Gatso attacked for the second time in two years

A speed camera has been destroyed for the second time after an arsonist placed a tyre around it and set it alight!

The same Gatso was felled two years ago with an angle grinder and has once again been targeted.

This time, a tyre was placed over the shell housing the camera and set alight, causing £38,000 worth of damage.

Police are working out if the device near Nuneaton, Warwickshire, was attacked by a driver with a grudge against the cameras or by someone it had caught.

Stephen Rumble, from the Warwickshire CRP (Casualty Reduction Partnership - or Camera Revenue Partnetship??), said: "We're very disappointed to see damage being inflicted on a camera.

The usual stance was taken and he said "It has been put there in order to try to improve the safety of the road."

"That particular location has seen a number of unpleasant crashes in recent years and cameras have proved very successful in reducing collisions."

In March 2003, demolition worker James O' Callaghan, from Horbling in Lincolnshire, felled this Gatso with an angle grinder to avoid a £60 speeding ticket.

He had been caught driving at 13mph above the 60mph limit.

He was forced to pay £4,000 in compensation and do 120 hours community service after admitting criminal damage.

Newcastle Traffic CCTV Are Cameras Watching You!

Newcastle upon Tyne has become another major UK city to introduce Traffic CCTV cameras.

These cameras monitor vehicle movement, parking and any parking offences. They are a part of a feasability study into the possible introduction of a Congestion Charge and a "Pay per Mile" policy.

The network of twenty nine cameras are being installed by Barrier Surveillance and they relay live video feeds via a radio link to Newcastle's Civic Centre where the councils parking control department monitor and record the video.

The installation of these cameras is ongoing. We have some their locations and logged their GPS positions so you can add them to your in-car SatNav.

-1.61153, 54.97791, "B1307 Saint Marys Place"
-1.59480, 54.98654, "A1058 Stephenson Road"
-1.59892, 54.98273, "B1307 Sandyford Road"
-1.60399, 54.98080, "B1307 Sandyford Road"
-1.60916, 54.98021, "B1307 Sandyford Road"
-1.66402, 54.99354, "A167/A191 Springfield Road"
-1.63004, 54.96898, "B1600 Rye Hill"
-1.63650, 54.97766, "Beaconsfield Street"
-1.61500, 54.97134, "Grainger Street"

Alternatively, you can download the .ov2 file and icon for TomTom by clicking here.

Just copy both files to your maps folder on your SD Card and set your TomTom alerts.

As more cameras come to our attention, we'll update this information.

Information provided by Barrier Surveillance

24x7 Real Time vehicle database

A "24x7 national vehicle movement database" that logs everything on the UK's roads and retains the data for at least two years is now being built, according to an Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) strategy document leaked to the Sunday Times.

The Register reports this system is currently under development.

Click here to view the entire report.

If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear right?

Well, I wonder. The UK have more cameras per head than any other country in Europe.




The UK government are:

• Introducing ID Cards for every citizen
• Introducing a new national ANPR system to track EVERY vehicle on UK roads
• Uses live video surveillance in every major city
• Has thousands of Gatso, Truvelo and ANPR cameras both mobile and static across the country
• Potentially has access to the national Traffic Master systems network which GreedCameras.co.uk predict - the government will use at some point in the near future to help build their ANPR database(s).
  

In the UK, the average person is recorded on CCTV around 14 times per day.

Soon, the UK goverment (and the police) will know who you are, where you are, what you are doing and all this information will be recorded and held on a national database which - by the request of international law enforcement agencies - can be passed directly to them for their own investigations.

A true BIG BROTHER state

ANPR cameras CANNOT read dirty plates

The use of new police cameras to read car number plates means drivers and enforcement agencies must tighten up their act, a motoring body claims.

The AA Motoring Trust said automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras cannot read plates obscured by dirt or with incorrect character spacing.

Apparently, a man with a customised plate was stopped in North Wales because officers did not think it was genuine.

A police spokesman said number plate defects could trigger a spot check.

Police forces across the UK are making increasing use of ANPR cameras, which scan a number plate and then search a database of more than 35 million registrations in just four seconds.

If the registration matches one of the estimated one million "wanted" vehicles on the system, an alert is sounded to the roadside police patrol.

ANPR is a vital part of the ACPO's new vehicle database, nicnamed Gatso II.

Cameras Up and Officers Down

According to a BBC Report, the number of police officers in Devon and Corwall has been slashed since the intorduction of speed cameras. In 2001 the force reduced its number of traffic officers by 11% to only 192. This is around the time the cameras were becoming widespread.

The force has said however that the number of officers has remained static but was under review and likely to be increased.

The BBC obtained this informatiob through the Freedom of Information Act.

Meanwhile, Road Safety campaigners have criticised this move claiming these speed cameras do not detect dangerous driving.

Newcastle Gatso are for income only

Newcastle based newspaper, The Evening Chronicle reported on August 23rd 2002 thta Speed Cameras in Newcastle upon Tyne were being abused by siting them at locations where fines could easily be collected, rather than accident blackspots.

"An investigation reveals a third more cameras are positioned on the UK's safest 50 roads than on the 50 most dangerous stretches, and this is said to be repeated in all areas of Britain.

The reason is claimed to be because the number of speed cameras is increasing at the remarkable rate of 5,000 a year, with revenue now amounting to more than £50 million a year for the Treasury."

Northumbria Police use speed cameras throughout the county but County Durham understand that these cameras alienate the police from motorists and refuse to install them.

Shadow transport secretary, Tim Collins, said: "Speed cameras must be located at accident blackspots rather than at locations that are best for collecting fines."

GREED Cameras aren't saving lives !!

A report by the ABD (Association of British Drivers) claims that speed cameras are not saving lives.

We believe Speed Cameras are revenue generators only and they are not being used as an effective tool to reduce road deaths.

The money the government is generating from these is unbelievable. In 2003, the government cashed in big time. These thieves took £107, 000, 000 from motorists and road deaths were up on 2002.

In 2000, there were 699, 400 fixed penalties issued and 3, 084 road deaths.
In 2003, there were 1, 784, 500 fixed penalties issued and 3, 177 road deaths.

If we follow the governments way of thinking, the more fixed penalties issued should reflect in a decrease in road deaths as greed cameras "save lives".

In 2000, when there were 699, 400 fixed penalty tickets issued, 3, 084 people lost their lives on British roads. So in 2003, when there were 1, 784, 500 fixed penalties issued, surely (remember we're following the governments logic here) less people should have lost their lives. Right?

Wrong! In 2003, fixed penalties rocketed by 255% and road deaths went up by 3%.

If speed cameras save lives we would expect a strong correlation between speeding convictions and road deaths. Shouldn't a 255% increase in fixed penalties create a massive reduction in road deaths?

In recent years where the number of prosecutions has gone up, so has the number of road deaths. Doesn't this proves beyond any reasonable doubt that speed cameras do not save lives but simply generate an income for the government?

The guts of a Gatso

How much would you pay for this?

The equipment inside this FIP (Fixed Installation Post) will set the police or speed camera partnerships back £30, 000.

The FIP (roadside housing) will set them back an additional £10, 000. This figure could be higher in rural areas where there is no power supply and a new feed needs installing.

An average cost of a Gatso is around £40, 000.



THE CAMERA
The camera installed is a 35mm camera unit with a film cartridge holding a high capacity film.

THE FLASH
This is a high intensity strobe which is triggered day or night. If you're flashed, there is no mistaking it, you'll see the strobe go off.

POWER SUPPLY
Because the equipment works on 12v DC, the camera unit needs a power supply with a transformer to knock the power supply down from 240v AC (mains) to 12DC ro power the Gatso.

THE RADAR
The centre strip on the front of the camera unit is the Radar. This is what calculates the speed of the passing vehicle and relays the data to the Radar Control Unit.

THE RADAR CONTROL UNIT
This allows the police to set the speed threshold pont for that road. The digital display allows the operator to scroll up or down and set the speed limit. There is also a test button on this unit to allow the operator to check the equipment.

This equipment is maintained by unlocking the "head" of the camera and sliding it down the post where the back of the unit is opened.

If you're flashed when the operator has the camera head down from the top of the post, you'll probably be OK as it will be the operator running a test before the camera is left alone to prey on motorists.

ILLEGAL speed limit signs in Northumberland

Alnwick, Northumberland is sporting some illegal speed limit signs.


Motorists entering Alnwick from the A1 Northbound carriageway can see these and technically avoid prosecution for speeding.

The correct format for speed limit signs - according the the 1991 Road Traffic Act- is shown below. A clear speed limit (in this case 30mph) housed within a red circle. Here, the sign shows the 30mph speed limit housed inside a black circle.

This is therefore an "illegal order" and as a result, the speed limit here cannot be legally enforced.

This is the correct format for a speed limit sign.
The speed limit must be clearly displayed inside
a red circle and be visible from the road.

Now look at these speed limit signs on the way into Alnwick.


These appear correct at first glance. They have the speed limit clearly marked and surrounded by a red circle but they are also surrounded by a yellow circle, making them illegal. Again, the speed limit here cannot be legally enforced because the speed limit signs themselves, are illegal.


Here is another example of an illegal speed limit sign and still in Alnwick.



This is Alnwicks third illegal speed limit sign and all these are within a few metres of each other.

These signs display the 30mph speed limit inside a red circle and this is surrounded by a yellow square.


Eglingham is a small village approximately seven miles outside of Alnwick. The village has a narrow road running through it and can be busy at times. With this is mind, the speed limit is a safe 30mph.



Just one catch here though. Technically, these signs are illegal and therefore, the speed limit cannot be legally enforced. The problems with these mirror those in Alnwick.

Other villages with the same signs in use are Long Horsley, Longframlington and Powburn.

If you have been prosecuted for speeding in these areas, we would encourage you to appeal against your conviction and question the legallity of your prosecution.

Britains next top traffic cop snapped Speeding !!

Source: METRO, Oct 31st, 2005

A Chief Constable poised to take on "Britains top traffic police job" was caught speeding TWICE himself.

Meredydd Hughes, of South Yorkshire Police takes over as head of roads policing at the ACPO this week.

Last year he was twice caught by cameras on the A61 near Sheffield during a trip to South Wales.

He received two £60 fines and six penalty points on his license.

Nevertheless Hughes thinks all cameras should be mobile and hidden.

We Say:
Quote: "Nevertheless Hughes thinks all cameras should be mobile and hidden."

Sound good! If this was the case Hughes... you'd lose your license in days! You're not really setting a good example now are you?

As a "top traffic officer", shouldn't you be setting an example?

Speed fine loop hole for drivers

Motorists Hero or Disgruntled Traffic Officer?


A retired police officer, Richard Bentley and solicitor Barry Culshaw are spear heading a campaign to get motorists to appeal against speeding and parking fines because of ILLEGAL SIGNS.

Tonight on "Tonight with Trevor MacDonald" Mr Bentley explained how many local authorities have placed speed limit signs at speed enforcement sites incorrectly. In some cases, the signs are installed in the wrong locations where others are not of the legal standard and colour schemes.

By analysing a copy of the 1991 Road Traffic Act, one can see how the signage should be assembled for it to be "legal". If these signs are not assembled and installed correctly, they are illegal and therefore cannot be legally enforced.

Where speeding fines (and parking fines) are enforced in these areas, they have been done so illegally and the motorist has a right of appeal on a technicallity.

Motorists are encouraged to check sites where they have been caught speeding and if they believe there is any flaw in the signage or camera locations to seek legal advice.

Authorities are not above the law and must install and maintain all road signs and markings correctly if they are to enforce the law.

Greed Camera Cop quits but wants more Gatsos

Britains top traffic policeman has quite with a call for more speed cameras to be installed on our roads.

Richard Brunstrom revealed he was resigning as head of ACPO and said he wants to see a more flexible system for deciding which roads have cameras - commonly made by Gatso.

Current rules state there must be at least four serious accidents on a stretch of road before a fixed camera can be installed.

Now, sites where only a minor accident has occured could qualify.

Brunstrom, Chief Constable of North Wales Police, has been discussing reform with the Speed Camera Board which included Department of Transport officials.

He said: "Parents often ask us to put a camera outside a school because the traffic is so dangerous." 'It's very difficult to write back and say "Please let us know when your son is killed and then we can consider putting a camera there".

'If we change the criteria to include slight injuries, then the liklihood is we would have more camera sites.'

Brunstrom also offered some speeding drivers the prospect of re-education courses to escape prosecution. This scheme would allow police to take into account a motorists history and theyr risk to others.

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