And the rats get more cunning

[wkid_one]

Sneaky cam: the new speed trap for drivers

06 March 2004 By HAYDON DEWES

Wily drivers who slow down for speed cameras then resume speeding could soon be nabbed by linked cameras lurking further along the road.




The national road safety committee, made up of executives from the Land Transport Safety Authority, Transport Ministry, police, ACC and Transit, is considering a paper that looks at a range of options designed to cut speeding. It includes point-to-point cameras, which are being tried in Victoria and New South Wales and are used in Britain.

One camera digitally records the number plate of a vehicle as it passes, and a second camera further up the road takes another, time-recorded, snapshot.

If a motorist arrives at the second camera faster than the speed limit allows, the average speed is calculated and used as evidence of speeding.

Police national road policing manager Superintendent Steve Fitzgerald said the cameras were a good idea because they allowed police to pinpoint persistent offenders.

"In some respects they certainly identify those people who don't want to obey speed limits and it's not the occasional slip," he said.

However, the cameras would be a big investment. They were normally mounted on overbridges or gantries, which were not as common on New Zealand roads as overseas.

The committee would consider the paper this month and monitor the Australian trials during the next year.

[SPman]

The LTSA will probably slavishly follow Vicroads regardless of what any "study" shows. Unless they are totally independent, "studies" can be made to show, whatever you want them to show!

[Lou Girardin]

An incentive to take different routes to work. But, knowing the genius's at LTSA, they'll put them somewhere like, between the Harbour bridge and Market Rd.
Lou

[Yamahamaman]

Would that not mean that they would have to photograph every vehicle whether speeding or not?

If you don't have a primary reference then there is not way that you can have a control.

Unlikely to happen here without a huge cost outlay in technology. As far as I know (I prolly don't know that much) not all fixed camera installations are actually armed (equipped with camera full time) because of the costs involved, and the 'Establishment' is quite happy with the income from current installations.

Sneaky cam: the new speed trap for drivers

06 March 2004 By HAYDON DEWES

Wily drivers who slow down for speed cameras then resume speeding could soon be nabbed by linked cameras lurking further along the road.




The national road safety committee, made up of executives from the Land Transport Safety Authority, Transport Ministry, police, ACC and Transit, is considering a paper that looks at a range of options designed to cut speeding. It includes point-to-point cameras, which are being tried in Victoria and New South Wales and are used in Britain.

One camera digitally records the number plate of a vehicle as it passes, and a second camera further up the road takes another, time-recorded, snapshot.

If a motorist arrives at the second camera faster than the speed limit allows, the average speed is calculated and used as evidence of speeding.

Police national road policing manager Superintendent Steve Fitzgerald said the cameras were a good idea because they allowed police to pinpoint persistent offenders.

"In some respects they certainly identify those people who don't want to obey speed limits and it's not the occasional slip," he said.

However, the cameras would be a big investment. They were normally mounted on overbridges or gantries, which were not as common on New Zealand roads as overseas.

The committee would consider the paper this month and monitor the Australian trials during the next year.

[spudchucka]

Even I'll admit that speed cameras suck.

I still reckon you've got to be pretty stupid to get nabbed by them though.

[Holy Roller]

Had a mate in a cage a jappa 4wd turbo fuel injected pocket rocket who regularly traveled between Rotorua and Auckland ( a decade ago) who was stopped one night returning from Auckland, and given a stern warning .... Aparently the cops in AK radioed down the line to watch out for the above mentioned pocket rocket giving the time seen departing. He had made really good time can't remember the details but that record stood for quite some time. (Not that I condone excessive speed
.) He was lucky to only get a warning.

[Jackrat]

Yep ,They have em' in Victoria.They call them safty Cams and are aimed mainly at the trucking industry.But I know from personal expereince they will also pick up a falcon Ute with a wide load sign on the roof.

[SpankMe]

cunning? I don't think so. More like fascist police state. So were do you draw the line. It not easy when they just keep making small changes over the years. How many still and video cams looking at us are enough? Some are needed but if they just keep putting up more, in a few decades, or maybe centuries, our decedents will find themselves living in 1984. If we can’t decide now where the limit is and put it into law, then we never will.

[Lou Girardin]

Had a mate in a cage a jappa 4wd turbo fuel injected pocket rocket who regularly traveled between Rotorua and Auckland ( a decade ago) who was stopped one night returning from Auckland, and given a stern warning .... Aparently the cops in AK radioed down the line to watch out for the above mentioned pocket rocket giving the time seen departing. He had made really good time can't remember the details but that record stood for quite some time. (Not that I condone excessive speed
.) He was lucky to only get a warning.

That's how they nailed a Jag driver in the '60's. He did Auck to Wellington in around 6 1/2 hours when the road was crap and twisty. He boasted about it and they charged him based on average speed.
Lou

[kasper]

why slow down if you can see the camer in front of you then they cant see your number plate.

also if i am speedign and i see a camer facing the other way i congratulate them on catchign me (i dont slow down) and hope like hell that it has no film.

6 1/2 hours waht the hell dd he do ride the jag on two wheels!?

[merv]

Spud its stuff like this that pisses us off about the Police. Yeah sure they are only doing their job and its really the politicians driving the law so how do we get Don Brash to get the polls up on an anti-anti-speed campaign. Reason I say this is not that I speed excessively or anything but having had my licence 34 years (never had an insurance claim the whole time either)now I believe I am fairly experienced at driving/riding to suit the conditions and my ability, but if I get pinged for driving my Landcruiser down an empty Wellington motorway at 113km/hr and such silly little breaches of the law it pisses me off. I preferred it when the cops could use discretion. Before this latest HP crew were employed the Police proper were doing the highway stuff too. One night back then I was pulled up for doing 130km/hr in the car on the empty motorway and got pulled up and got told just to take it easy - was about 10:30pm and I guess main thing he was looking for was how drunk I was (not at all of course because I hardly drink). Now there's this zero tolerance shit and it makes no sense. If its safe to drive the motorway at 100km/hr in a cyclone (camera won't ping you if you are doing 100) then surely its safe to drive over that speed on a clear quiet night. Its not like Cinderellas slippers and it doesn't turn to custard at the magic stroke of 100 on your speedo. There is no logic in the approach being taken and most people know it, hence they drive to suit the road theya re on. I have said before a few cops I know are bikers and they do not ride slow. Go figure how can you have a job that really makes you a hypocrite?

Just as an aside I remember being at the Solway Hotel back a few years ago and the WD & HO Wills dudes were having a conference there too - just about killed us if our group got anywhere near them because of the smoke. Those dudes were dedicated to their business - that's commitment.

I don't see the cops as committed to the policies they are enforcing and eventually something's gotta change. One solution would be for the pollies to introduce much higher speed limits on the roads that can take it (like Italy) and leave those that can't at the lower limit. Maybe time based too much as is done with the Ngauranga Gorge system at the moment, but damn that should be back to 100km/hr for the whole length in quiet times. When they first lowered the limit at time of the new road construction (Newlands flyover etc) they said it would be put back again when the work was finished - never happened - limit has stayed at 80 for most of it.

Also try following any Police car in a 50km/hr zone - I see plenty near the Police College - ever seen one go as slow as 50? Not me.

[wkid_one]

Also try following any Police car in a 50km/hr zone - I see plenty near the Police College - ever seen one go as slow as 50? Not me.

Best car to follow when you are late is a cop car - they never travel at the speed limit.

[marty]

That's how they nailed a Jag driver in the '60's. He did Auck to Wellington in around 6 1/2 hours when the road was crap and twisty. He boasted about it and they charged him based on average speed.
Lou

650kms in 6 1/2 hours = 100km/h average. what did they charge him with? even if the limit was 80k at the time, surely the fine was all of $20. would be worth the bragging rights i reckon......

[Lou Girardin]

In those days the limit was 55mph = 88 km/h, and if you're averaging 100km/h on those roads you were doing serious speeds on the straight bits.
BTW. Camera car operators can still manually record your reg as you pass. ( if he's awake)
Lou

[spudchucka]

Merv, I hear what you say and you can be sure that heaps of cops feel the same way. Some traffic cops are outright unreasonable and that makes the job the general duties cops are doing more difficult.

To me speed enforcement like everything should be approached in a common sense manner. Example:

Speeding near schools, hospitals, old folks homes and residential areas - you get a ticket.

Speeding along open road, good conditions, minimal traffic - cop needs to consider the time place and circumstances - ticket where appropriate. The only variation is if the driver is a burglar, thief, drug dealer or other form of human scum - then stuff them, they get whatever the can be done for.

Having said this however it is widely known that warning people has no long term effect on their driving behaviour. Being fair to the coppers you must understand this when feeling hard done by for getting a ticket.

As for cops riding bikes and speeding, well they face the same consequences and more if they are caught. How do you think a dangerous driving conviction would effect a cops career, it wouldn't be that flash. But cops know this and if they take the risk they have to accept the consequences.

And before anyone says the cops will never ticket another cop - wrong - plenty wouldn't hesitate.