Just like to get this off my chest..

Today i got a 'Conditional Offer Of Fixed Penalty' green form from the police. I was 'caught' by a speed camera on Birley Moor Road on November 3rd. The offence? 36mph in a 30mph zone. Fair cop. With admirable speed and efficiency (not forgetting Justice and Courage) a pink form landed on my mat a couple of days later outlining my wrong doing and asking for my details, along with a nice letter saying not to bother with excuses. I got the chance to pay £60 for three points this morning that, as a law abiding citizen, I will pay.

Last night, roughly 6pm, I was at the petrol station opposite the camera in question. A chav roared past, wheelying, on a trials bike, on and accross Birley Moor Road.. no helmet, no lights, in driving sleet.

Today my best mates son (as nice and gentle a kid you could not imagine) has an operation on a detached retina. He, along with the rest of his school team, teacher and parents were attacked after a school team match at Myrtle Springs a couple of weeks ago. A group of around 30 chavs attacked them in the car park. Despite my mates and the teachers best efforts to protect the lads, his son was beaten so badly that he may lose the sight in his right eye. The police arrived FORTY FIVE minutes after being called.

I hope the £60 is well spent.

Rant over.

B******S

I play badminton there every week. I would love them to try and attack me. I would kick the **** out of them!

That's rather harsh considering if you were doing 35mph you wouldn't have been prosecuted (10% + 2mph)

straight up.. 36mph.. I can't believe how bad I was that night.

Just shows what pricks chavs are.

Sorry buddy if you were caught for speeding, just slow down for the cameras! :P

Well yes, exactly.. like I said, I've written a cheque out this morning.

Are the police not doing ANYTHING about the chavs that attacked that school team and family?

Should have written it out for a penny extra just to annoy em :)

Apparently the police have names but without positive identification theres 'little that they can do'. My mate and his son have given evidence and the teacher gave names.
What will they do? I don't know.
Theres a good chance that my good friends son will be blind in one eye come this afternoon.. I'll let you know when i've been to see him. What punishment can they hand out to pay for that? He's a promising footballer/cricketer/all round sportsman but it looks like that'll go out of the window doesn't it?

Like I said, I hope the £60 is well spent.. but I doubt it. Maybe an extra CCTV camera on the school? or perhaps theres a profitable stretch of road between Mosborough and Manor Top thats missing a speed trap.. I don't know. Feeling a bit ****** off this morning.

Yeah let us know wavey, fingers crossed hopefully your mate's son will be ok....

With names but "no positive identification" :huh:

Surely if your mate identifies them along with the teachers they can be prosecuted?!?!?!

You'd expect so wouldn't you? I think my mate said that the chavs had hoods up and scarves arounfd their faces in the main part, and there were hordes of them so unless he's 100% sure he's pretty much screwed. The teacher seemed to know who they were though so lets hope they stand up to be counted.

What the **** is this country coming to. You are a criminal if you drive a car, smoke a ciggie or possibly soon for eating a burger! (Maybe a little exagerated : ) )

However, these scrotes can commit crimes against good, honest people without any fear of retribution.

Hope your friend's son make a full recovery

Originally posted by ianmitchell
Just shows what pricks chavs are.

Sorry buddy if you were caught for speeding, just slow down for the cameras! :P

Is that the advice from your driving instructor then...?

Just spoke to him.. it's proper intrusive surgery apparently. They have to access the back of his eye. He's in theatre now for an hour or so.
They've told him htere's a good chance it'll be successful though so thats small comfort I suppose.

At the end of the day rules are rules and i broke them. I just get so hacked off at the injustice of it all.

Worst thing of all is seeing my mate. He's adiamond geezer and this has taken all the fun out of him. He's so gutted you wouldn't believe. he could rip any of those low life scum's head off one to one.

I can't see the connection between the two issues.

Are you suggesting that because there are some offences that the police struggle to deal with that you should be able to break speed limits with impunity?

I don't understand why you all think the speed cameras are a waste of police time, it's just a machine connected to a computer, there are no police involved.

If it the speed cameras didn't exist there would be hundreds of police driving (or sat at the side of the road all day) about trying to spot people speeding, not a good use of their time.

I think it is very funny that in the popular opinion anyone commiting any crime should be punished more and more severely, but when it happens to be a crime that an individual commits, funnily enough severe punishments are not so popular.

I don't think I said that did I?

I've admitted I broke the rules and paid accordingly.

I also said I'm miffed (to say the least) this morning because I reckon the police are more efficient at tax collecting than stopping crimes.

There isn't a connection really. Sorry I upset you.

I'm not at all upset.

But if they are not connected why are they in the same post, under a new topic that you started?

I obviously jumped to the wrong (but rather obvious) conclusion that you were linking the events.

I'll consult you next time then eh?

So should I be pleased to pay out £60 then?

I'll leave it there. Got it off my chest.

Well maybe you will think a bit more about the speed limit next time?

Hmmm, maybe thats what the point of punishing criminal offences is? Do you ask a murderer if they are pleased about getting a 15 year prison sentence? not really a valid question.

What are you on about?

I committed a crime and paid the price.. I said that.

All I want is for a policeman to get to a scene of a crime quicker than forty five minutes.

Theres a connection.

Perhaps "Scrote Cameras" are required.

The scrote being me by the sounds of it.

what date did the attack happen?

Well, if there weren't cameras there would be real policeman cathing speeding drivers rather than responding to street crime, so it would probably make the response time longer.

If you are not prepared to enter into a conversation about an issue then don't start a thread.

wavey could i email you some questions about the attack? i'm a student covering the area.

I've entered into a conversation..

You implied that I thought the fact that worse offences were being committed should allow me to break the law.

I understand and respect your right to have a difference of opinion. You accused me of something that wasn't the case.

I'll say it again. I broke the rules and paid as instructed. Not happily I'll admit, but hey, thats me and money.

My opinion is that the police time isn't equally spent. Speeding is bad and they clamp down on it, quite rightly. More police out and about on the beat would see chavs on bikes, ganging up for scraps etc

Emma
As it's not me involved I can't tell you any more than I've said here.
I was ranting mad this morning and maybe saying stuff I shouldn't.

well i've heard that only 2 pupils attacked a student from a nearby college

by the way i don't want names just more on when and what happened.

i can only tell you what I was told.
My mates son is in hospital now and thats about the long and short of it. Had it been just 2 on one I think my mate and the other adults there could have handled it.
I'll leave it here please. Said enough.

ok so you don't know what date it happened? if not thanks for your help-much appreciated

Not off the top of my head sorry.
Emma.. I've said enough about it. I'm uposet coz the lad is a lovely kid. I'm sure the police have it in hand as much as possible.

well you see the police have told me they need a date to give me more info on what happened? would it be possible to ask the boys parents if i could contact them regarding what happened?

Thechap asked,"What is this country coming to ?"
Well, whatever it is ,it's been coming to it for a long time now----partly under the Tories but mainly under the Labour government.I think the "great British public "are largely to blame for letting successive governments walk all over them.There's a Germanic streak at work.Too many people in the U.K. nowadays love having someone to tell them what to do and ,in turn, love telling someone else what to do.
Any dictatorship can find "good" reasons for bringing in repressive,interfering laws.Each individual new law does have its positive side.....but ....the cumulative effect is dictatorship and then further repression.
The public seem too thick to realise that it's "o.k. " to give a fairly moderate government full powers but what happens if,later on, an extreme Right-wing or Left--wing government gets in. What seems like a Nanny state now will seem paradise compared to what could happen.
So, all you ,sheep who want more and more red--tape,rules and regulations, more controls,no smoking,no drinking, no this,no that----think about the future andthe 4a.m. knock on the door !

Originally posted by alex123
Thechap asked,"What is this country coming to ?"
Well, whatever it is ,it's been coming to it for a long time now----partly under the Tories but mainly under the Labour government.I think the "great British public "are largely to blame for letting successive governments walk all over them.There's a Germanic streak at work.Too many people in the U.K. nowadays love having someone to tell them what to do and ,in turn, love telling someone else what to do.
Any dictatorship can find "good" reasons for bringing in repressive,interfering laws.Each individual new law does have its positive side.....but ....the cumulative effect is dictatorship and then further repression.
The public seem too thick to realise that it's "o.k. " to give a fairly moderate government full powers but what happens if,later on, an extreme Right-wing or Left--wing government gets in. What seems like a Nanny state now will seem paradise compared to what could happen.
So, all you ,sheep who want more and more red--tape,rules and regulations, more controls,no smoking,no drinking, no this,no that----think about the future andthe 4a.m. knock on the door !

Go back to bed.

Originally posted by Yodameister
I can't see the connection between the two issues.

Are you suggesting that because there are some offences that the police struggle to deal with that you should be able to break speed limits with impunity?

I think it's more that if the police spent more time dealing with "chavs" and less time hounding motorists, the country would be a safer place to live.

Originally posted by cloud
Is that the advice from your driving instructor then...?

no, from my parents :lol: :hihi:

Originally posted by t020
I think it's more that if the police spent more time dealing with "chavs" and less time hounding motorists, the country would be a safer place to live.

I half agree with you there t020.

The police should spend more time dealing with worse crimes than speeding committed by ANYONE (not just chavs, but chavs in this case).

They shouldn't spend any less time hounding motorists though, I think it's about right as it is....

Originally posted by Wavey
straight up.. 36mph.. I can't believe how bad I was that night.

If you can't pay the fine don't do the crime. Speding kills.

I agree with your other point though. The police should be much better ast catching thugs and the courts should realise the value of prisons a lot more than they do.

Is your mate's son ok????

I bet more people are killed and injured by speeding motorists than chavs.

Originally posted by Shine
I bet more people are killed and injured by speeding motorists than chavs.


I bet that more people would want to kill a chav than a speeding motorist.

Wavey.
I hope your mates lad makes a full recovery and goes on to become a brilliant sportsman.
And I hope that these louts who did this despicable deed grow up to see the inside of a prison cell, as I am sure many will.
Yes you wronged by going about 5 mph over the speed limit BUT
how can anyone compare that attack and breaking the speed limit to each other.

Yodameister,
maybe you should open your eyes and see the yob culture that is happening in this city, maybe not in Longley but in many areas of this city.
How can you compare the two "crimes"???? It looks like you are standing up for these chavs or maybe relate to them as "bored kids".

I agree with Wavey and many others adding to this thread. Something has to be done on the priority rating of crimes. The longer we let people get away with it, the more intense the problem will become.

Originally posted by Yodameister
I can't see the connection between the two issues.

Are you suggesting that because there are some offences that the police struggle to deal with that you should be able to break speed limits with impunity?
yeah maybe wavey strayed over the speed limit. he didn't intentionally set out to hurt anyone. the %$£$" who set on his mate's son did. i personally think the police should focus on this type of crime not someone who'd rather look at the road ahead, than at his speedometer. can't you see the guy's upset? give him a break. hope the little lad get's through O.K. mate. Nick .

Originally posted by slimsid2000
If you can't pay the fine don't do the crime. Speding kills.

wrong wrong wrong. bad driving kills. inappropriate use of speed is bad driving. not having full control of car is bad driving (ie the advert where the car hits the child, no attempt to "pump" the brakes)not paying full attention to the road is bad driving. (i.e mobile phone) so me doing 90 mph on a well lit, dry dual carridge way is going to kill someone? but i'm ok doing 29mph past a school in a car i cant really control because i cant use my left leg due to authritus, or cos i've got 1 hand on my mobile???? there's no camera to detect this as far as i know

Originally posted by Shine
I bet more people are killed and injured by speeding motorists than chavs.

Speeding is only the 7th highest factor in killing people on the roads, the main factor being driver error. Don't get me wrong, I rarely speed, but it's safe to say that people who do make easy pickings for the police because most of them are otherwise law abiding citizens, whereas trying to tackle anti-social youths on rough estates would be a bit more tricky. "Chavs" need clamping down on more than people going a few MPH over the limit IMO.

I got the same 'green form' to fill in for speeding too. It was a mobile speed camera on the parkway, just after the speed limit drops to 50 from 60 (I was doing 61 - so well over the 50 limit) and like Wavey, I paid up. I was a bit miffed because I don't speed as a rule, this was a dual carriageway and I was concentrating on the traffic/road ahead, not on my speedo.

Can't understand why the speed drops to 50 - another road I use regularly has a speed limit of 40 (i'm usually the only one that sticks to it) and it has houses on both sides with children playing - surely the speed limit there should be 30? I'm all for stopping speeding and feel totally embarassed and ashamed that i've now got points on my previously clean license. I agee speed kills, now I have a policy of never ever going even 1mph over the speed limit and I tell you the number of times I've been tailgated and had people overtaking me at speed and gesticulating is a daily occurance. I think all areas where children are playing estates etc should be 20mph because children need more protection.

What really does annoy me is when the police seem unable to aprehend other criminals. There was a string the other day about a bloke and his wife and kids on the bus who was verbally abused, his wife is being abused in the shop where she works but because they don't know the names of these people the police say they can't do anything. A young kid potentially losing sight in one eye - and the teacher knows names but police still can't do anything? that seems crazy to me. Don't bank on them ever seeing the inside of a prison cell either a neighbour of my daughter commits a crime on an almost weekly basis, has been up in court more than 20 times in the last 3 years but has never been sentenced to a spell inside - I can't understand why?

Originally posted by Hels
I got the same 'green form' to fill in for speeding too. It was a mobile speed camera on the parkway, just after the speed limit drops to 50 from 60 (I was doing 61 - so well over the 50 limit) and like Wavey, I paid up. I was a bit miffed because I don't speed as a rule, this was a dual carriageway and I was concentrating on the traffic/road ahead, not on my speedo.



Actually it drops from 70mph down to 50mph - the National Speed limit applies, which is 60mph on a single carriageway and 70mph on a dual carriageway (e.g. Parkway). Why it suddenly drops 20mph when seemingly nothing changes will remain a mystery.

Originally posted by t020
make easy pickings for the police because most of them are otherwise law abiding citizens, whereas trying to tackle anti-social youths on rough estates would be a bit more tricky.

Got it in one. It's all about pressure from the Government to make themselves look good while saving money. They go for the easy options like speed cameras and people who drop litter. These are "soft" targets and can be policed cheaply while improving the crime statistics. The law abiding citizen pays up, the more serious criminal knows his rights and doesn't pay up. More serious crimes cost money to deter/detect, requiring more police on the beat etc. In a similar way, hospitals are fiddling the figures for operations & waiting times because of political pressure but that's another story.

Well at least you (with pink slips) are in good company.
"South Yorkshire's chief constable admitted today he has been hit with two speeding tickets from roadside cameras."

Full article in Sheffield Star at:

http://www.sheffieldtoday.net/viewarticle2.aspx?ArticleID=891807&SectionID=58&Search=cheif%20constable&Searchtype=any&SearchSection=58&DateFrom=011995&DateTo=112004&Page=1&ReturnPage=Results.aspx

Originally posted by t020
Actually it drops from 70mph down to 50mph - the National Speed limit applies, which is 60mph on a single carriageway and 70mph on a dual carriageway (e.g. Parkway). Why it suddenly drops 20mph when seemingly nothing changes will remain a mystery.

Have you done your theory test recently? :P

Many drivers don't know that! That was a question on my test yesterday!

Originally posted by ianmitchell
Have you done your theory test recently? :P

Many drivers don't know that! That was a question on my test yesterday!

Nearly 6 years ago...... I suppose I always remember it because people always disputed it and me being the pedant would always refer them to the Highway Code.

Originally posted by fredsredhat
wrong wrong wrong. bad driving kills. inappropriate use of speed is bad driving. not having full control of car is bad driving (ie the advert where the car hits the child, no attempt to "pump" the brakes)not paying full attention to the road is bad driving. (i.e mobile phone) so me doing 90 mph on a well lit, dry dual carridge way is going to kill someone? but i'm ok doing 29mph past a school in a car i cant really control because i cant use my left leg due to authritus, or cos i've got 1 hand on my mobile???? there's no camera to detect this as far as i know

Fabulous point. I agree wholeheartedly.

Old people I find are THE most dangerous people on the road. Are they speeding? No, but some of them have absolutely no awareness of the traffic and people around them, it's frightening.

The other day, this little old woman in her red micra just pulled out from her parking space (which incidentally was practically at the junction of Sandygate and Watt lane in Crosspool) without looking or indicating! Mirror signal manoeuvre? I think not. The car infront had to swerve to miss her, almost hitting the car coming in the other direction. I don't even think Red Micra OAP was even aware that she almost caused a very nasty accident.

Originally posted by Hels
I got the same 'green form' to fill in for speeding too. It was a mobile speed camera on the parkway, just after the speed limit drops to 50 from 60 (I was doing 61 - so well over the 50 limit) and like Wavey, I paid up. I was a bit miffed because I don't speed as a rule, this was a dual carriageway and I was concentrating on the traffic/road ahead, not on my speedo.


Yes the cash cow was again on the parkway, (Saturday Morning) this time hidden behind the sign for the wholesale markets turn off, heading into town, you could just see the front end of the van sticking out behind the sign.

This has got to be a prime example of pure cash generation, I can understand the placement of speed traps in built up areas, where theres pedestrians, schools etc, but the parkway is a dual carriageway designed for fast traffic and of which pedestrians are prohibited. It even has a central reservation with crash barrier unlike the Stocksbridge or Mosborough bypass where theres potential for cars to hit head on.

They call themselves South Yorkshire Safety Camera Partnership or what ever and the partnership's aim is to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on the county's roads, they were actually causing a dangerous situation on the parkway by the last minute harsh breaking by motorists seeing the camera at the last minute. Motorists should be concentrating on the traffic conditions and road ahead, not glued to their speedo or forever looking whats hidden behind road signs or bushes.

Originally posted by Miss
Fabulous point. I agree wholeheartedly.

Old people I find are THE most dangerous people on the road. Are they speeding? No, but some of them have absolutely no awareness of the traffic and people around them, it's frightening.

The other day, this little old woman in her red micra just pulled out from her parking space (which incidentally was practically at the junction of Sandygate and Watt lane in Crosspool) without looking or indicating! Mirror signal manoeuvre? I think not. The car infront had to swerve to miss her, almost hitting the car coming in the other direction. I don't even think Red Micra OAP was even aware that she almost caused a very nasty accident.


According to the statistics the most dangerous age group on the road is 17-25 year olds.

They specify that it's 17-25 year old men.

Boy racers giving the rest of us a bad name!

Originally posted by mega_monty
Yes the cash cow was again on the parkway, (Saturday Morning) this time hidden behind the sign for the wholesale markets turn off, heading into town, you could just see the front end of the van sticking out behind the sign.

This has got to be a prime example of pure cash generation, I can understand the placement of speed traps in built up areas, where theres pedestrians, schools etc, but the parkway is a dual carriageway designed for fast traffic and of which pedestrians are prohibited. It even has a central reservation with crash barrier unlike the Stocksbridge or Mosborough bypass where theres potential for cars to hit head on.

They call themselves South Yorkshire Safety Camera Partnership or what ever and the partnership's aim is to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on the county's roads, they were actually causing a dangerous situation on the parkway by the last minute harsh breaking by motorists seeing the camera at the last minute. Motorists should be concentrating on the traffic conditions and road ahead, not glued to their speedo or forever looking whats hidden behind road signs or bushes.


Good points and well made. :thumbsup:

wrong wrong wrong. bad driving kills. inappropriate use of speed is bad driving. not having full control of car is bad driving (ie the advert where the car hits the child, no attempt to "pump" the brakes)not paying full attention to the road is bad driving. (i.e mobile phone) so me doing 90 mph on a well lit, dry dual carridge way is going to kill someone? but i'm ok doing 29mph past a school in a car i cant really control because i cant use my left leg due to authritus, or cos i've got 1 hand on my mobile???? there's no camera to detect this as far as i know


Has no one had the sense to work out yet that there is more than one cause of bad driving.

People keep on about speed being the seventh cause of accidents and there being worse cause's e.t.c, But nobody has stated a the plain fact that speed is dangerous.

Old drivers can be bad, but they are not the only cause, young drivers can be terrible, but there not the only cause,the uninsured are shocking but again, they are not the only cause of accidents.

I firmly belive that there should be more cameras in South Yorkshire and the money from these cameras should pay for more traffic officers and more traffic cars to go out there and catch the other bad drivers.

I would love to see some of the money generated being used for driver training courses and better sign's but Im sensible enough to know this will never happen.

Instead the police will,under orders from the government, keep going after the easy target with the simplest and cheapest method which means all the extra cameras but none of the extra benifits

I don't think the chap was making an idle reference between the two issues, he was comparing the speed with which the re-action time between both events !

Originally posted by melly69
I don't think the chap was making an idle reference between the two issues, he was comparing the speed with which the re-action time between both events !
hear hear

Seems odd that the same people that are against the massive clamp down on speeding think more money should be spent on catching 'chavs'.

Firstly, a law is a law, and when broken should be punished, right? It isn't the polices fault that it is so easy to catch people in cars breaking the law, and not groups of people who turn up out of nowhere and beat someone up then scarper.

Secondly, if the police are making loads of money from drivers breaking the law, then they have more money to spend chasing other crimes. Speed cameras don't take policemen off the beat, or detectives off working crimes.

There is no logic to link the two things. Write to your MP and ask for the speed limit to be raised. I personally think 90mph on a motorway is as safe today as 70mph was 30 years ago, as cars are much safer and can break more quickly.

Originally posted by Snook
Seems odd that the same people that are against the massive clamp down on speeding think more money should be spent on catching 'chavs'.

Why?


Originally posted by Snook
Firstly, a law is a law, and when broken should be punished, right? It isn't the polices fault that it is so easy to catch people in cars breaking the law, and not groups of people who turn up out of nowhere and beat someone up then scarper.

Yes but it's not as black and white as that. I'm sure we all drift above the limit at times as it is almost impossible not to, unless you constantly keep your eyes on the speedo which in itself poses more danger to safety. Imagine then the annoyance of getting caught after taking your eye off the speedo for a few seconds and drifting a few mph over the limit. Hardly the same as boy racer in his chav mobile hammering around at 50mph in a 30 zone is it?


Originally posted by Snook
Secondly, if the police are making loads of money from drivers breaking the law, then they have more money to spend chasing other crimes. Speed cameras don't take policemen off the beat, or detectives off working crimes.

But they don't spend money on fighting other crimes. It seems like they plough profits straight back into buying more and more cameras. Mobile cameras DO take policeman off the beat and if they weren't trying to sneakily catch out some poor soul on his way home from work who happens to drift a few mph above the limit on the Parkway (where there are no pedestrians allowed) then maybe they could spend more time on the beat, deterring troublesome gangs of youths? If it was all about road safety, why are the mobile cameras parking up behind signs on fast, pedestrianless dual carriageways like the Parkway and not parked up visibly next to schools, hospitals or nursing homes?


Originally posted by Snook
There is no logic to link the two things. Write to your MP and ask for the speed limit to be raised. I personally think 90mph on a motorway is as safe today as 70mph was 30 years ago, as cars are much safer and can break more quickly.

I personally think that the limit on the motorways should be raised to 80mph. The main problem though is that cameras only see things in black and white and are unable to apply common sense to individual situations - e.g. flash for doing 56mph in a 50 zone in the middle of the night on parkway with no other cars around Vs boy racer doing 40mph in a 30 zone at the height of rush hour/ school time.

Originally posted by t020
Yes but it's not as black and white as that. I'm sure we all drift above the limit at times as it is almost impossible not to, unless you constantly keep your eyes on the speedo which in itself poses more danger to safety. Imagine then the annoyance of getting caught after taking your eye off the speedo for a few seconds and drifting a few mph over the limit. Hardly the same as boy racer in his chav mobile hammering around at 50mph in a 30 zone is it?

There are times on the Parkway where you have to exceed the speed limit in order to let traffic join the Parkway, like at the Manor / Mosbro' Parkway intersection (heading into town). Traffic joining the parkway will be travelling at 50mph, you will no doubt have to move to the outside lane, traffic will now be pushing you along the outside lane, if you want the next turn off, then your only option is to accelerate to get in front of the traffic that has just joined, and wallop Mr Cash Cow Camera has zapped you for slightly exceeding 50mph, and all for paying attention and letting fellow motorists join the parkway.

Anyone see Top Gear tonight. Seems like the North Wales police have been a bit naughty when dishing out speeding tickets. The police breaking the law, surely some mistake.....

"But in fact the officer did not sign the statement, had never seen it, and could not say that it was true.
The judge declared: 'This procedure will stop. If it comes before me again I shall report the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions."

Full story here
http://icnorthwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/regionalnews/page.cfm?objectid=14866208&method=full&siteid=50142

I've been informed that Mr Speed Camera, was targeting the Parkway again today, but mid morning after all the bumper to bumper traffic has gone.

So folks when travelling along the Parkway please take care and watch your speed