Camera hidden in horsebox - is this legal?

[sjwright]

Hi,

I think i been caught speeding on a 60 stretch of road by a policeman with a speed gun hidden in a horsebox!! is this legal?? I thought they had to be highly visable. ********!

[andrea81]

I feel a bit silly believing the police that they only put up speed cameras as a prevention method not a way of making money!

Oh how naive of me!

[raysparx1]

Hi yes it is now legal, it was on the news in Wales last night, on the A470 they have a mobile unit and the camera was placed in a horse box, they can now hide them anywhere.

[raysparx1]

Just found this link.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/north-wales-p olice-hide-speed-camera-in-horse-trailer/

[sjwright]

i thought that if they are manned radar guns they have to be clearly visible as the could appear to be a firearm.

See: http://www.pepipoo.com/Hidden_speed_traps.htm

the second section details this.

[raysparx1]

Maybe they are supposed to be, but since when were the police honest?

[squarebear]

That page is two years old. I think the law changed since then.

[sjwright]

well the same force that hid the camera in the horsebox that i think caught me (north wales police) have their headquarters in flames as we speak :-) I think that's justice for the robbing gits!!!

[Twenty20]

Surely the question is whether you were speeding or not? Where the camera is situated seems slightly irrelevant if you were breaking the law.

[squarebear]

To my mind, they would be better hiding the cameras, so people don't deliberately slow down when they see them. If you are using the road, you should obey the rules or take the bus.

They are far more likely to catch speeders if the cameras are hidden.

[Panic Button]

Yes, but the arguement is that the cameras should be a deterrent, not a money making exercise.

That's why a few years ago they insisted they were all painted yellow, and warning signs put up. This was supposed to keep the public onside.

In my area they even broadcast on the local radio station where the mobile cameras are that day!

However the Chief Constable of North Wales thinks he is on a mission.

[mattie]

How about this for an idea - try sticking to the speed limit.

[Toureman]

Video here..........

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsres ults/mcn/2008/march/31-6/march31northwaleshors eboxpictures/?&R=EPI-99542

[squarebear]

Yes I'm with mattie. You should stick to the law. Just because someone isn't watching you, doesn't give you the go ahead to break the law.

I don't see a policeman round here now but I wouldn't think of robbing the local shop.

[JUNKMAN]

You're forgetting an important point squarebear and mattie - as far as the majority of drivers that I know are concerned speeding is acceptable, provided you don't get caught!
The excuses are Well it was only a couple of miles per hour over, or the road was nearly empty, or everyone else does it. Or the classic one - the speed limits too low for that road anyway.

[squarebear]

Speeding is acceptable as long as you don't get caught?!
Tell that to the parents of the children who get mown down each year.

[JUNKMAN]

Hey I'm not excusing them - I agree with you.
I'm just saying that an awful lot of motorists consider speeding to be a minor offence, and will continue to do it, and then complain when they get caught.

[squarebear]

Sorry Junkman. Yes I know you were agreeing. I just found it unbelievable that people actually think that way.

[dundurn]

I'm afraid there's a major difference in the way people view speed limits. 20, 30 and 40 limits are adhered to by all sane drivers, but unfortunately sanity is not tested in the driving test. I frequently see people edging over all of these just trying to get a foot or two ahead of others on the road. After 40, however, it is very much more a question of what are the chances I'll be caught? On motorways in particular 70 is just forgotten about and 80 has become the practical norm. 90 is common in overtaking and I've got very used to the car which appears in my rear view mirror, headlights on and very obviously getting shirty if I can't get out of his way in time so he can proceeed at what must be nearer 100.

On the other hand, I do get a bit paranoid as to whether I'm the one that's dawdling. I was on a long journey the other day and my satnav was telling me that my average speed was 65 when I was doing 70 on cruise control. I'm not sure who to believe now, my speedo or the TomTom.

One final point; I remember as a kid being taken out in a car 'to see the scenery'. Anyone trolling along a country road these days at 40 to give his aged parent or nipper a glimpse of the countryside will be given short shrift by other road users. The 60mph limit on non-dual carriageways is now seen as something of a minimum, not maximum, speed limit.

[Compostella]

Getting back to the actual question............. I think that if they are not highly visible, then the force don't get to keep the money and it goes to central government.

I once enquired about the gantry cameras on the surrey stretch of the M25 and was told that the revenue collected from those is not kept by the force.

I mat be wrong but that is what the Met Camera Enforcment office told me.

One final point, why does somebody read this question then decide to inflict their patronising views its author?

All the people who have droned on about their disgust of speeding should hang their heads in shame. You're views were not asked for and are of little interest.

When the question is titled "speeding, whats your view" we'll bring you in guys, until then keep go back to your cardboard cut-out world where nobody dies or is ever harmed and life is dull.

[david1702198]

if you werent speeding you wont have anything to worry about!!why is it always someone elses fault when the law is broken. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS. does it make any difference if it wasnt visible?? you seem to think its more important that your human rights have been breached due to the camera not being visible. no more important than other road users human rights who have to share roads with w a n k e r s like you.