Alfa Romeo Forum banner

Are speed cameras a good idea?

  • Yes - if you get caught you've only yourself to blame

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Sometimes - but perhaps there's too many off them

    Votes: 8 32.0%
  • No - they're just a way for the government to make money

    Votes: 13 52.0%
  • Don't know - there's arguments for either side

    Votes: 4 16.0%

Speed camera's, a good idea?

1K views 20 replies 14 participants last post by  Forza Tranmere 
#1 ·
I'm rather ambivalent to the whole speed camera debate. On the one hand it annoys me when people whinge on about how they've been done for only doing 35mph in a 30mph limit (they were still speeding :tut: ), but on the other, the logical thing to do would be to limit the top speed of cars to 70mph - which I wouldn't agree with :eek: . I've been done by a camera in the past, and it is annoying :( , but then again we've all seen people drive too quick for the road conditions. What do people think about speed cameras?
 
G
#2 ·
As one who is currently serving 'down-time' at Her Maj's pleasure, I think they are rather over-done. There is a place for them though.

What I would like to see is more unmarked Police cars catching arseholes who tailgate at stupid (but not necessarily illegal) speeds in the wet, and a million and one other things that are incredibly dangerous which you see every day. But that requires manpower of course!
 
#4 ·
We have very few gatsos in Greece yet but i'm against them. Here are some reasons:

- People see them at the very last moment, slam on their brakes and potentially cause a pileup.

- You can't reason with a camera, if it gets you at 3 o'clock in the morning on a working day on an empty highway it will be the same as if you were moving like a pinball through morning traffic.

- The state tends to put them in places that yu can speed with absolutely no danger, e.g. a four-lane 10 mile straight motorway stretch, instead of a place where it would actually protect you.

I could accept some gatsos provided that:

- They are right before dangerous places, e.g. tight bends.
- There is ample warning for their existence from a good distance.
 
#5 ·
I think there's a place for speed cameras ( and I don't mean at the bottom of a big pit :rolleyes: ), but outside schools, hospitals and on some roads for example. However, they are too blunt an instrument on their own and don't actually catch the most dangerous drivers of all.

I'm a firm believer that inappropriate speed is the issue and not exceeding a given arbitrary limit. But sadly, there will never be enough money or policemen to catch the real criminals on the road and instead they will concentrate on the easy targets!
 
G
#6 ·
AlfaJack said:
nononononooo, they are my biggest fear on the road :rant:
I'm sure you aren't a bad driver, so you have nothing to fear ;) . The rozzer who did me with his ray gun told me he doesn't bother with people doing 90 on a motorway (I was foolish enough, for once only :rolleyes: , to be doing considerably more than this). I am heartily sick and tired of seeing people driving appallingly and having ridiculously illegal number plates, getting away scot-free.
 
#8 ·
I vote that there just a money making scam for the goverment.Which I do believe...But,if they were used as entended when they first hit the roads in England.. then I would have no problem with them.as fot the "Safety Camera Partrnership" what a load of BOLL@CKS that is and a big FECKING SCAM too!
 
#9 ·
I personally would be perfectly understanding if i was stopped by an actual police officer. If in their (expert....) opinion, they believed my speed was excessive, then fair enough, you can't argue. But to be caught by a camera, which is set at 0% tolerance would really get my goat. Ok, fair enough i would have been speeding, but i believe that the speed limits should be reviewed and it's nice to know that some officers do take conditions etc into consideration, a camera doesn't. The speed limits were set using a ford anglia and were based on that car's stopping distances. On the motorway i believe there's a strong case to raise the limit to 80, seeing as everyone seems to go at that speed anyway! However i believe the only time this will happen is when we eventually switch from limits in MPH to KPH (it'll happen) at which point we'll probably follow France's lead.

What i would love to see would be more marked police cars back on the road, encouraging people to drive sensibly. I drove from Reading to Winchester yesterday and twice on the M3 had people pull out into the outside lane without indicating at the last minute causing me to brake hard. Winds me up.
 
#10 ·
Johnnywb said:
I personally would be perfectly understanding if i was stopped by an actual police officer. If in their (expert....) opinion, they believed my speed was excessive, then fair enough, you can't argue. But to be caught by a camera, which is set at 0% tolerance would really get my goat.
I sort of understand your point, but the problem with that is that there's an awful lot of subjectivity involved, so you might get a situation whereby one person received a fine, and another is let off, when they've travelled the same speed down the same road. At least speed camaeras are more objective.

How were the exams by the way?
 
#11 ·
Since speed or "Safety" camera's have appeared everywhere, it seems that there are less police on the roads. I have also noticed that the general driving standard has fallen because of this. People tailgate, pull out on you and use phones whilst driving and other things as they know they won't be caught.
Having said that I have just come back from Manila and the driving there is far worse than here..
 
#12 ·
symonh2000 said:
Since speed or "Safety" camera's have appeared everywhere, it seems that there are less police on the roads. I have also noticed that the general driving standard has fallen because of this. People tailgate, pull out on you and use phones whilst driving and other things as they know they won't be caught.
Having said that I have just come back from Manila and the driving there is far worse than here..
I think some of the mobile camera's are used to prosecute those types of offence, as wasn't that woman caught applying her make-up with no hands on the steering wheel by one?
 
#13 ·
Gary Slegg said:
How were the exams by the way?
The exams were ok thanks, just doing the last one a 27-hour paper, basically write a 2,500 word report including research in 27 hours. The title:

With reference to both property management and valuation, discuss the extent to which you agree that markets and opporunities are shifting and assess the implications for property managers and valuation professionals.

Nice.
 
#14 ·
I think in some circumstances their use is justified, e.g by schools or zebra crossings or where people jump red lights (but they're not really speed camera's as such).

However, I do think there's to many of them and they are used in unjustifiable places.

Personally I'd like to see the use of more variable speed limits - doing 60mph in an area at 6 o'clock in the morning may be reasonably safe - but at 4pm it may be reckless
 
#15 ·
What I think is, at least in France, we don't see enough of these things close to schools and hospitals, and too many on straight roads where people usually speed up by 10 to 20 km/h somewhat safely. :eek: :eek:

The true reason being, the French govt is making a lot of money on speed radars / cameras. On top of that, it even outsourced the job of setting up and maintaining the latest speedcams network to a private company that's remunerated proportionally to the fines. So, by definition they will set up their systems where they can make money, not necessarily where they're needed for public safety!!! And now, even French cops are given monthly goals as to how much they must be "making" in fines... Properly disgusting! :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant:
 
G
#16 ·
Johnnywb said:
What i would love to see would be more marked police cars back on the road, encouraging people to drive sensibly. I drove from Reading to Winchester yesterday and twice on the M3 had people pull out into the outside lane without indicating at the last minute causing me to brake hard. Winds me up.
Trouble is, with the don't-give-a-sh*t-t0ssers who wilfully drive badly, they will drive correctly when in the visible presence of the Law (for example the idiotic queue of people all doing exactly 70mph on a motorway when they see a copper on the inside lane). They then revert to their tailgating, non-indicating, roundabout ****-upping ways. It may be stealthy and devious, but I think more unmarked cars may be the thing TBH :( .
 
#17 ·
They are called safety cameras but they are patently not. In fact they can be the opposite. If they work then you have already been travelling too fast by definition.

The best and most effective forms of speed moderation are those intelligent lights which trigger warning signs telling you to slow down.

IMO speed cameras are little more than stealth tax collectors.
 
#19 ·
Cameras are the "brain child of controlling left wing governments who do not want you to think about what you do.
Left wing parties are not only socialists and Religists but also parties like the Nazi party was also a left wing party but with with "racist*" policies) .

A Right wing party would look after your freedoms and rights not coerce you to conform.


* I do not personaly agree with the term Racist as there has been no actuual confirmation that the concept of Race is even valid for humans. Certainly analysis of our DNA does not,so far, suport the cocept of race. You can IMO, be colourist, culturalist, religist, etc but not racist.
 
#20 ·
Twice I have been caught by clear revenue generators - one on a national speed limit single carridgeway road, posistioned just after a bend, about 10 feet inside a 30mph sign also just after the bend. There was a hidden side road, presumably the reason for the drop in speed limit, but if thry really wanted to stop accidents, put it before the bend!

the other just before a dual carridge way steps up from 40 to 70, no side roads or other dangers, just there to catch people being a bit quick of the mark
 
#21 ·
I've been caught by cameras and a real live traffic policeman on the Motorway. Very different experiences.

Caught by the cameras averaging 56 mph in a 40 mph roadworks zone on the M6. This was at 2 am in the morning, no other traffic in sight and no 'workforce in road'. Ok I was speeding but surely not posing any risk to anyone.

Stopped by the Policeman who was polite & reasonable, gave me an explanation of the possible risks to myself & others. It was in my opinion a fair cop. No complaints.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top