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View Full Version : The cops get even craftier



Blackbird
13th April 2003, 16:14
Just got back from the Easter Egg run in Tauranga, travelling over the Kaimai Range.  On the approach to the Kaimais on the Tauranga side my radar detector picked up a signal.  It turned out to be an unmarked late model dark green van with a tinted rear window.  Looking closely showed a lens inside!  First camera vehicle I've seen that hasn't been a white Camry or similar.  Anyone else come across blacked-out vans?  Bet he made a fortune out of tin-tops. 

wari
13th April 2003, 16:27
Sometimes they play nasty and other times they are just nasty nasty  ... !!!

 :mad:

Redstar
13th April 2003, 17:09
red van northern moterway tinted windows same story

bikerboy
13th April 2003, 17:52
:o Just saw a green toyota 4wd ute with canopy/tinted windows just north of Warkworth. Only noticed it as a cop in fluro vest was sitting in it reading the paper, it was parked just off the road.

I got a good look as I was slowing for a side road turn off, otherwise I most likely would have gotten snapped!:eek5:

merv
13th April 2003, 19:26
We regularly have a white van, tinted rear window on the south bound side of the Western Hutt motorway near Belmont. I had seen them used in the South Island for some years. Came across one on the ChCh - Ashburton highway and on the highway from ChCh to Picton near Parnassus.

Robbo
13th April 2003, 19:43
:argh:  On the Tauranga Run today myself. Saw that green van with the camera.

Also saw another White Van, camera in back.along with a Red Van just north of

Palmerston North last month. I guess that at least two of them will have my smiling

Mug shot, but alas!! No number plate up front. Tough!!

They remind me of Cash Registers on Wheels. I fail to see what they have to do

with Road Safety and can only be classed as Revenue Collectors, as if  Big

Brother does'nt get enough from us Motorcyclists already with the new

Outrageous ACC levies via Registration.

Don't forget to Smile and Show your Best side next time you pass one.

Cheers

Robbo

wkid_one
13th April 2003, 20:50
It is still the FU*&ER in the marked car who catches you read handed you have to look out for ...

MikeL
13th April 2003, 22:23
Thanks for the info, Blackbird. Make sure you're up front with your radar detector on all future runs - we'll just slow down when we see you brake.
Wasn't it a great day?? Weather was almost perfect (apart from the fog the other side of the Bombays), great ride through the Karangakage Gorge - not too many cars on the road. A good turnout for the ride from the Mount to Tauranga Hospital, and a very pleasant return to Auckland via Matamata. Why does it have to be spoilt by the presence of officers of the Department of Road Revenue Collection (Cash Registers on Wheels, as Robbo so aptly puts it)?? :brick:

Blackbird
14th April 2003, 18:02
I've written an article complete with photos on fitting a detector to a 'bird for the international Blackbird website, as finding space without obscuring instruments is one of the issues.  This won't apply to a lot of other makes, but the article also covers other things such as wiring one in and the use of a helmet speaker.  It's too big to post here but if anyone would like a copy to help avoid blatant revenue collection, send me an email.

SpankMe
14th April 2003, 18:24
Originally posted by Blackbird
It's too big to post here.

If it's a problem with attachment size, I have increased the max attach size to 2Mb.

Blackbird
14th April 2003, 19:23
Right, let's see if I can attach this .......

750Y
15th April 2003, 09:17
At nights I see an unmarked white commodore with the parkers on sitting on the eastern side of the ararimu bridge watching for speedsters down the mad mile. usually after 7PM too.
be careful through there.

merv
15th April 2003, 12:46
This morning we had a red van on the North bound side of the Porirua motorway. The damn vans are multiplying to add to the white Camrys and Mazda wagons that are already around.

Coldkiwi
15th April 2003, 13:24
wheres the ararimu bridge 750?

750Y
15th April 2003, 13:29
It's the last bridge going overhead before the Bombays(heading south). That's where I join and exit the motorway each day on my trek to the viaduct downtown.

MikeL
29th April 2003, 19:18
Speed camera in red van last couple of days on airport motorway near Mangere Bridge, both sides on alternate days. Used to be a good stretch for testing out the speedo...

What?
30th April 2003, 09:51
Be warned guys 'n' gals, the Kaimai (SH29) is policed HEAVILY on weekends - generally 2 patrols, 1 unmarked car and the aforementioned van with camera. There is usually one car cruising the road during the week. Believe me, I live on that road.

There is another van (dark blue I think, but could be dark green) in the Waikato, usually haunting SH1 around Karapiro.

You know what really pisses me off? A while back the LTSA (a bunch of nongs if ever there was one) tried to ban tinted windows. Now all their new camera vehicle have their glass tinted. Hypocritical filth!:brick::brick::brick:

MikeL
30th April 2003, 11:54
More evidence that the cops work for the Department of Road Revenue: in Auckland (and probably in other large cities) they won't bother investigating road accidents in which no serious injury results. Even if your $20,000 bike gets demolished through no fault of your own by some f*ckwit who got his licence off a cereal packet, but you emerge unscathed and you track the offender down through his licence plate and present the information to the police, don't expect any help from them to see that justice is done. They'll put it "on file" and tell you to seek redress through the civil courts. In the meantime they're busy setting up vans with tinted windows and speed cameras...
How can they expect to retain any vestige of respect or support from those of us who take road safety seriously but from time to time, on a good road, with good tyres and light traffic allow our speed to creep up a little? Are we criminals? Have we caused actual harm? Have we made anyone's life tangibly less pleasant or happy by our actions? Have we been responsible for an injustice that needs to be put right?
I know where the injustice lies... :brick:

Coldkiwi
30th April 2003, 12:40
Right,

So we're all pissed of with the bunch of them. Who do we write to? I suspect a great deal of the problems originate in Wellington with the Govt and Police Heads of staff so perhaps we should be bothering our MP's?? Who knows about this?

SPman
30th April 2003, 22:58
It could be tried, but knowing beauracracy,(sp?) they would merely blether on about road safety (HAH!) and how if you dont want tickets then obey the traffic laws and what do you mean we are after the money, its for your own good etc, etc., blah, blah, puke!

Cynical? Moi?

ar15:

Marmoot
30th April 2003, 23:03
Why not try have a class-action? All we have to find is a cause, and large-enough follower to present it to a bike-friendly MP.
With large enough follower, arguments can be made, and statistics can be bended.
All it counts is just the majority

Kwaka-Kid
1st May 2003, 08:36
haha yeah!

and sorry - i forgot to post, or maybe i did post sumwhere? taht the cops were getting vans months and months ago, i was told, and didnt think it had come in yet as i havent seen one.

btw what do radar detectors go for/do u guys find them effective?

wkid_one
1st May 2003, 12:22
There are also a White Holden Rodeo and Black L200 Utes being used int he centre of the north island (Taihape/Ohakune) as mufti-vehicles - be careful when passing as the read lights are a lot more difficult to see than the lights in the mufti cop cars.

Anywho - it was still a marked car that pinged me in Ohakune on Monday doing 129 - bugga...good reactions on the front brake however rescued me from a higher fine.

MikeL
1st May 2003, 13:25
... or instant suspension of licence??:p

SPman
1st May 2003, 17:05
Which of course brings up the interesting question of, what would you do if you were pulled over in the middle of nowhere on your expensive machine and issued an instant suspension! :eek:

Coldkiwi
1st May 2003, 17:31
if you have an expensive machine (ie. fricken fast) in the middle of nowhere... you really oughta be answering YES to the completely UN-PC vote!

Why on earth would you be stopping?

wkid_one
1st May 2003, 18:45
The thought of running crossed my mind - however down the National Park road - there was little chance of escape as the nearest turnoff was Ohakune - 19km away and as fast as the bike is - I can't get it to outrun the police radio yet!

I

merv
1st May 2003, 19:27
Bummer I got the $80 speed camera fine in the mail today for doing 63 in our 'burb and the worst thing is I don't even remember seeing the bastard so he must have been well hidden and this was in the car going to work in the morning. I cannot believe, and doubt I ever will, that this approach improves road safety no matter what rubbish the cops write on the cover letter to the ticket.

bikerboy
1st May 2003, 20:21
:p Great quote SPman.

Did you know there are no laws granting freedom of speech in NZ?
One can also be arrested for swearing in public. Swearing is regarded as "any language the state deems offensive". Nice and vague.

Thomas Jefferson once said "any people willing to forgo freedom in the quest for security neither deserve freedom nor gain security"
:beer:

SPman
1st May 2003, 21:58
Mines a quote from Benjamin Franklin. Those yankee forefathers knew what it was about - not like todays pack of wankers! :brick:

Kwaka-Kid
1st May 2003, 23:17
hmm, 2 good quotes indeed :)

btw i gotta fine for $120 just arrived today. 68 in my suberb :( friggin titarangi rd.. and i even know he sits there so i slow down.. musta been daydreaming..

Marmoot
2nd May 2003, 23:07
One more ticket and my licence will fly off.....
Now you see, wikd_1, why I was taking sooo long on the highway to Kawhia :p :p :p

SPman
3rd May 2003, 14:44
I'm back to 2 tickets again - oh goody. Now if I can just stay clean until August.......I can start all over again! :argh:

bikerboy
3rd May 2003, 17:11
:o I can't remember when I got my last ticket. How can I find out if it has lapsed or not?

For what it's worth I'm going to fight the latest one, but I'm waiting untill the last minute to request a court date, then request a change at the last minute once a date is set. Better chance the prick, err, officer won't show.:mad:

shamus
6th May 2003, 20:21
There is new Red Mitsi L300 with tinted windows doing the rounds in Auckland ( cost me $80 bucks!  ) , I also spotted a 1985 lite Blue L300 with "white curtains"  around Blenheim/Kaikouria way, kinda looks like granny & grandpa having cuppa on the side of the road , still not as bad as Australia they are mounting camera's in household wheelie bins , lets hope that doesn't happen here ..

Lee Rusty
10th May 2003, 22:09
THe new vans are replacing the old camry's etc as they give the office a work station area where they can work comfortably while their cameras take the piccies - thats the official line - got nothing to do with the fact that riders and drivers were tuned into the white cars on the side of the road.

SpankMe
10th May 2003, 22:32
Anyone got a picture of the new vans? Or if ya see one on the weekend, let me know and I will go a get a picture of it. ;)

BigB
23rd May 2003, 07:54
Got me a speed camera fine last night (in the car):angry2: :angry2:

Southern motorway between Cook st and Newmarket flyover 10.18am Saturday morning, 94kph in a 80 zone $80 fine.

Got to wonder how may people they got because no-one does the speed limit though there. Am going to ask for the picture (as not sure if it was me or the girlfriend??)

I hate em, but still only the second one in the last 3 years.

Plus one nice letter saying I was doing 61kph in a 50kph zone at 7.00am in Taumarunui !!! again on a Sauturday, the only car we saw was the cop, thought we had got away with it. They said not to do it again and gave us a ACC pamflet about the effects of speeding.

Guess I haven't learnt :niceone:

:done:

Marmoot
23rd May 2003, 10:09
They also have a dark-coloured van. Not sure what colour exactly, because it was 11 in the evening. It was on St.Lukes exit on Northwestern Motorway from the city.
I think it was dark green.