Watch out,Van Cam about!

[Bper]

Apparently they are trialling unmarked grey vans with speed cameras aiming out of flaps at the back to catch out speeding motorists. If effective, they will be used everywhere instead of marked police vehicles.

These are also being used to encourage motorists to observe the speed limits and to assume that all vans may be carrying a speed camera's. 

[Paul john]

In Yorkshire too

[Cyker]

Isn't that illegal? I'm pretty sure by law they have to be visible and marked otherwise it's entrapment and whatever they record isn't admissible, no?

If there are signs warning about speed cameras are already up there then that satisfys the condition, but if they're just setting up in some random location with no signs I'm pretty sure that's not permissible unless the law has changed a lot!

But I guess that answers the question on whether they actually care about speeding or if it's just another line of revenue generation... If they're switching to unmarked vans, clearly they've dropped the pretence about the deterrent part...

 

[FROSTYBALLS]

20 minutes ago, Cyker said:

Isn't that illegal? I'm pretty sure by law they have to be visible and marked otherwise it's entrapment and whatever they record isn't admissible, no?

Don't think so. Some forces have been using unmarked HGV tractor units to view from above, drivers using mobile phones, etc. West Midlands Police have used double decker buses in the same way.  And how about unmarked Police cars capturing speeders using in-car cameras.

[Bper]

Have a look at this link it is just one example place that shows this happening. 

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/warning-police-trial-stealth-speed-26591523

[Bper]

1 hour ago, Cyker said:

Isn't that illegal? I'm pretty sure by law they have to be visible and marked otherwise it's entrapment and whatever they record isn't admissible, no?

If there are signs warning about speed cameras are already up there then that satisfys the condition, but if they're just setting up in some random location with no signs I'm pretty sure that's not permissible unless the law has changed a lot!

But I guess that answers the question on whether they actually care about speeding or if it's just another line of revenue generation... If they're switching to unmarked vans, clearly they've dropped the pretence about the deterrent part...

 

Cyker, read the link on my post below it shows the places this is happening it's legal.

[Cyker]

Ugh, of course it is, they'll always change the law in their favour if it lets them generate more money. I'm guessing having a visible deterrent was too effective and didn't generate enough income. They used to insist they weren't trying to catch people out, citing the marked vehicles and signs as evidence of this; I guess they've stopped that pretence.

If they were serious about this, they'd re-engineer affected roads to encourage people to drive at an appropriate speed - Make them narrower and more curvy, stick in cycle/bus lanes etc.. The science for this is well understood by now.

But no, instead we have roads designed to be 40mph and 60mph which have been changed to 40 or even 20mph for no good reason with nothing but a sign change and then they blame drivers for not obeying, when the road is still wide enough for 3 articulated lorries to drive abreast and excellent long distance vision, so it feels incredibly unsafe to drive along it at such low speeds.

Once again trying to make needless changes under the guise of 'safety', but doing it on the cheap and instead making it more dangerous for everyone involved. That's been the narrative for pretty much every road decision lately...

The funny thing is half the time, bus drivers, taxi drivers, even the police don't obey such low limits on roads clearly designed for higher speeds!

[tfc]

Our local van as a big eagles head covering the 2 back doors  and where the eye should be is where the camera is , it is parked among other cars on the side of the main road in town and it looks over the top of them, easy prey if you don't know about .

[Bper]

All this is also going hand in hand with the new driving laws that came into force on the 1st April. This includes fines for,

Drivers of electric cars will be hit with hefty new fines if they leave their vehicles at charging points for too long.

The so-called “overstay charges” are being brought in around the UK at the moment, with local authorities in some areas bringing them into effect since saturday. 

In this instance drivers can expect a £20 fine if they stay too long at a charging point, blocking others motorists from using the service.

Similar rules are already in place in Glasgow, with EV drivers getting hit with a £30 fine if they stay too long at charging points in the city.

In one instance, a motorist left his vehicle charging overnight and received a fine of £123, when the charge was only supposed to cost £26.

Increased revenue and larger fines, 15 minute cities, ULEZ expansion, car tax rises, petrol  prices rising and more rules and restrictions to come. 🤬