Speed Camera Goes Bye Bye!

TOP COP'S SPEED CAMERA U-TURN
A top UK policeman is concerned speed cameras may do lasting damage to the reputation of the boys in blue, according to a report in the UK press. Peter Joslin, former Chief Constable of Warwickshire and one of the key campaigners for speed cameras in the 1980s, is worried "it's gone too far".

"If the public is so upset -- and there's no doubt it is -- perhaps it's time to take a fresh look. Policing is about balancing priorities and keeping the public on your side."

Joslin's concerns surfaced in the same week as reports of an irate motorist using dynamite to blow up a fixed speed camera. The speed camera was the last of five on the same stretch of road to be destroyed, one by an angle grinder, and the other three using fuel-filled tyres.

Mr Joslin's said police are getting a reputation for only booking drivers, to the detriment of other police responsibilities, like reducing crime. Mr Joslin said the full extent of speed camera misuse hit home when all three of his children were caught speeding by cameras.

"That's amazing to me, as I know how they drive. None of them has had any accidents and they are good behind the wheel," he explained. One son has been caught twice and now has six points on his licence.

Joslin also feels strongly about speed limits -- particularly variable ones. He said there was no point in enforcing a school zone on weekends, or in school holidays. He also said that 75mph (120km/h) on motorways in good conditions could be too slow.

Taken from http://www.carpoint.com.au on February the 17th 2004.

Just found this aswell...

SPEEDING DRIVER FINED $277,000
Think Australian speed cameras are revenue raisers? Victorian police are just blue-suited taxmen? This unconfirmed report from an overseas internet site suggests Australia really is the lucky country.

Finnish millionaire hit with record speeding fine One of Finland's richest men has been fined a record 170,000 euros ($277,000) for speeding through the centre of the capital, Helsinki.

Jussi Salonoja, 27, heir to his family's sausage business, was caught driving 80km/h in a 40km/h zone last Thursday, the police said. Finnish traffic fines vary according to the offender's income and, according to tax office data, Salonoja's 2002 earnings were close to seven million euros.

The final penalty could still change when the case is eventually heard by a Helsinki court, as was the case with Nokia executive Anssi Vanjoki, whose 116,000 euro speeding fine was slashed by 95 per cent in 2002 due to a drop in income. If Salonoja's penalty stands, it will beat a speeding fine of more than 80,000 euros paid by Internet millionaire Jaakko Rytsola in 2000.

Taken from http://www.carpoint.com.au on February 17th 2004.

[mickey]

Heard a shcoker... could be an urban myth.

Subcontracted speedcamera lady sets up in a busy spot to catch motorists.... enter three young blokes all around 18-25 that come up to her and start to ask her questions about how the camera works and so on... Why this is going on, Lad number 4 is unscrewing the numberplate FROM the camera car.

Lads attach numberplate to own vehicle and speed past 33 times!!!!

[PIMPIN]

That's not an urban myth mickey, it happened in Canberra. I got the newspaper article..I'll chuck in on here when I find it...

Tedee

[PIMPIN]

aaahhh...here tis...



Tedee

[Troy711]

yes, those f*cking speed camera vans **** me off! i dont know if anyone here knows canberran roads very well but as i was coming home last week i saw a van on the side of the parkway. good thing i wasnt speeding. but..... about 5 Ks up the same road, there was ANOTHER van!

now tell me that is not revenue raising?

[midnight.outlaw]

How bout those ones that hide behind bushes and stuff?, Luck I wasn't speeding but on the way BACK i saw the speed camera van behind a fence! You could never see him unless you were right next to it, which by then is way too late to slow down. A#@holes!

[jafo]

i saw a camera car parked infront of my local shop so just for fun i pulled up and reversed back got out and went to get some smokes.

operator didnt think it was funny he tried to have a go at me but as he was parked in a spot that is always used for ppl going to the shop he didnt have a leg to stand on.

[gsmrobinson]

Just a question.....if a cop can only speed or brake the law if he/she has his/her lights and blowers going then why is it that they can park somewhere that I would get booked ????

Mate tried to park in front of a van because he broke down. The cop got out and told him he would book him for illegal parking, some crap about interferring with a police operation and driving an unroadworthy car....just because it broke down !!!!! So poor bastard had to push it up a hill 200 mts.

I still believe that if they had a car going up and down the freeway flashing his head lights that that would work a lot better than any radar gun.

Regards Guy.

[goldenholdenboy]

some bloke from darwin spotted a speed camera so he slowed to 55 kmh and then went past the camera and just to be clever he went around the block another 5 times. a week later the bloke gets 5 tickets in the mail for not wearing a seat belt.

[goldenholdenboy]

about a year ago now this fella decided he was going to do some burnouts on some grass in front of a speed camera so this bloke (from darwin) covered up his numberplates and off he went. but he forgot that he had a for sale sign on his car and so after a couple of days he gets a phone call from somebody who wanted to have a look at the car so he aranged to meet the person and when he did meet the person he was handed a fine by the undercover cop who called about the car. true story

[Slinktus]

yeah i would have to say they are all just rev raiseing idiots who dont seem to follow the laws them selfs.
i was pulled up about a year ago because i was accused of cutting off a coppa at a round about anyway i saw his blinker onand so did my 3 passengers anyway after he gave me the fine he jumped in his 4wd and did a burn out over unbroken lines a nilly over a island.. what a wanker