"Martin Angove" wrote in message
...

Oh crumbs, *very* OT. Sorry, but people who complain about speed
cameras
are one of my pet hates at the moment. I'll try to restrain myself in
future :-)

They have them in sneaky places where there are no accident backspots.
Then
the public do not cooperate with them on other crime matters. A top
traffic
consultant in Northamptonshire dismissed speed as the major cause of
accidents. I think it was poor junction design, poor signs (the UKs are
appalling with ting little signs with lots of little writing), and
general
poor driving which he put above speeding. The government ignored him to
make
money on cameras.

Speed may not be a major cause of accidents, but it sure as heck makes
what might be a close shave or a minor bump into something much much
worse. Poor junctions, poor signage, poor lighting and so on all
contribute, but breaking the speed limit is a pretty reliable sign of a
selfish attitude to sharing the road which can cause a lot of problems.
"Speeding is a victimless crime so why are the police hounding people
for it?" Grow up.

Speed traps are economic measure. If they really wanted to save lives they
would attack the prime causes, but this cost money and speed is down the
list in the pecking order, but speed is the only measure which they can make
money from, so propaganda about speed being the prime cause of accidents is
issued.

An example. There is a road near here which is absolutely straight for
nearly a mile. On a good day you can see from one end to the other.
People who don't know the road like to race down it.

People who do know the road know that not only is there a hidden dip,
quite big enough to conceal a small car, but that there is a golf course
on both sides of the road and three or four places where golfers
regularly cross, there are also houses. To be honest, even 60mph can be
dangerous on this road. As it happens, there is no camera on the road,
though there are signs.

As this road nears our house the speed limit reduces to 40mph. Very few
people take note of this limit and most of the time they will not have
any problems - but you try crossing it with a toddler or a pram as we
have to (no underpass, no bridge, no crossing, and the lights just up
the road are designed to maximise traffic flow and make crossing the
road at the lights *more* dangerous than crossing nearer our house) and
you will see what I mean by speeding being selfish.

Given the fact that most speeders blithely ignore the limit, if the
possibility of cameras makes them think, then they can only be a good
thing. As I said before, it is emphatically *not* the cameras which
cause the accidents, it is those stupid drivers who see them and,
suddenly realising that they could get another three points on the
licence, slam out the anchors without thinking.

There are reckless drivers who speed. And there are quick assertive
drivers. One is very different to the other with the latter being safe. In
your road, some re-design is required to slow down the traffic.

If, however, you remember the speed limits
and stick to them then speed
cameras can safely be completely ignored

Unlike say France and Germany, where there are set designs for types of
roads, in the UK you can be on a 3 lane road with a barrier in the centre
and it is 30 mph. There is no visual indication except some tiny obscure
sign probably hidden behind some overhanging tree 1 mile up the road to say
it is 30mph when the road itself says I am a fast road. Drivers naturally
drive to the safe limits of the road construction. This is major problem and
the police put traps on these roads and rake it in. There is no danger
involved mind you, no blackspot or the likes. This is what ****es people
off.

It is common to be on a 60mph road and suddenly it goes right down to 30mph
when entering a village, just outside the village. No large 40 mph section
before to prepare drivers for the sudden spped drop and the village. And
just after the 30mph limit a camera of course. This also ****es people off
as they go through at 40mph decelerating all the way to 30mph.

Speed cameras are to get the non-locals. The locals drive just as badly in
no camera stretches.

Saying remember limits and observe signs is ludicrous when our signs are
crap, high speed roads are reduced to 30mph and traffic levels are so high
drivers are concentrating on other vehicles and driving to the safe limits
of the road construction. A school should not have a duel carriageway in
front of it, the road should be single laned as people naturally slow down
on these roads.

The problem with preaching (as I seem to be doing) is that no-one is
perfect and so I hereby confess that there have been occasions in my
16-year driving career when I have broken the speed limit. Mostly
completely inadvertantly and immediately corrected, twice or three times
completely deliberately - but the deliberate cases were all on empty
stretches of motorway and I wouldn't have complained, though I would
have felt very stupid, if I'd been clocked.

Are you a priest? The police want an 80mph limit on motorways. They said if
a driver is doing 80mph and not a danger they would leave him. I drive at
aprox 80mph, or to what the prevailing traffic does. I don't keep looking
at the speedo as this distracts from watching the cars in front which can
suddenly all slam on. I have overtaken police cars doing 80 and they have
left me alone.

I have never tried to take anything so much as a grain of tobacco
through customs :-)

I don't smoke.



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