speed camera fine , who knows the rules

[Dapph2]

In

Not quite accurate, they can accommodate undulations. They use trialteration to determine where you are on the earth, if you've got enough satellites in view then you can determine accurately where you are in space, the estimates come in (for example on height) because we have an arbritary reference point for altitude (sea level rather than the centre of mass of the earth for example).

All GPS chips update at least 1Hz (most are 10Hz or higher these days) so they can accommodate quite a lot of bends and undulations in the road. At 60mph you're covering <30yards/sec so at 10Hz update rate you have a resolution of 3 yards at 60mph which is plenty to accommodate most types of road.

Thank Ed .. very interesting and a big up date from when 20 yrs ago when you only had a few satellites to reference with . My pal was on the A9 (??? ) in Scotland with a broken speedo ( knowing him , disconnected more likely as it was a hire vehicle ) So he was using satnav as a speed indicator , he tripped a speed camera and got done .

 

[brightspark]

the 1st one i ever did was about 20 years ago , a 2 day palava .one day theory and a day driving round and 200 quid i lost 2 days pay and the cost all told id lost 500 quid . shoulda just took the 3 points and 100 quid fine . only reason i didnt was allready had 6 points and i did high milage on nightime callouts so wasnt worth chancing

 

[Robotstar5]

It looks like they had to provide their own table in the 50's

 

[brightspark]

in the 70 s they had the speed trap that was on the side of the road in a big black box and 2 tubes a meter apart across the road if you could stop quick enough over them you got away with it . then they had taped strips across if wagon drivers went over them they braked locked the trailer wheels up and ripped the strips up then the old bill made it an offence if you damaged them

 

[arther dailey]

Here in Carmarthenshire the Scamera is a plague. Add in the 20mph on main arterial roads where there is practically zero foot traffic (or shops/amenities to walk to - but where Scamera activity is prolific) & it's impossible to not arrive at the logical conclusion that its Council & Govt applied, Organised Highway Robbery.

To back that up - a cursory amount of attention to the times and placements of Scamera's - demonstrates that their deployment is always at periods of high traffic volumes..... ergo the purpose is to snap as many (legal, traceable, accountable therefore easily fine-able) drivers as possible a few mph over an arbitrary limit - not any intention to try to collar the few truly dangerous ones.

One could also of course add the motivating factor in this strategy. Apart from the sheer numbers "caught" - if the vast majority of those are within the tolerance allowance to be "offered" a course..... then KERRRCCHHHIIING!!!! the Scamera Operator gets to liberate another chunk of money from the generally law-abiding, legal, registered, "easy-mark" that is the driver.

Add in of course the widespread and generally unnecessary artificially low imposed limits - and you create a perfect storm (or rather perfect entrapment) scenario where people behaving perfectly safely can be criminalised, penalised and quite frankly robbed... by their own Local Authority (& the taxpayer-funded contractor- thieves like GoSteal (GoSafe) who do very, very nicely out of the underhanded enterprise.

(If its not obvious - I loathe & detest the entire Scamera, Emission - Zone and variants thereof - with a passion. Its just wrong on every level, a deplorable, cynical, deliberately contrived, premeditated exploitation of Taxpayers under the thin excuse of road safety. Their activities are a sad indictment of the state of things).

you are not alone , the country has nearly reached the bottom , feel sorry for the next generation...

 

[sako243]

In

Thank Ed .. very interesting and a big up date from when 20 yrs ago when you only had a few satellites to reference with . My pal was on the A9 (??? ) in Scotland with a broken speedo ( knowing him , disconnected more likely as it was a hire vehicle ) So he was using satnav as a speed indicator , he tripped a speed camera and got done .

That's how the GPS chipsets work, there's no saying about how stuff downstream is implemented. More than likely the speedo output was secondary to mapping functions on the sat nav so probably only updated every few seconds.

A lot of chips these days also can output a 10MHz reference signal (useful for comms where you have to have synchronised clocks). The accuracy you can achieve is quite astonishing given you're effectively measuring the time difference in the arrival of the speed of light at the receiver. And the faster you go the more accurate (lower percentage error) everything gets because those delays go up.

 

[sako243]

If the Scamera Scumbags can use laser & radar targeting systems - then I vote that we should have "counter measures"!
IMO any scrote who'se happy to take wage for committing highway robbery, deserves a SAM up the nostril!

Up near us they just use tractors...

When a 20mph was introduced at Cefn Brafle on a previously national speed limit road (I think due to an outsider moving into the hamlet) people were perplexed why a few days after the signs went up they were lying flat on the ground.

The 24" wide BKT tread pattern leading off the road over the sign and back onto the road was a bit of a give away in my opinion.

I'm waiting for one to do the same thing to the camera van that frequents Llangynin.

 

[brightspark]

i used to park up in front of our local camera van and have my bait regular he came out of van and asked me to move . wot for . your blocking the view of the camera . aww tough sh.it im not moving im legaly parked i even used to make wallpaper beware of camera signs and tie wrap em to lamp posts further down the road and sit and watch folk look at em and slam the brakes on then give me the thumbs up laughing. i think its now an offence

 

[premmington]

i used to park up in front of our local camera van and have my bait regular he came out of van and asked me to move . wot for . your blocking the view of the camera . aww tough sh.it im not moving im legaly parked i even used to make wallpaper beware of camera signs and tie wrap em to lamp posts further down the road and sit and watch folk look at em and slam the brakes on then give me the thumbs up laughing. i think its now an offence

At one time motorists used to flash headlights at you or motorcyclists used to wave down other motorcyclists - to warn of speed cameras.

Now society has declined so much - civilians don hi viz and buy there own speed cameras.

"Community Speedwatch"

 

[brightspark]

At one time motorists used to flash headlights at you or motorcyclists used to wave down other motorcyclists - to warn of speed cameras.

Now society has declined so much - civilians don hi viz and buy there own speed cameras.

"Community Speedwatch"

they are police trained and have the old fart local village rs use them theres about 5 lots near us

 

[Morrisman]

They want an up to date photo

I had to send my license off last year for medical reasons, with a new photo.
A week later I had a letter telling me my photo was out of date and I needed to renew it, or my license would be cancelled.

Took a minute before I realised it was two separate events that just coincided.
My license had been renewed for change of address four years earlier.

 

[Morrisman]

they are police trained and have the old fart local village rs use them theres about 5 lots near us

They have some near me, they always have a sign out well ahead, to let you know they are there. Kinda pointless really. The usual tearaway boy racers just slow down, for that one occasion…

 

[Morrisman]

Not quite accurate, they can accommodate undulations. They use trialteration to determine where you are on the earth, if you've got enough satellites in view then you can determine accurately where you are in space, the estimates come in (for example on height) because we have an arbritary reference point for altitude (sea level rather than the centre of mass of the earth for example).

All GPS chips update at least 1Hz (most are 10Hz or higher these days) so they can accommodate quite a lot of bends and undulations in the road. At 60mph you're covering <30yards/sec so at 10Hz update rate you have a resolution of 3 yards at 60mph which is plenty to accommodate most types of road.

We used the GPS system for pin point accuracy when doing oil surveys offshore. It’s accurate to nigh on a metre, from what I remember.

 

[sako243]

We used the GPS system for pin point accuracy when doing oil surveys offshore. It’s accurate to nigh on a metre, from what I remember.

You can get far greater accuracy than that with a few tricks but for stationary platforms it isn't the best.

 

[Morrisman]

In

Thank Ed .. very interesting and a big up date from when 20 yrs ago when you only had a few satellites to reference with . My pal was on the A9 (??? ) in Scotland with a broken speedo ( knowing him , disconnected more likely as it was a hire vehicle ) So he was using satnav as a speed indicator , he tripped a speed camera and got done .

In the ‘olden days’ the exact locations of GPS points was kept a secret by the US govt. When i first started work offshore we had to have ‘base stations’ ashore nearby, that we knew the exact geographic locations of. They would continually measure the difference between what GPS said, and where they actually were, and calculate ‘corrections’, that they sent out to our ships. Thus we knew exactly where we were.

At some point, around 20 years ago, the US declassified their GPS and it would then read exactly where we were.

 

[addjunkie]

In the ‘olden days’ the exact locations of GPS points was kept a secret by the US govt. When i first started work offshore we had to have ‘base stations’ ashore nearby, that we knew the exact geographic locations of. They would continually measure the difference between what GPS said, and where they actually were, and calculate ‘corrections’, that they sent out to our ships. Thus we knew exactly where we were.

At some point, around 20 years ago, the US declassified their GPS and it would then read exactly where we were.

The yanks used to alter the error so the opposition couldnt use it…for special uses error corrections were issued, and correlated by other systems, for landing planes etc. Around the time of the first gulf war the error went and bombs went through windows.

 

[Bravheart]

We used the GPS system for pin point accuracy when doing oil surveys offshore. It’s accurate to nigh on a metre, from what I remember.

The gps systems on tractors these days are accurate to less than 1" with year on year repeatability. How they work most companies charge a yearly subscription but it is possible to get the accuracy through your mobile using data.

 

[Johnnybravo]

I got done for 33in a 30 about ten years ago. Went on the speed awareness curse. What a waste of time. Only thing I took away from it was the speed limit on London Bridge is 20mph,which it’s highly unlikely to be any use to me. The second thing I learnt was they wouldn’t divulge the source of their ginger biscuits,which, quite frankly were the best I ever had.

Course run by two people, a seemingly rather insipid gent and a Nigella Lawson look alike with a healthy pair of chesticles. Thought hmm, could watch her all day…boy was I wrong. Turned into good cop bad cop with Nigella trying her utmost to put you on a guilt trip. Comments like, what if a toddler ran into the road and you killed them? She didn’t like my response of “ quite frankly my dear, if I hit a toddler at 30 miles an hour the chances are they will be just as dead as if I hit them at the 33 miles an hour I was travelling. What was the toddler doing in the road? Where are its parents? Charge them with neglect. Complete waste of time, I got caught again a couple of months back and decided my time was more valuable than listening to that drivel, and paid the fine and took the three points.

 

[Bravheart]

Mixed news from up here in the frozen wastelands of the north: on the downside, there’s no speed awareness course option in Scotland so if you get done then points and a fine is the absolute minimum you can expect.

On the upside, and in a rare reversal of motoring-punishment convention, the Scottish government recently (April 2025) covered up around 100 permanent cameras because “they have done their job and casualties are significantly down”.

Arrive at your own conclusions as to the wisdom of that change..

Used to cross the border at the top of the hill with a big "WELCOME TO SCOTLAND " sign and kerching within a few miles you got your picture taken for speeding and had to run the camera gauntlet all the way to Edinburgh. Perfectly possible to have lost your licence by the time you got there.
Wondered why they had been covered up mind the camera vans are still on the go. Sometimes more than one on that road now.

 

[brightspark]

guy up the road from me got caught doing 40 in the 30 limit he took it to caught and got off with it much to the horror of the old bill the 40 mph went to 30 mph with signs on roadside . the night he got nicked he went and unbolted the 30 signs and flung em went to court and won his case as he thought it was 40 mph was obvious realy he only lived a mile up the road but they couldnt prove it . now they photograph the signs the day they set the cameras up