Speeding camera (M1 Northbound before J29)

[tinfoilhat]

Sounds like Sarkozy took lessons from the Dutch

 

I had a pen-friend called Tobias, each time he sent a letter it would cost me between 35 and 60 euros. Tobias was a laser-system handled by the local police force that knew exactly where people would go 2km/h+ too fast on the main-road and would spend all day sitting there, gaining income.

 

Tobias was loyal, he sent me a letter at least once a month, often more. Another pen-friend was the stationary camera right behind some traffic-lights where the speed-limit jumped from 50 to 80. The camera however measured just before the 80 zone and just behind the traffic lights. The lights were usually on green (main arterial road) and people would get caught all the time whilst accelerating to 80. My cousin lived in the village and sat down one morning in rush hour to see how many it flashed, he counted around 3 per minute for an hour. That is 3x60x60 (average fine, achieved at going 10 km/h too fast) equals over 10,000 euros per rush hour. He wrote to the council to complain and they replied quite openly, stating they used the revenue to upgrade the roads and would not move the camera for that reason.

 

Fortunately I live here now, that 60 euros is now 102...

 

The other thing about the Netherlands (and probably France) is that everybody gets caught out. The stretch of Penistone Road that is 30 (for some bizarre reason, hemmed in between 40 Mph stretches) would be plastered with cameras (hidden and visible) and everybody doing over 32 Mph would get a fine. Be pleased the British police aren't muppets like that, or certainly be pleased that the income doesn't go to local government, because I have a feeling that is the key-difference.

 

Didn't the number of letters from tobias give you a nudge?

 

Dear Tim,

 

Thanks again for the money - it's always very welcome. I'm slightly worried about the amount of times you are sending me money though - you know where I am, you know the limits and you know I'll keep asking for money. I'm almost wondering whether you just want to send me money and you keep going too fast on purpose! Slow down!

 

Kind regards

 

 

Tobias.

 

Ps - I'm going to need another 60 euros

 

---------- Post added 09-05-2016 at 21:45 ----------

 

If everyone kept to the ridiculously archaic speed limit the country would grind to a halt, I'm perfectly capable of controlling a vehicle at the snails pace of 35mph without killing someone. The people who rake the money in from these things know they are onto a winner by playing the safety card. If the money was seen to be spent on improving the dreadful roads that we have to drive on (how many accidents do they cause?) perhaps it wouldn't be so painful. Some of these pathetic speed awareness courses were run by management of the AA who pocketed a tidy £5m each for the awareness raising.

 

That's an almost laughable post. Don't speed and save your money and pay for a survey showing how you're right and everyone else is wrong.

[Cyclone]

The emphasis is!!! Don't speed!! It's the law whether you agree with it or not! Don't speed and don't pay a penny simple as that

 

If everyone kept to the speed limit, by your calculations they would not gain £93,500 almost instantly then what???

 

One speed limit that does bug me is the Bochum parkway. As far as I can tell (and I have obviously noticed) there are only 2 drivers that observe and respect that ridiculous speed limit of 40mph. That is me and my father in law

 

A driving licence is a privilege, not a right!

 

I think you miss the point.

 

You can go out right now, drive like an absolute idiot within the speed limit and you most likely will not be stopped.

 

Do 40mph down Penistone Rd thought and you will get a ticket.

 

That's the wrong way around.

 

---------- Post added 09-05-2016 at 21:53 ----------

 

If everyone kept to the ridiculously archaic speed limit the country would grind to a halt, I'm perfectly capable of controlling a vehicle at the snails pace of 35mph without killing someone. The people who rake the money in from these things know they are onto a winner by playing the safety card. If the money was seen to be spent on improving the dreadful roads that we have to drive on (how many accidents do they cause?) perhaps it wouldn't be so painful. Some of these pathetic speed awareness courses were run by management of the AA who pocketed a tidy £5m each for the awareness raising.

 

Nothing wrong with 30 limits tbh, pedestrians are easily damaged and even you can't overcome the laws of physics.

 

50 limits where they were previously 60, those I'm less happy with.

[tinfoilhat]

I think you miss the point.

 

You can go out right now, drive like an absolute idiot within the speed limit and you most likely will not be stopped.

 

Do 40mph down Penistone Rd thought and you will get a ticket.

 

That's the wrong way around.

 

---------- Post added 09-05-2016 at 21:53 ----------

 

 

Nothing wrong with 30 limits tbh, pedestrians are easily damaged and even you can't overcome the laws of physics.

 

50 limits where they were previously 60, those I'm less happy with.

 

I'm less happy that I have to drive 50mph on a single carriage way nsl road in an empty van, but can do ( in theory ) 60mph on the same road in a well loaded Range Rover. Will the laws of physics change? It's a pain in the arse. It's a pain for all those poor sods sat behind me on the A17 for miles and miles wanting me to go faster . Even more annoying on dual carriageways. Now I can take a leaf out of other people's books and go faster, get pinched, pay a fine ( and increased insurance premiums) and bitch about it, or set off 15 minutes earlier or turn up 15 minutes late. You'd have to be a bit of eejit to do he former surely?

[top4718]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2041200/Motorway-speed-limit-rise-80mph-bid-boost-economy.html

[tinfoilhat]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2041200/Motorway-speed-limit-rise-80mph-bid-boost-economy.html

 

Any other 5 year old new articles for me to cast my eye over? Ideally I'd like some with some facts, but can appreciate that if you are looking at daily mail articles there won't be any.

[Cyclone]

I'm less happy that I have to drive 50mph on a single carriage way nsl road in an empty van, but can do ( in theory ) 60mph on the same road in a well loaded Range Rover. Will the laws of physics change? It's a pain in the arse. It's a pain for all those poor sods sat behind me on the A17 for miles and miles wanting me to go faster . Even more annoying on dual carriageways. Now I can take a leaf out of other people's books and go faster, get pinched, pay a fine ( and increased insurance premiums) and bitch about it, or set off 15 minutes earlier or turn up 15 minutes late. You'd have to be a bit of eejit to do he former surely?

 

You recognise that just because it's the law doesn't mean that it makes sense though.

[tinfoilhat]

You recognise that just because it's the law doesn't mean that it makes sense though.

 

Absolutely. But does breaking said (daft) law and whining about fines as though it's some cottage industry makes less sense.

 

Write to your mp. Join a pressure group. Take the bus.

[top4718]

To put the record straight as I have stated before, three speeding fines in 25yrs in those years about two thirds of my working life has been spent on the road with a majority of that being in unfamillair "territory", so its not like i'm some reckless idiot. I have no real argument with speed limits my argument is their use as a stealth tax to make central government and private individuals money by keeping limits artificially low and placing cameras at high gain positions regardless of whether the road is a particular accident blackspot or not.

[tinfoilhat]

To put the record straight as I have stated before, three speeding fines in 25yrs in those years about two thirds of my working life has been spent on the road with a majority of that being in unfamillair "territory", so its not like i'm some reckless idiot. I have no real argument with speed limits my argument is their use as a stealth tax to make central government and private individuals money by keeping limits artificially low and placing cameras at high gain positions regardless of whether the road is a particular accident blackspot or not.

 

Ok, just points on the licence then? Speeding would drop right down then;);)

 

Would accidents though?

[tzijlstra]

Didn't the number of letters from tobias give you a nudge?

 

Dear Tim,

 

Thanks again for the money - it's always very welcome. I'm slightly worried about the amount of times you are sending me money though - you know where I am, you know the limits and you know I'll keep asking for money. I'm almost wondering whether you just want to send me money and you keep going too fast on purpose! Slow down!

 

Kind regards

 

 

Tobias.

 

Ps - I'm going to need another 60 euros

 

Haha, tres drole mon ami!

 

Unfortunately they didn't. They were quite happy to take my money. I am not exaggerating when I say that everybody (EVERYBODY) I know had similar letters on a frequent basis.

 

My grandfather, a very religious man who was very much an observer of rules, I once caught swearing like a trooper because Tobias sent a letter. He exceeded the limit by 5 km/h on a 100 km/h road (note, that is 5% when odometers are well known to have that sort of tolerance anyway) and recalled the trip precisely - he was chatting to my grandmother about my uncle and had got 'heated under the collar' because he didn't agree.

 

Trust me when I say that the police in the UK are FAR better at observing SENSIBLE tolerances than the Dutch are.