 metres before switching them on.

Also in such a hurry that when we hit the section of road where the speed limit increases to 100 we were having trouble staying with you. In fact, out of curiosity we decided to see how fast you were actually going, but we gave up at 115km/h and backed off to the speed limit.

So all those people that are going to get a nice surprise in the mail over the coming weeks can feel just that little bit better, knowing that it was issued by someone so special that the road rules don’t apply to them.

Well done, driver of speed camera van YFA-46R!!

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Ok, lets look at this rationally people. The original post states that someone saw someone else allegedly break the law. As mentioned, it was not a police vehicle, but one operated by someone who is just doing his job. Last time I checked most situations required some level of proof before action can be taken. If the OP cannot provide this proof, it is simply his word against someone else’s. If he cannot provide any proof, why bother making a complaint. Besides, it is more fun and easier to simply pick an easy target, like a traffic camera van, and blame them for something that other people will simply believe because they a) have a low opinion of anyone who tells them they cannot do what they want, regardless of the rules and b)continually forget that the people wo do these type of jobs (Police, Parking Inspectors or Traffic Camera Operators) are real people who are trying to do their jobs simply, honestly and that they have feelings themselves.

Just my 2 cents.

Jim Jones said :

shauno said :

Ceej1973 said :

People need to obey the law. Its there for every ones safety.

But in this case its never been about safety its all about revenue. And I will
never obey and I can not be brain washed into believing otherwise. Until such time
they remove the money penalty aspect from the offence. If they are truley to be
belived that its a 100% safety issue then take away points and licenses but leave the
money out of it.

Speed limits exist purely for revenue purposes?

What planet are you on?

Makati Manila at the moment enjoying some of the worlds worst traffic jams.

But as for speed limits um was talking about revenue raising speed cameras champ. And ive got no probs with sensible speed limits in built up city streets. Have a good one.

Holden Caulfield11:52 am 03 Sep 09

SheepGroper said :

Addison said :

SheepGroper said :

How do you know you caused no accidents?

Nothing to do with speeding.

Related to it. If you’re speeding you won’t see what’s happening behind you as you’re concentrating on what’s up ahead, so you wouldn’t know what crashes you contributed to as a result of your behaviour.

Even near misses can be disconcerting to other drivers. I’d comitted to pulling out across three lanes to the middle of the road where I could merge into traffic safely. I’d checked to see no one was approaching from the left, and it was clear, no one to give way to, except when I checked again as I was driving across the three lanes I had to slow almost to a stop as a car hurtled past. The speeder had decided to do a fast right hand turn off the main road, and had too much momentum to stop.

My driving certainly suffered for several minutes afterwards, if I hadn’t kept checking the guy would have ploughed into me, and possibly the oncoming cars in the three lanes we were both crossing would have collided with the two of us.

Wow, where to start … so, you had to give way to a motorist that had the right of way and it is their fault. Nice!

These types of comment are what makes discussing road rules on the tinternet so much fun, haha.

Well for the past 2 afternoons & evenings, the Police themselves have been hiding out on Drakeford Drive, Tuggeranong Town Centre. So they are out on the road, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they’ve caught some people both days.

shauno said :

Ceej1973 said :

People need to obey the law. Its there for every ones safety.

But in this case its never been about safety its all about revenue. And I will
never obey and I can not be brain washed into believing otherwise. Until such time
they remove the money penalty aspect from the offence. If they are truley to be
belived that its a 100% safety issue then take away points and licenses but leave the
money out of it.

Speed limits exist purely for revenue purposes?

What planet are you on?

shauno said :

Ceej1973 said :

People need to obey the law. Its there for every ones safety.

But in this case its never been about safety its all about revenue. And I will
never obey and I can not be brain washed into believing otherwise. Until such time
they remove the money penalty aspect from the offence. If they are truley to be
belived that its a 100% safety issue then take away points and licenses but leave the
money out of it.

So how fast is safe speeding? Lets pick a safeish road like the parkway – 120, 140, 160+??? Or is speeding like beauty and in the eye of the beholder

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

Roadrage77 said :

shauno said :

Question is how many accidents and deaths have occurred on that straight bit of double lane road that justifys the camera being there in the name of “safety” as the government propaganda machine likes to tell us.

I remember some bloke in a Mitsubishi Econovan driving Southbound into a sign under the Hindmarsh Drive overpass about 10 years ago. Damn rig went up in flames and cooked the driver along with 5 or so kids. No “safety” issues there Shauno.

And what exactly does that have to do with speeding? Any evidence he was speeding at the time? Or was it just a terrible accident caused by driver error?

The question was how many deaths had occurred on what in theory is a straight, safe bit of road. I would count speeding as a driver error anyway.

Ceej1973 said :

People need to obey the law. Its there for every ones safety.

But in this case its never been about safety its all about revenue. And I will
never obey and I can not be brain washed into believing otherwise. Until such time
they remove the money penalty aspect from the offence. If they are truley to be
belived that its a 100% safety issue then take away points and licenses but leave the
money out of it.

Addison said :

SheepGroper said :

How do you know you caused no accidents?

Nothing to do with speeding.

Related to it. If you’re speeding you won’t see what’s happening behind you as you’re concentrating on what’s up ahead, so you wouldn’t know what crashes you contributed to as a result of your behaviour.

Even near misses can be disconcerting to other drivers. I’d comitted to pulling out across three lanes to the middle of the road where I could merge into traffic safely. I’d checked to see no one was approaching from the left, and it was clear, no one to give way to, except when I checked again as I was driving across the three lanes I had to slow almost to a stop as a car hurtled past. The speeder had decided to do a fast right hand turn off the main road, and had too much momentum to stop.

My driving certainly suffered for several minutes afterwards, if I hadn’t kept checking the guy would have ploughed into me, and possibly the oncoming cars in the three lanes we were both crossing would have collided with the two of us.

Like “great drivers” habitually running red lights late, most times no collision happens which reinforces their perception of themselves as good, safe drivers. But people doing the unexpected on the roads certainly increase the odds of collisions happening.

Roadrage77 said :

shauno said :

Question is how many accidents and deaths have occurred on that straight bit of double lane road that justifys the camera being there in the name of “safety” as the government propaganda machine likes to tell us.

I remember some bloke in a Mitsubishi Econovan driving Southbound into a sign under the Hindmarsh Drive overpass about 10 years ago. Damn rig went up in flames and cooked the driver along with 5 or so kids. No “safety” issues there Shauno.

He drove INTO A SIGN? While I feel compassion for those poor kids, I highly doubt this guy was simply speeding…there had to be some kind of major driver error, or car error (blew a tyre perhaps?).

Sticking a speed camera there so the rest of us don’t drive into signs as well is not the answer.

SheepGroper said :

Addison said :

Unlike many others here, I’ll happily admit to speeding all the time. I’ve never caused an accident, and I don’t get caught either.

How do you know you caused no accidents?

Nothing to do with speeding.

Clown Killer5:12 pm 02 Sep 09

How do you know you caused no accidents?

Ahhh MaGoo you’ve done it again …

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy3:57 pm 02 Sep 09

SheepGroper said :

Addison said :

Unlike many others here, I’ll happily admit to speeding all the time. I’ve never caused an accident, and I don’t get caught either.

How do you know you caused no accidents?

How does anyone know if they’ve caused accidents, if they don’t see them? This is related to how observant you are as a driver, and is unrelated to speeding.

Addison said :

Unlike many others here, I’ll happily admit to speeding all the time. I’ve never caused an accident, and I don’t get caught either.

How do you know you caused no accidents?

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy11:29 am 02 Sep 09

Roadrage77 said :

shauno said :

Question is how many accidents and deaths have occurred on that straight bit of double lane road that justifys the camera being there in the name of “safety” as the government propaganda machine likes to tell us.

I remember some bloke in a Mitsubishi Econovan driving Southbound into a sign under the Hindmarsh Drive overpass about 10 years ago. Damn rig went up in flames and cooked the driver along with 5 or so kids. No “safety” issues there Shauno.

And what exactly does that have to do with speeding? Any evidence he was speeding at the time? Or was it just a terrible accident caused by driver error?

shauno said :

Question is how many accidents and deaths have occurred on that straight bit of double lane road that justifys the camera being there in the name of “safety” as the government propaganda machine likes to tell us.

I remember some bloke in a Mitsubishi Econovan driving Southbound into a sign under the Hindmarsh Drive overpass about 10 years ago. Damn rig went up in flames and cooked the driver along with 5 or so kids. No “safety” issues there Shauno.

Holden Caulfield10:09 am 02 Sep 09

George D said :

Every fine for speeding motorists is a good one. They deserve it, putting my life in danger.

Dude, I hate to break this to you, but every time you drive your car, regardless if you or nearby motorists are speeding, you are putting your life in danger.

Better watch out, I think the sky is falling…

Just think what a wonderful evening you would have if you all got together round the dinner table and had this discussion face to face. It would be one hilarious dinner date 🙂

Very mature of you, WanniAss. Police have nothing to do with the OP anyway.

monomania said :

Special G said :

As for the speed camera van. They have no reason to be exceeding the speed limit as they are not manned by Police. You have a valid complaint to make just make it to the right people.

Leave the policing of our roads to those being paid to do it. An amusing story but the OP didn’t need to clearly identify this person to the police and his bosses. The driver was committing a minor traffic offense. Any complaint would be petty and vindictive.

At last, some clarification of the speeding laws. If I get pulled over I will point out that my exceeding the speed limit by 15kph+ is only minor and the cops are just being petty. Next time the police call for information from the public over an incident, I certainly won’t bother saying anything in case I’m being petty or vindictive.

shauno said :

Question is how many accidents and deaths have occurred on that straight bit of double lane road that justifys the camera being there in the name of “safety” as the government propaganda machine likes to tell us.

I recall one around 1997 where a man and his 3 or 4 children were killed, and another where a car was incinerated around 1995. That’s a few a deaths compared to many other places in Canberra.

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

Oh, and those two posts of yours – real gritty, quality stuff.

You’re right. Talking about gallery exhibitions and finding a GP isn’t as gritty as a fantasy world where you’re a vigilante supercop willing to break the law to get things done and the highway is where you mete out your own personal brand of tough justice.

Your opinion of my post means the world to me

Is that why you’re obsessing about me – again? Just let me go.

Hmmm, let’s see – there was the highly rated bark painting post that attracted a grand total of 0 comments.

Then there was “Waa waa waa, our doctor left town (at least that’s what he told us) and we’re too stupid to find another one”.

Most people would just ask their friends. Ok, I get it now….

Why don’t you try contributing something now, eh? I’m sure the many friends you’ve made in here will be glad to pitch in with a comment or two. Bet you don’t have the balls.

It’s not even a police vehicle.

Instant_Mash10:31 pm 01 Sep 09

Many of you seem to be looking way too far into this…

The simple fact is that a police vehicle was breaking the road rules for no particular reason. And last I checked, that is wrong.

Woody Mann-Caruso10:15 pm 01 Sep 09

Oh, and those two posts of yours – real gritty, quality stuff.

You’re right. Talking about gallery exhibitions and finding a GP isn’t as gritty as a fantasy world where you’re a vigilante supercop willing to break the law to get things done and the highway is where you mete out your own personal brand of tough justice.

Your opinion of my post means the world to me

Is that why you’re obsessing about me – again? Just let me go.

someoneincanb8:30 pm 01 Sep 09

And here was me thinking the moderation rules had stopped this kind of drivel. Guess page hits must be down for this month.

Oh, and those two posts of yours – real gritty, quality stuff.

Can’t imagine why you stopped……

Your opinion of my post means the world to me Woody because, you know, you’re just so well regarded around here.

Woody Mann-Caruso6:50 pm 01 Sep 09

Why? Because you’ve posted two threads in three years – that is, exactly the same number I have? I’d say ‘way to check your facts’, but to be honest, I’m more surprised you didn’t open with one of your patent “Woody is gay” lines.

But maybe you’re right. Perhaps I can go follow a parking inspector around to see if they get a parking ticket? Oh, the delicious irony, and how clever of me for pointing it out! What kind of example are they setting? How can we trust them? Surely every ticket they’ve ever written is now suspect! They should lose their job! I could even say “Parking inspector with ACT registration YAB-123” over and over again to really drive my dubious point home.

WillowJim said :

The strange thing is that many of these men are great blokes outside their cars. Not even a hint of the lurking personality disorder. It’ll be interesting to see what happens to them when, as will happen, possibly next decade, technology prevents cars from being able to exceed the speed limit.

Why stop at the cars. There must be so many other laws these deviant types could break. Insert a robo-chip. Of course not everyone will need a robo-chip because they have already been programmed to obey.

“The Law is the Law. The Wise have determined the Law for the protection of all. Not only will I obey but I’ll become a volunteer to help enforce the letter of the Law. Unlike the robo-chipped I have a healthy personality.”

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

Next week on The RiotACT:

Librarian has overdue book
ACTION driver takes car to work
Teacher misuses apostrophe
Ranger lets cat out for a walk
ACT Tourism employee: “I think we’ll go to Broome this year”

About time you got around to posting up some of your favourite topics Woody.

“WillowJim” After you read his rant you wonder why he went to all the trouble of signing up just to post it.

Woody Mann-Caruso3:39 pm 01 Sep 09

Next week on The RiotACT:

Librarian has overdue book
ACTION driver takes car to work
Teacher misuses apostrophe
Ranger lets cat out for a walk
ACT Tourism employee: “I think we’ll go to Broome this year”

Clown Killer3:24 pm 01 Sep 09

It’ll be interesting to see what happens to them when, as will happen, possibly next decade, technology prevents cars from being able to exceed the speed limit.

Do you honestly think that the Government would forgo the millions of dollars in revenue generated by those who speed? I don’t.

I do enjoy the irony of the story, whilst ignoring that the speed camera van’s speedo is probably calibrated correctly rather than being optimistic like most normal speedos are.

The proliferation of red light/speed cameras under the guise of safety is a sham.

If the government was serious about road safety there’d be more real police pulling people over (catching drunks/druggos and stolen cars in the process, which a camera can’t do), combined with a greater emphasis on driver training.

Train people how to avoid an accident rather then lecture about arbitrary speed limits while placing cash registers on poles.

“Dr Evil”. Even before you read his rant, the moniker sounds like a 13-year-old’s.

So many men (and it is largely men) become infantilised when behind the wheel of car. Their sense of entitlement burgeons to the point where they even feel beyond the law.

If someone overtakes them, it’s a personal insult that was carefully planned.

If someone in front of them travels, say, 5km/h above the speed limit, forcing the adult infant to slow down, the adult infant swears and gestures and tail-gates to make his point.

If someone in front of them dares slow down to, say, 50km/h in a 40km/h zone, the adult infant crosses unbroken lines to overtake, blasts his horn and shakes his head.

If the adult infant sees a gap in peak-hour traffic, he will swerve across lanes to take advantage of it. He saves himself two seconds on the morning commute. He thinks he saved two minutes.

The strange thing is that many of these men are great blokes outside their cars. Not even a hint of the lurking personality disorder. It’ll be interesting to see what happens to them when, as will happen, possibly next decade, technology prevents cars from being able to exceed the speed limit.

Shauno said

shauno said :

Question is how many accidents and deaths have occurred on that straight bit of double lane road that justifys the camera being there in the name of “safety” as the government propaganda machine likes to tell us.

I look at like this: “Question is, how many workmen have died on construction sites of Company A for not following a Safety Law, but Company B have had no deaths and they too don’t follow a Construction Safety Law?”

Just because an incident hasnt happened at A or B site, doesnt mean it will never happen, or if person A moves to site B or vice versa, both will take their bad habits with them and potentially injure themselves or at the worst die or injure others.

You see a bad driver, or worker, will take their bad habits with them where ever they go.

People need to obey the law. Its there for every ones safety.

Every fine for speeding motorists is a good one. They deserve it, putting my life in danger.

JTK said:

This is useful to know 🙂

I think he meant “this is useful to know if so inclined to abuse”

But thanks anyway JTK, it clears up my curiosity as to why nearly everyone does 100kmh thru the intersection in AM.

Bring back ratetheplate.com.au. When it worked it was good for venting, complaining and whinging as well. Bummed that the domain didn’t reregister and is now owned by a squatter.

James T – Every Govt agency has some sort of complaints mechanism. I am not referencing a complaint to the Police just whoever overseas the speed camera vans specifically. If he had a number of people in the car to back his story then all good.

The proof is his testemony and that of his friends.

I think alot of you a missing the point. This speed van is designed to catch speeding divers with the irony that once it drove away it too was breaking the law by speeding. As far as I’m aware the vans are operated by public servants. The poster of this thread has a valid complaint and I would be passing it on the TAMS or whatever department deals with them.

Reminds me of the story I saw, OH&S officer gets pulled over for doing about 10k’s over the limit, gets issued a small fine. Responds by then booking the police officer for about 5 times his speeding fine for not wearing his high visibility vest in a high traffic area.

i think this person should lose thier job and be fined just like anyone else,at least that person wasnt driving in the left hand lane doing 40kms below the speed limit.

Special G said :

As for the speed camera van. They have no reason to be exceeding the speed limit as they are not manned by Police. You have a valid complaint to make just make it to the right people.

Leave the policing of our roads to those being paid to do it. An amusing story but the OP didn’t need to clearly identify this person to the police and his bosses. The driver was committing a minor traffic offense. Any complaint would be petty and vindictive.

James-T-Kirk9:04 am 01 Sep 09

I love your work. Unlike many others here, I’ll happily admit to speeding all the time. I’ve never caused an accident, and I don’t get caught either.

And – yes – I will openly admit to sitting 10 – 20 above the posted limit (except for the school zones – Doing those 90 degree corners at 40 is a cool challenge!!)

On the subject of speed camera vans and other control measures does anybody get the impression that some new signs need to be changed:

1. Missing a call never killed anybody – “Except when it was a call from the MOB!”
2. Speeding Kills – “When you screw up and hit something really fast!”
3. Thank you for not speeding – “Bugga – I must have lost concentration and slowed down… There… That’s better”

🙂

James-T-Kirk8:04 am 01 Sep 09

Special G said :

As for the speed camera van. They have no reason to be exceeding the speed limit as they are not manned by Police. You have a valid complaint to make just make it to the right people.

I am not confident that the original poster can make a complaint at all –

I saw a Telstra van this morning at 8.26am, rego ABC-D32 – doing handbrake U-turns in the middle of Northborne ave. O.M.G I will report him.

Where’s the tangible proof? No proof, no case!

I think that driving without the headlights was a masterstroke! Now that’s thinking outside the box …. You can surely catch heaps more people that way. The first stealth speed van!

Ozi said :

He’s crafty like that… 😉

Ain’t that the truth…..

As for the speed camera van. They have no reason to be exceeding the speed limit as they are not manned by Police. You have a valid complaint to make just make it to the right people.

Grail – ‘The way to catch speeding drivers is to go slower than them, or be travelling in the opposite direction.

Just my two bits worth.’

Sorry but your two bits got nothing. You have no idea. It’s called traffic screening – not just for speeding.

Also people tend to do the right thing when they ‘see’ a Police car in front of them. Catch is no one pays attention to one coming from behind them.

James-T-Kirk said :

This is not an issue.

Speeding guidelines in the ACT:

1. All vehicles must use the posted signs as a minimum speed that must be maintained.
2. When in the vicinity of a speed van (You can spot them from a mile off.) drop back (with GUSTO!) to the speed indicated as the acceptable minimum. This is important, as other drivers will be warned by your brake lights that there is a hazard in front.
3. Just before the active direction of fixed speed cameras, repeat the vigorous braking process to warn others.
4. Once past “The enforcement zone”, accelerate back up to 10 – 20Km above the posted minimum.

See — Easy.

And using the above guidelines, the van in question was not doing anything abnormal.

Oh – and to make sure that encountering an overly enthusiastic revenue agent (driving one of the couple of unmarked vehicles), ensure that you have a backup fund to just pay the stupid fine.

Remember, a $243 fee for the privilege of driving at 29 Km above the posted minimum (in NSW – I couldn’t find the numbers for the ACT), only works out to a trivial $9 per fortnight – assuming you pay once per year. If, like me, you only pay once every 15 years, then it works out as an extremely affordable 0.62 per fortnight.

See – if they were serious about stopping it, it would cost a lot more!

I love your work. Unlike many others here, I’ll happily admit to speeding all the time. I’ve never caused an accident, and I don’t get caught either.

Holden Caulfield said :

p1 said :

…Because we all know that had Dr Evil been in the possession of a calibrated speedo, we would all be behind him 100%…

Only if we were speeding.

No if you were speeding you would have been 100% in front of him…

Doctor Evil said :

vg said :

“In fact, out of curiosity we decided to see how fast you were actually going, but we gave up at 115km/h and backed off to the speed limit.”

So you did one of 2 things:

1) Sped yourself to test a theory out, something you don;t have the legal capacity to do or;

2) Judged someone’s speed with a non-certified speedo and then decided to produce your ‘findings’ on a public website

Well done super cop

Heard of GPS?

And i’m super cop? LOL…..

Well, you weren’t breaking the speed limit on the way to the dounut shop. Welcome aboard.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

vg said :

Unless vg is the fisherman

A double troll??? You’re diabolical…

He’s crafty like that… 😉 Every good public forum needs trolls and troll-baiters though: makes for much more enjoyable reading!

Question is how many accidents and deaths have occurred on that straight bit of double lane road that justifys the camera being there in the name of “safety” as the government propaganda machine likes to tell us.

Good post Dr Evil, just a shame that a good post invariably attracts those with nothing to do but find fault, EL Carrots summed it up nicely. I hope you pursue this through other channels and can give us an update if you hear anything back.

Holden Caulfield2:59 pm 31 Aug 09

p1 said :

…Because we all know that had Dr Evil been in the possession of a calibrated speedo, we would all be behind him 100%…

Only if we were speeding.

GardeningGirl2:58 pm 31 Aug 09

eyeLikeCarrots said :

But really, if I have to abide by laws imposed on me, then those charged to enforce those laws have to constantly be the best example.

My view also.

I love it when people try to argue that a totally unverifiable post by an anonymous poster is invalid because there (otherwise incredibly accurate) GPS system has not been calibrated to a government standard. Because we all know that had Dr Evil been in the possession of a calibrated speedo, we would all be behind him 100%…

James-T-Kirk1:12 pm 31 Aug 09

An explanation of the term “Active Direction” for Fixed Speed/Red Light cameras may be in order.

The sensors for these cameras only monitors a single direction. So the cameras only actually monitor one direction. The Govmit tries to get extra benefit by posting signs at all 4 entrances to the intersection, but only ONE is monitored.

Some Examples:

The camera at Kambah Village only detects speed and red light incidents on the SOUTH bound lanes along Drakeford. Not the North, East or West directions.

The camera in Civic on the intersection of London Ave and Northborne, only monitors SOUTH bound lanes (and then, only the right 2… (The sensor strips in the road does not extend to the left most lane). The camera does not monitor the East/west London Cct, or North bound Northborne Ave lanes.

This is useful to know 🙂

Whatsup said :

WanniAss said :

I suggest you send an email to road user services too.

On a related matter, I was travelling down Hindmarsh on to Monaro Highway southbound when an ambo approached with lights/sirens. We all let it go through, only to see it had pulled into the South Care base. No sign of the chopper or any other activity. Was there an emergency in the base or was his tea getting cold? This was at 11am? Shift change?

How do you know the chopper wasn’t running late for the patient transfer ? Was there equipment / resources at the base that were urgently required whilst the ambulance waited ? Did you stick around or manage to jump to this conclusion in the moments it took you to drive past ?

Neither, I spent a couple of weeks thinking about it in a considered manner.

James-T-Kirk12:29 pm 31 Aug 09

This is not an issue.

Speeding guidelines in the ACT:

1. All vehicles must use the posted signs as a minimum speed that must be maintained.
2. When in the vicinity of a speed van (You can spot them from a mile off.) drop back (with GUSTO!) to the speed indicated as the acceptable minimum. This is important, as other drivers will be warned by your brake lights that there is a hazard in front.
3. Just before the active direction of fixed speed cameras, repeat the vigorous braking process to warn others.
4. Once past “The enforcement zone”, accelerate back up to 10 – 20Km above the posted minimum.

See — Easy. And using the above guidelines, the van in question was not doing anything abnormal.

Oh – and to make sure that encountering an overly enthusiastic revenue agent (driving one of the couple of unmarked vehicles), ensure that you have a backup fund to just pay the stupid fine.

Remember, a $243 fee for the privilege of driving at 29 Km above the posted minimum (in NSW – I couldn’t find the numbers for the ACT), only works out to a trivial $9 per fortnight – assuming you pay once per year. If, like me, you only pay once every 15 years, then it works out as an extremely affordable 0.62 per fortnight.

See – if they were serious about stopping it, it would cost a lot more!

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy11:58 am 31 Aug 09

vg said :

Unless vg is the fisherman

A double troll??? You’re diabolical…

s305 includes the requirement that “it is reasonable that the regulation need not apply.” I do not consider “getting back to the office for afternoon tea” to be a reasonable motivation for police to be speeding, especially not when in traffic: speeding in this instance is not exercising reasonable care.

Trying to stealthily catch up with a speeding driver, sure. Trying to arrive at the scene of a crime without alerting the alleged criminals to the arrival of the police, sure.

The way to catch speeding drivers is to go slower than them, or be travelling in the opposite direction.

Just my two bits worth.

Woody Mann-Caruso11:32 am 31 Aug 09

“Here’s a speeding ticket.”
“But…but you were speeding too!”
“And?”

trevar said :

Great post. Driving back from Sydney today, I had the cruise set spot on 110, and was overtaken twice by different NSW Police cars that were obviously not en route to an emergency. Wish I had their plates.

As stated above, the Police don’t do the speed limit as everyone around them would do the posted speed limit & they would never catch the speeders ahead. Also they may of been called to “investigate” something & because it wasn’t an emergency call, the use of lights & sirens wasn’t required.

Holden Caulfield11:28 am 31 Aug 09

hjholden said :

a GPS is a suitable alternative to a certified speedo?, i highly doubt that would stand up in court

If a small margin for error was allowed (0-3km/h for example), I reckon it could. 115 in a 100 zone is not the barest of margins is it.

It depends on the burden of proof I guess. For such an example as the OP has written, I can see it being quite possible that a sat nav device could be used to prove the person was speeding beyond reasonable doubt. You probably couldn’t pin an exact speed, but you could say it was faster than 100km/h.

Unless vg is the fisherman

Holden Caulfield10:53 am 31 Aug 09

If I didn’t know any better, I call this a clever bit of trolling. You certainly hooked at least one…

vg is a pretty easy catch on such matters, though, even if (at times) his points are valid.

@comment 13

>Who gives a stuff?
Average law abiding citizens. Both of them. 🙂

>Did they cause an accident?
How is that relavent. The OP is talking about the hypocrisy of the situation. Regardless of whether they caused an accident, they are still responsible for setting an example, and upholding the law.

>If I didn’t know any better, I call this a clever bit of trolling.
If I didn’t know any better, I would also call this a clever bit of trolling…..d’oh, I fell for it. 🙁

a GPS is a suitable alternative to a certified speedo?, i highly doubt that would stand up in court

WanniAss said :

I suggest you send an email to road user services too.

On a related matter, I was travelling down Hindmarsh on to Monaro Highway southbound when an ambo approached with lights/sirens. We all let it go through, only to see it had pulled into the South Care base. No sign of the chopper or any other activity. Was there an emergency in the base or was his tea getting cold? This was at 11am? Shift change?

How do you know the chopper wasn’t running late for the patient transfer ? Was there equipment / resources at the base that were urgently required whilst the ambulance waited ? Did you stick around or manage to jump to this conclusion in the moments it took you to drive past ?

Doctor Evil – has your GPS been certified in accordance with National Measurement Act 1960 ?

I thought not.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy10:10 am 31 Aug 09

Doctor Evil said :

And i’m super cop? LOL…..

Homer: So I said, “Look buddy, your car was upside-down when I got here. And as for your grandmother, she shouldn’t have mouthed off like that!”

vg said :

“In fact, out of curiosity we decided to see how fast you were actually going, but we gave up at 115km/h and backed off to the speed limit.”

So you did one of 2 things:

1) Sped yourself to test a theory out, something you don;t have the legal capacity to do or;

2) Judged someone’s speed with a non-certified speedo and then decided to produce your ‘findings’ on a public website

Well done super cop

Heard of GPS?

And i’m super cop? LOL…..

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy10:00 am 31 Aug 09

Who gives a stuff? Did they cause an accident? Does the operator of the van really care any more than the rest of Canberra about sticking to the exact speed limit.

If I didn’t know any better, I call this a clever bit of trolling. You certainly hooked at least one…

Mondays experts.

trevar said :

Great post. Driving back from Sydney today, I had the cruise set spot on 110, and was overtaken twice by different NSW Police cars that were obviously not en route to an emergency. Wish I had their plates…

Apparently, much like those who write laws, those who enforce them are also exempt.

You don’t read this site much do you?

Try googling ‘s305 of the Australian Road Rules’. It will assuage your naivety

“those who enforce them are also exempt”

Under certain circumstances, yes they are

eyeLikeCarrots9:00 am 31 Aug 09

Cop bashing is an old mob favorite of public forums, and picking on public servants is like mana from heaven for ACT natives…

But really, if I have to abide by laws imposed on me, then those charged to enforce those laws have to constantly be the best example. The dick driving that van as teh OP described needs to be sanctioned just like any other person who broke the rules. But we know that wont happen… its all mates whith thier arms around each other.

Without doubt they are driven and operated by Beelzebub’s hoary minions.

I suggest you send an email to road user services too.

On a related matter, I was travelling down Hindmarsh on to Monaro Highway southbound when an ambo approached with lights/sirens. We all let it go through, only to see it had pulled into the South Care base. No sign of the chopper or any other activity. Was there an emergency in the base or was his tea getting cold? This was at 11am? Shift change?

“In fact, out of curiosity we decided to see how fast you were actually going, but we gave up at 115km/h and backed off to the speed limit.”

So you did one of 2 things:

1) Sped yourself to test a theory out, something you don;t have the legal capacity to do or;

2) Judged someone’s speed with a non-certified speedo and then decided to produce your ‘findings’ on a public website

Well done super cop

Jamie Wheeler10:29 pm 30 Aug 09

Pure gold Dr Evil. 🙂

I’d say you should make an official complaint or mention this to the Greens/Liberals.

I am sure most people picked up today would of only been caught doing 10k’s over the limit (if that) so that is quite a disgrace.

Great post. Driving back from Sydney today, I had the cruise set spot on 110, and was overtaken twice by different NSW Police cars that were obviously not en route to an emergency. Wish I had their plates…

Apparently, much like those who write laws, those who enforce them are also exempt.

Clown Killer8:56 pm 30 Aug 09

After a long day of keeping our roads safer by sending out fines in the mail next week…

Pretty much sums it up. What a maggot.

Inappropriate8:46 pm 30 Aug 09

The point of this post is?

Oops – make that Sunday 30 August, damn these desk calendars that don’t turn themselves over!!

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