Dang roadside van cameras

[Coyote]

I dunno about the "especially" bit - it's just bloody stupid pinging people for momemtarily exceeding the speed limit in a passing lane while getting past quickly and efficiently.

It's peticulary crap when it comes to the rules aroung passing on open roads. I remember seeing some show that showed you how to legally pass. You had to be the standard 2 seconds behind the car in front, make sure there was 100m of space ahead of the car you want to pass, indicate for 3 seconds, go into other lane, pass but do not exceed the speed limit, once 100m ahead of the car indicate for 3 seconds and go into the other lane. They needed about a kilometer or more of empty road to get pass this car, on the open road you would've had a head on collision

correct me if I'm wrong

[Skyryder]

I have only just noticed the camera's in CHCH and now you tell me they put them in vans too????

Sure do. Saw one on Friday night (7.30ish) on Montreal St (just past Cambridge terrace under the trees in the dark) the one way system. Just sitting there in the dark revinue collecting. They'd be better employed chasing redlight runners but they would have to work so it's easier just to sit and read a book. That's how I spotted him.

Skyryder

[Ixion]

It's peticulary crap when it comes to the rules aroung passing on open roads. I remember seeing some show that showed you how to legally pass. You had to be the standard 2 seconds behind the car in front, make sure there was 100m of space ahead of the car you want to pass, indicate for 3 seconds, go into other lane, pass but do not exceed the speed limit, once 100m ahead of the car indicate for 3 seconds and go into the other lane. They needed about a kilometer or more of empty road to get pass this car, on the open road you would've had a head on collision

correct me if I'm wrong

The police attitude is you should never overtake (seriously). "Wait for a passing lane." (yes *I* know there are lots of places where there aren't any)

Which makes me wonder a bit - how old are the guys in the police that set these things ? I wonder if they're so old that they predate the MOT merger, so they've never maybe done any serious open road driving.

[Lou Girardin]

The nearest pole camera to Tokoroa is on the northern side of Cambridge on SH1 and I DO get an indication from it. I must investigate further. I wonder whether other vehicles triggering it produce an electronic signal which can be detected. Thoughts anyone????

You'll be getting a false from something else. Is the alert K or Ka band?

[vifferman]

The police attitude is you should never overtake (seriously). "Wait for a passing lane." (yes *I* know there are lots of places where there aren't any).

Surely the overarching principle/concern is safety on the roads? Isn't that the reason behind the road traffic laws?
So, when I got my ticket, I should've overtaken more carefully (under say 112km/h), or not overtaken at all, given that the 4WD had sped up (as almost everyone does on passing lanes).

So, other options? Lessseee..
Stopped and waited till the vehicle was a long way ahead? (And then possibly catch up to it again).
Drive at 85-90 km/h until the other vehicle turned off somewhere? (I was already tired and getting cold, and being buffeted around/asphyxiated).

I dunno.
I agree with there being laws, and with penalties for breaking them, but the enforcement of the laws should be made with a good dollop of commonsense, and the reason for the laws in mind (not catch-phrases) or for revenue gathering / quota reasons.

On a passing lane, the passing vehicle (usually) doesn't cross the centreline, so if it exceeds the speed limit by a small margin, and therefore passes more safely (and allows other vehicles to also overtake the slow vehicle(s), surely that's better than travelling at no faster than 100 km/h and running out of road? In my case, I deserved a ticket, because 32 km/h is not "a small margin", but I would've been really pissed off if it had been for 115 or thereabouts. Still, the difference between 100 and 132 is a poofteenth of a degree of throttle rotation on any 100+hp bike.

[Eurygnomes]

In Wellington they've had speed cameras in vans for AGES now. I know when I'm on my way home from Porirua there's one particular bend they like to use - and the vans are green as well, nigh on indistinguishable from surrounding shrubbery. Horror. And no matter how much I know that I'm not actually going over the speed limit - I always check.

What's this about bikes going towards cameras not being able to be picked up?

[Ixion]

In Wellington they've had speed cameras in vans for AGES now. I know when I'm on my way home from Porirua there's one particular bend they like to use - and the vans are green as well, nigh on indistinguishable from surrounding shrubbery. Horror. And no matter how much I know that I'm not actually going over the speed limit - I always check.

What's this about bikes going towards cameras not being able to be picked up?

No front number plates. They can pick you up OK, but theres nothing on the piccy to say what your rego is. Of course, if it's a manned (non pole) camera, and the operator is alert and notices, and gives enough of a toss, he can , in theory, write down your rego as you go past, and send it on to the processing people. Doubt anyone would be bothered though.

[Blackbird]

You'll be getting a false from something else. Is the alert K or Ka band?

Hmmm.... good point - there are motels down that strip, thanks for that. To be honest, I didn't notice whether it was K or Ka. Will investigate further.

[Sutage]

So mounted pole speed cameras dont get bikes?
I heard a rumour that they dont get 50cc scooters.. not that they can go really fast but on a downhill.... because they are made of all plastic or something i dunno
ive always wondered tho..
theres a bitch one on Atkinson Road in titirangi, you can roll down no throttle at like 60+ then theres a nice speed camera right at the bottom, morons.. everyone knows about it now tho and they just speed up as soon as they get past it:P

[madboy]

In the Wgtn area I've seen red and a dark green L300s for cameras. A favourite haunt of theirs is parked in the shadow of the trees on the SH2 side of the Ngauranga interchange northbound, and a bit further up on the old weigh station toward Horokiwi.

Can't recall the specifics behind pole mounted cameras (someone mentioned it in another thread) but basically they work off detecting metal or weight I think, and a bike doesn't have enough to set them off. So they don't get you full-stop. And I know this has to be true cos I haven't had a ticket speeding past the two I pass every single work day. And at the speeds I sometimes clock up, it ain't cos I'm within the margins!

As for the vans, they operate on radar so yes they pick you up. Front on as pointed out, they take a pretty picture of you and your bike but no front plate... ahh... gotta love bikes. Rear on, different story. Unless the angles have been changed from when they were car mounted, the radar operated on something like 20-something degrees and was a very faint signal, hence the difficulty in picking them up. And radar detectors rely heavily on reflected signals, so if you're on the motorway with a metal median strip you might get a good warning, but in the middle of nowhere with nothing metallic to rebound off, your warning would be low.

Failing that, just take the friggin plate off. Problem solved.

[Gremlin]

In my case, I deserved a ticket, because 32 km/h is not "a small margin", but I would've been really pissed off if it had been for 115 or thereabouts. Still, the difference between 100 and 132 is a poofteenth of a degree of throttle rotation on any 100+hp bike.

I dunno, I overtook a car today, that was going slow, braking for no reason etc.

Downhill straight, doing 85-90, got the revs up properly, blipped past nice and safely. Looked at speedo as I was moving to the left, and saw I was doing 135 odd. Never even needed 100hp.

Might look into a flash hot detector (radar, laser poss jammer) coz the bloody restricted ain't coming for 4 months. atm, if a cop caught me doing that... well, words wouldn't be needed...

[DingDong]

We all need to get to grips with where we ride to avoid these vans, SH33 between TePuke & Rotorua (white L300 van), the road between Hinuera and Cambrige (green L300 van)
The pole cameras are easy... if you dont know the town...slow down

[Lou Girardin]

If a driver/rider can't see an L300 van in time to brake to a legal speed, He's either going fast enough to deserve a ticket or he's asleep. Either way, I have no sympathy.

[mattt]

The vans are a little harder to pick up with a radar detector. From what I know, the VAN EMITS its signal accross the road at a 45deg angle. So you will pretty much pick up its signal when you look at it at a 45deg angle. But you do get fragments of lost signal before and after the van. However, if you are doing 120+km/hr... by the time your radar goes off, you have been snapped!

Nup, not true. The majority of the time those tinted vans parked in bumfuck no-where are on lengthly straights eg Matamata area, or Taupo-Tokoroa road. Travelling down south in a mates Caldina GTT fitted with a Valentine 1.8 it picked up the van with ease, but more importantly with enough time to back off from 125ks....

I've never owned a detector, but seeing this one pick up HP's every time justifies the 8hundy price tag.

[Pixie]

Get yourself a radar detector from Trademe. M detector picks up camera vans and pole detectors several hundred metres away! I get more value from it for this appplication than with the Highway Patrol!

How does your detector pick up pole cameras when they don't use microwaves?
Is it a GPS equiped unit with the pole camera locations programmed into it?