Boxing Day speed camera - Porirua

[paulatron]

Hey there riders, was any one else heading back to Wellington on Boxing day, unlucky enough to be snapped by the speed camera in the centre of the road, hidden in the bushes, just south of the Parematta bridge?
My understanding is that the camera vans can not be concealed, as this clearly was.
The first I was aware of it was catching an amber flash in my rear vision mirror. This itself was dangerous as it caused me to look back to see where it came from.
The van was tucked into the bushes on the center strip of grass, not visible from approach or the side.
I have just faxed off a letter stating this, and will post the outcome.
If anyone else observed this van, let me know.
Aside from that, the boxing day races were great (again), and it was a fun ride.
Ride safe
Paul

[Corse1]

Not sure about the legality of it but the pricks are certainly hiding their vans. Returned from a trip to Napier and a mate asked if I had seen the camera in the bushes on the side of the road going through the wine valley.
Out of nine bikes he was the only one who had seen it!

I thought I may have been snapped by one on the way to the races on boxing day as there was one hiding behind bushes again.....Come to think of it, it would have been fully visible by traffic in the opposite direction.

So maybe they can get away with it by being visible from one direction only traffic:tugger:

When did you receive the ticket in the mail? I must be safe as I have not received one yet :niceone:

[oneofsix]

Not sure about the legality of it but the pricks are certainly hiding their vans. Returned from a trip to Napier and a mate asked if I had seen the camera in the bushes on the side of the road going through the wine valley.
Out of nine bikes he was the only one who had seen it!

I thought I may have been snapped by one on the way to the races on boxing day as there was one hiding behind bushes again.....Come to think of it, it would have been fully visible by traffic in the opposite direction.

So maybe they can get away with it by being visible from one direction only traffic:tugger:

When did you receive the ticket in the mail? I must be safe as I have not received one yet :niceone:

think they made them legal after the Waikato trial,. fault memory says it was about or shortly after them abandoning the 80 percentile thing for cameras. Just more evidence that they are about $$$ not road safety.

[Corse1]

Buggar and I thought the 80% was still a go. There goes another safety net!!

[Scuba_Steve]

Yea all that was propaganda to "calm the fears". When they were introducing them people feared (correctly) it was for $$$ so to "calm" the fears they said
"we will only operate in black spots"
"black spots will be sign posted"
"only targeting the worst offenders"
"will not be hidden"
"will not operate on passing lanes"
"will not operate near speed changes"
etc.
As time went on people forgot these "promises" & rules got dropped to increase $$$ and here we are today

[marty]

from 2007, but I'm sure is still relevant.

https://admin.police.govt.nz/resources/2007/speed-enforcement-guide/index.html

[Hailwood]

I know this will lead to the usual abuse and red rep etc etc etc but can I make an observation here.......speed cameras are here to stay and the Police will continue to target speed as a cause of accidents (whether it is or not is irrelevant) because it is the current flavour of the month. I bet there are not any rules now for the placement of speed camera vans anymore given the focus on this speed kills message and you can expect to see (or not see) these vans in new and different places.

Given this, if you decide to exceed the speed limit (and we all do at some time) and get pinged by a speed camera or car/bike whatever, then it is part and parcel of the risk you take for doing so. Claiming it is revenue gathering, not fair, targetting motorcyclists etc etc is just not taking responsibility for a decision that you make.

Sorry to sound like Katman here but I do find it a laugh that some people on this forum still believe it is their right to exceed the speed limit without any consequences. Not aimed at the original poster but there are othere on this site.

[Scuba_Steve]

Sorry to sound like Katman here but I do find it a laugh that some people on this forum still believe it is their right to exceed the speed limit without any consequences. Not aimed at the original poster but there are othere on this site.

Its more the fact it is a scam, an extortionist scam that is the problem. So just like I expect to use my email without being told "im a millionaire" in some lottery I never heard of, I expect to be able to use the road safely without some P.I.G. hassling me

[Hailwood]

Its more the fact it is a scam, an extortionist scam that is the problem. So just like I expect to use my email without being told "im a millionaire" in some lottery I never heard of, I expect to be able to use the road safely without some P.I.G. hassling me

A scam how? The law has set speed limits for the operation of a motor vehicle and we all make a concscious decision to abide by them or not knowing the consequences if we are caught breaking the speed limit. It seems your issue should be with the law makers rather than the Police who are there to uphold the law?

[oneofsix]

A scam how? The law has set speed limits for the operation of a motor vehicle and we all make a concscious decision to abide by them or not knowing the consequences if we are caught breaking the speed limit. It seems your issue should be with the law makers rather than the Police who are there to uphold the law?

the laws the scam

[Scuba_Steve]

A scam how? The law has set speed limits for the operation of a motor vehicle and we all make a concscious decision to abide by them or not knowing the consequences if we are caught breaking the speed limit. It seems your issue should be with the law makers rather than the Police who are there to uphold the law?

My issues with the whole legal system incl. the Govt, but that's a whole other story.

[davebullet]

Hailwood is correct. The speed limit is the speed limit and you take the risk and responsibility (for yourself and worse others whether they want your risk or not) for going above it.

I suspect the cameras have moved from black spot areas (due to possibly an abundance of them now) to revenue gathering areas.

Wherever I've seen a section of road with a few crosses on it marking deaths of road users - I've never seen a speed camera just before that location. Speed cameras seem to be parked where:
a) there is a large volume of traffic (quantity = more tickets)
b) the camera can be obscured so as to catch the motorist

[marty]

So how much was the ticket for?

[Hawkeye]

I commute from Whitby to Welly and have seen that spot used on a number of occasions. I came over the desert road a couple of day's ago and was suprised to see a Grey Tranny van park at the top. As I got closer, notice the double arials and the camera in the back. Road was quiet, straight stretch of road and perfect visability. Accident blackspot?

[davebullet]

Can they "instant on" with a van based camera? I presume not therefore radar detectors are fully effective.

[FJRider]

Can they "instant on" with a van based camera? I presume not therefore radar detectors are fully effective.

Not necessarily true ... speed cameras only point in ONE direction, at one time. To catch a motorcyclist, the beam is sent in the direction the motorcyclist is travelling ... thus unlikely to picked up on a detector ...

[marty]

not only that, they have gone to ultra low output on K band. I used to pick up cameras with my Bell from up to 200m away depending on traffic and surrounds, but now i am lucky to get 50m warning - sometimes only when i'm right on top of it, especially if there is no reflecting surfaces (ie out in the country)

[paulatron]

I know this will lead to the usual abuse and red rep etc etc etc but can I make an observation here.......speed cameras are here to stay and the Police will continue to target speed as a cause of accidents (whether it is or not is irrelevant) because it is the current flavour of the month. I bet there are not any rules now for the placement of speed camera vans anymore given the focus on this speed kills message and you can expect to see (or not see) these vans in new and different places.

Given this, if you decide to exceed the speed limit (and we all do at some time) and get pinged by a speed camera or car/bike whatever, then it is part and parcel of the risk you take for doing so. Claiming it is revenue gathering, not fair, targetting motorcyclists etc etc is just not taking responsibility for a decision that you make.

Sorry to sound like Katman here but I do find it a laugh that some people on this forum still believe it is their right to exceed the speed limit without any consequences. Not aimed at the original poster but there are othere on this site.

Hey, no abuse, what you are saying is generally true, but the point I was trying to make was they clearly say in the info pamphlet they send out with the infringement notice, that the cameras are not camouflaged or hidden, which I firmly believe this one was.

Sure I had a momentary lapse of concentration, and the desire to get home for a cold beer after a couple of hours in the saddle and a hard day watching some excellent bike racing, led me to wind the throttle on just a tad too much, but if they state they do not hide them, what the hell was it doing parked hidden in some bushes on the center of the hi-way. (right in the spot where you are accelerating after the Paremata roundabout)

On a daily basis I see people in cars texting. This activity is far more dangerous than exceeding the speed limit by a few k's, on a machine that is designed to perform and handle far in excess of the legal speed limit.
Not 2 hours ago I saw a lady in a BMW suv with 2 kids in the back driving through Kilbirnie and texting. Sure you can be fined $150.00, if you are observed in the act, but no effort is being made to curb this popular pastime, and as a motorcyclist, the fact that there are motorists driving around with their eyes glued to their cellphone while texting, scares me.

Finally, this a not a dig at you, but more of an elaboration of my first post.

Also, I saw a friend today whom I was riding with, who stopped for some food and was a bit behind me. He also was flashed and ticketed by the same camera. (5 ks over the limit, mine was 17, me bad) I told him to write in and complain too, so will let you guys know how we get on.

[scumdog]

Its more the fact it is a scam, an extortionist scam that is the problem. So just like I expect to use my email without being told "im a millionaire" in some lottery I never heard of, I expect to be able to use the road safely without some P.I.G. hassling me


Who cares?

You don't HAVE to get caught.

I'll let y'all know next time I do.

[Kickaha]

I expect to be able to use the road safely without some P.I.G. hassling me

I've managed to use the road safely without some P.I.G. hassling me so far for 30 years

It's actually not that hard to do

[gatch]

I can see why you are against cameras in the first place.. I hate them with a passion, as I don't think they actually save lives as you would be led to believe. They are only a speed deterrent if people know they are there, "oh shit, camera there, button off" etc.

But it's the same old thing.

Do crime, do time etc..

[Scuba_Steve]

I've managed to use the road safely without some P.I.G. hassling me so far for 30 years

It's actually not that hard to do

You ever been a "young adult" with a licence/car in the Manawatu? its gets bloody hard to do

[rastuscat]

They are only a speed deterrent if people know they are there, "oh shit, camera there, button off" etc.

Nope, sorry to disagree.

They are also a deterrent if they hide and snap lots of speeders. Then the targets all get a surprise ticket, and bitch about it on interweb-thingy sites. Increasing the paranoia.

Even better, they hide them, but get seen by some sharp-eyed observer. The observer tells all and sundry that they are hiding cameras, and whammo, the paranoia ratchets up again.

Paranoia and deterrent are happy partners.

Spooky thing though, as a rule, if you don't speed the camera won't go off. Anyone else ever noticed that?

Donuts.

[Coldrider]

Paranoia and deterrent are happy partners. just like Boss Hogg to Rosco P Coltraine, dat der Duke boys are getting away again...sheeshh...

[FJRider]

Spooky thing though, as a rule, if you don't speed the camera won't go off. Anyone else ever noticed that?

Donuts.

Sort'a like a tax on the wealthy ... because we all know the rules. We speed ... get caught ... we pay a fine. :Police:

Can't afford the fine ... :msn-wink:

and if you can ... go for it ... :wait: :doh:

[roadracingoldfart]

I came over the desert road a couple of day's ago and was suprised to see a Grey Tranny van park at the top. As I got closer, notice the double arials and the camera in the back. Road was quiet, straight stretch of road and perfect visability. Accident blackspot?


Never heard of roads closed up there huh ???
Quiet road , not much traffic and perfect visibility and they still probably got a shit load of fast drivers. All breaking the 100 k limit.

[gatch]

Nope, sorry to disagree.

They are also a deterrent if they hide and snap lots of speeders. Then the targets all get a surprise ticket, and bitch about it on interweb-thingy sites. Increasing the paranoia.

Even better, they hide them, but get seen by some sharp-eyed observer. The observer tells all and sundry that they are hiding cameras, and whammo, the paranoia ratchets up again.

Paranoia and deterrent are happy partners.

Spooky thing though, as a rule, if you don't speed the camera won't go off. Anyone else ever noticed that?

Donuts.

If they were a real deterrent, noone would get snapped would they ? An $80 odd fine is not enough of a deterrent to deter most from speeding.

If the cops came out with a statement saying "speed kills, if we see you speeding, we will kill you", that might work.

Speed cameras do not save lives.

[Coldrider]

.....Paranoia.......

Spooky thing though..... Police culture, 60 recommendations promised to be enacted on, none have in 4 years, retirement of top brass, heat, kitchen, failure, spooky, paranoia, and yeah, the obvious you pointed out, donuts