Speeding conviction advice.

[RedRobin]

@ BL:

I'm wishing you Good Luck with everything.

It seems so unfair for companies not to be more supportive of their staff. What goes around comes around and I always found that by being considerate it was a win-win result. Employees appreciate you more and work harder. It should be all about people, not just fecking profits! I never made the profits I could have done in my working life but boy-oh-boy did I have happy times and a great lifestyle!

So, it was a 60 limit dual carriageway was it? Not a 70? Signposted as a 60? I'm sure Freeman will advise you best.

[Sunglasses Ron]

Absolutely hate camera vans they dont conform to any of the other rules that speed cameras are subject too, they arent easily visible they are often hidden round corners, they arent bright yellow and from a distance they look like any other parked van.  

Un-like a patrol car they dont use judgement to determine if they need to check your speed they in-discriminatly log the speeds as you enter there field of view, they are simply there to catch people speeding (I know you shouldnt be breaking the law) but the whole point of cameras as they were introduced in the UK was to reduce accidents at known black spots.

I cant remember the link but it was posted up in another topic about the different types of cameras and the known issues and the video of them moving from one car to another just trying to find someone over the limit is wrong they should use judgement to gauge if an offence is being committed and then confirm if it is with the camera (I stand to be corrected by one of the police officers on here)

Like Robin, I couldn't agree more Rich.. Mobile vans are merely a money making exercise IMO and serve no purpose to public safety at all..  
As an example, I passed one near me the other day on a road I use daily and have done for a number of years. This van was parked about 20 metres past the 30mph sign where the built up area ends and the national speed limit begins (60mph) and heads out in to the country.. This wouldn't be so bad if it were parked in the built up area aimed at cars coming into town. But this was doing the complete opposite and catching cars that were heading into the 60mph that may of squeezed the loud pedal a little to early to build up speed when leaving the 30mph..
If that wasn't a money spinner I don't know what is?!?!?   What makes it worse, is that in all my life of living in this area I have never known of one accident (let a lone a fatality) to happen on this stretch..
Absolute Jam rolls..  

[TANNER]

Yes it probably is marked as a 60 zone to be honest, I dont know whether there has been some Biker accidents in the past or something to warrant the lower limit or whether it is done "strategically" to aid the camera vans on that stretch.

I agree entirely with Rich too, I think if I were to have been clocked by a patrol car they could have been leniant my excess speed slightly by the emptiness of the road and good conditions but hey ho I wasnt that lucky.
If the roads had been wet or if there had been traffic on the road I could perfectly understand being punished for it.

I shall send my letter off and wait to see what they come back with....

[JJ]

Where abouts did you get done? And what does the letter say?

You might be lucky and get a speed awareness course depending on where you were

But you were quite a bit over the speed limit so would more likely say points and fine - could be as much as 6pts and fine £100+

Cheers everyone, it got me on the A491 nr jcn 4 of the M5. The letter does actually say that a fixed penalty procedure is not applicable to the alleged offence so I get the impression it's going to be a summons from west Mercia police. I just need to send the letter back with signature that I was the driver.
Topped off a bad wk really as I got food poisoning a couple of days beforehand from the hotel I was staying at! Some times your in the wrong place at the wrong time I suppose!

The van (white Mercedes Vito with discreet camera van markings) was there again this morning.  Went passed on my way to work in Stourbridge.  I travel that route a lot and satnav gives a camera warning at that spot but that's the first time in 10 years I've seen a van there.  There have been some bad accidents on that road which is why I think they like targetting bleary eyed commuters doing motorway speed.  I was having a chat with a lad at work yesterday who has two serious speeding convictions.  6 points and a smallish fine for the first one, 5 points and a large fine for the second one avoiding the ban after he got some good employers letters and character references written.  Good luck Tanner.

Edit.  My mate at work got a £300 fine and 6 points for doing 71 in a 40 AND 98 in a 70! A seperate offence saw 5 points for 96 in a 60.  Both were dealt with in court.  He didn't bother with an expensive lawyer figuring he'd get a proper b*llocking either way.  He just got some grovelling letters and good character references knocked up, momentary lapse of concentration, need the car for job etc.  He thinks you're looking at 6 points and £250+ fine.  

[Boothy]

Dual carriageways are defined by the central reservation and that dictates the speed limit in regards to national speed limits. In order to be a 70 limit the flow of traffic must be separated by a raised and separated central reservation. If not its a 60 unless otherwise stated.
 You've got 14 days from midnight the day you were caught to be notified that you have been done. If you don't get anything through your probably ok. If you do, it'll likely be a 60 pounded with 3 points. I think more than 10 mph above the limit and you can't do a speed awareness course and if you get a summons to court get your arse kissing technique perfected. My mate got done doing 119 in a 70 and he got a 14 day ban, £300 fine and no points which believe it or not is getting off lightly!

[RedRobin]

Dual carriageways are defined by the central reservation and that dictates the speed limit in regards to national speed limits. In order to be a 70 limit the flow of traffic must be separated by a raised and separated central reservation. If not its a 60 unless otherwise stated.

You've got 14 days from midnight the day you were caught to be notified that you have been done. If you don't get anything through your probably ok. If you do, it'll likely be a 60 pounded with 3 points. I think more than 10 mph above the limit and you can't do a speed awareness course and if you get a summons to court get your arse kissing technique perfected. My mate got done doing 119 in a 70 and he got a 14 day ban, £300 fine and no points which believe it or not is getting off lightly!

....Yes, more than a certain amount over the limit and you can't opt for an awareness course - I know because the only two times I've ever been done (in the UK) was each for 93 in a 70 on dual carriageway. Licence is now clean again.

Interesting to learn about the central reservation factor. When you say "separated" do you mean with some form of crash barrier such as armco? Most are raised aren't they? - I shall be having a closer look at these when I next drive.

[Boothy]

Dual carriageways are defined by the central reservation and that dictates the speed limit in regards to national speed limits. In order to be a 70 limit the flow of traffic must be separated by a raised and separated central reservation. If not its a 60 unless otherwise stated.

You've got 14 days from midnight the day you were caught to be notified that you have been done. If you don't get anything through your probably ok. If you do, it'll likely be a 60 pounded with 3 points. I think more than 10 mph above the limit and you can't do a speed awareness course and if you get a summons to court get your arse kissing technique perfected. My mate got done doing 119 in a 70 and he got a 14 day ban, £300 fine and no points which believe it or not is getting off lightly!

Interesting to learn about the central reservation factor. When you say "separated" do you mean with some form of crash barrier such as armco? Most are raised aren't they? - I shall be having a closer look at these when I next drive.

The highway code defines a dual carriageway as a 'A dual carriageway is a road which has a central reservation to separate the carriageways' but a 'central reservation' can be anything as long as it forms a physical barrier between opposite carriageways ie grass verge, armco barrier, permanent bollards, fencing, raised kerb with concret island within etc.
 To be honest this is most of them but you get certain roads which may be three or four lanes with no barrier such as a two lanes travelling north and a single travelling south, with just a single or double solid white line to separate the carriageways. There's plenty of permutations to help confuse people but you get the idea 

[RedRobin]

The highway code defines a dual carriageway as a 'A dual carriageway is a road which has a central reservation to separate the carriageways' but a 'central reservation' can be anything as long as it forms a physical barrier between opposite carriageways ie grass verge, armco barrier, permanent bollards, fencing, raised kerb with concret island within etc.

 To be honest this is most of them but you get certain roads which may be three or four lanes with no barrier such as a two lanes travelling north and a single travelling south, with just a single or double solid white line to separate the carriageways. There's plenty of permutations to help confuse people but you get the idea 

....Ah, yes, I never consider the two-way 'open' carriageways which are only separated by white lines to be what I think of as 'dual carriageways'. It makes sense for those to have a 60 limit relative to the barrier'd ones with 70. They don't usually stretch for very long anyway.

There's a stretch of the A303 towards Taunton which has alternating sections of 'open' two-way: You have 2 lanes for a mile or so (not long) and then the oncoming traffic takes their turn at 2 lanes while you go back to 1 lane. The wrongly named "Safety Partnerships" have placed speed cameras near the end of some of your 2 laners and it's extremely dangerous because folks will inevitably accelerate to pass a truck before you are restricted to a 1 lane section and then find that a speed camera was obscured by the truck and catches you. It's sometimes difficult to resist the urge to brake and slow down at the isntant you see the scamera...  The result can be that if you do slow down you'll be potentially cutting up the truck, or then left out to dry in a rapidly narrower lane, or you get snapped and receive points plus fine.

So, in a performance car, what was a safe manoeuvre to overtake a truck and return to the lane without crossing any unbroken lines suddenly gets mighty tricky and either way you lose. Alternatively you can join Mr & Mrs Dullsville and tuck in behind the truck so close that the driver can't see you in his mirrors and get bored doing no more than 50-ish. In the summer you get the wretched tourist caravans - At least most truckies know what they're doing.
[/rant over]

[Boothy]

The highway code defines a dual carriageway as a 'A dual carriageway is a road which has a central reservation to separate the carriageways' but a 'central reservation' can be anything as long as it forms a physical barrier between opposite carriageways ie grass verge, armco barrier, permanent bollards, fencing, raised kerb with concret island within etc.

 To be honest this is most of them but you get certain roads which may be three or four lanes with no barrier such as a two lanes travelling north and a single travelling south, with just a single or double solid white line to separate the carriageways. There's plenty of permutations to help confuse people but you get the idea 

....Ah, yes, I never consider the two-way 'open' carriageways which are only separated by white lines to be what I think of as 'dual carriageways'. It makes sense for those to have a 60 limit relative to the barrier'd ones with 70. They don't usually stretch for very long anyway.

There's a stretch of the A303 towards Taunton which has alternating sections of 'open' two-way: You have 2 lanes for a mile or so (not long) and then the oncoming traffic takes their turn at 2 lanes while you go back to 1 lane. The wrongly named "Safety Partnerships" have placed speed cameras near the end of some of your 2 laners and it's extremely dangerous because folks will inevitably accelerate t :congrats:o pass a truck before you are restricted to a 1 lane section and then find that a speed camera was obscured by the truck and catches you. It's sometimes difficult to resist the urge to brake and slow down at the isntant you see the scamera...  The result can be that if you do slow down you'll be potentially cutting up the truck, or then left out to dry in a rapidly narrower lane, or you get snapped and receive points plus fine.

So, in a performance car, what was a safe manoeuvre to overtake a truck and return to the lane without crossing any unbroken lines suddenly gets mighty tricky and either way you lose. Alternatively you can join Mr & Mrs Dullsville and tuck in behind the truck so close that the driver can't see you in his mirrors and get bored doing no more than 50-ish. In the summer you get the wretched tourist caravans - At least most truckies know what they're doing.
[/rant over]

Yep, some very cheeky maneuvers by the speed camera dudes. Round our way we had a good long road which was 60mph for ages then they put about 6 speed cameras up but didn't activate them. The day they did they lowered the speed limit to 40! it did not go down well with the locals who went to the paper.......who did squat.

[RedRobin]

.
*cough* The nearest Gatso speed camera to where I live has been torched not once but twice over the recent couple of years. *cough*

I know what you're thinking but actually it's at the entry to a village and I slow to below 30 whether a camera is there or not. I don't mind the 30 and 40 limit cameras but hate the other ones.

[TANNER]

The van (white Mercedes Vito with discreet camera van markings) was there again this morning.  Went passed on my way to work in Stourbridge.  I travel that route a lot and satnav gives a camera warning at that spot but that's the first time in 10 years I've seen a van there.  There have been some bad accidents on that road which is why I think they like targetting bleary eyed commuters doing motorway speed.  I was having a chat with a lad at work yesterday who has two serious speeding convictions.  6 points and a smallish fine for the first one, 5 points and a large fine for the second one avoiding the ban after he got some good employers letters and character references written.  Good luck Tanner.

Edit.  My mate at work got a £300 fine and 6 points for doing 71 in a 40 AND 98 in a 70! A seperate offence saw 5 points for 96 in a 60.  Both were dealt with in court.  He didn't bother with an expensive lawyer figuring he'd get a proper b*llocking either way.  He just got some grovelling letters and good character references knocked up, momentary lapse of concentration, need the car for job etc.  He thinks you're looking at 6 points and £250+ fine.  
[/quote]

Thats the one! 

Ok Cheers JJ, looks like I have got some expensive times coming up, luckily I have my Tax, Service, M.O.T and holiday to cough up for aswell soon! Get in.
What colour Gti are you in JJ? I live in Stourbridge but not seen any forum members on the road yet.

[Moschops]

Tanner...whereabouts is the scamera van parked as I only work up the road in Kingswinford and sometimes get off the M5 at 4...

Good luck by the way.

We had a Truvelo camera on Bennetts Bank leading into Wellington (Shropshire) it's been vandalised so many times, but the last time they attacked it it was covered in tyres and set on fire which completely destroyed the camera and it's housing, they have now removed it all together.

[TANNER]

Moschops its parked in the lay-by on the left hand side of the carriageway before you get to the Hagley island (by Aston Martin) keep an eye out for the sneaky mofo as you come round the sweeping left hand bend! 

[JJ]

The van (white Mercedes Vito with discreet camera van markings) was there again this morning.  Went passed on my way to work in Stourbridge.  I travel that route a lot and satnav gives a camera warning at that spot but that's the first time in 10 years I've seen a van there.  There have been some bad accidents on that road which is why I think they like targetting bleary eyed commuters doing motorway speed.  I was having a chat with a lad at work yesterday who has two serious speeding convictions.  6 points and a smallish fine for the first one, 5 points and a large fine for the second one avoiding the ban after he got some good employers letters and character references written.  Good luck Tanner.

Edit.  My mate at work got a £300 fine and 6 points for doing 71 in a 40 AND 98 in a 70! A seperate offence saw 5 points for 96 in a 60.  Both were dealt with in court.  He didn't bother with an expensive lawyer figuring he'd get a proper b*llocking either way.  He just got some grovelling letters and good character references knocked up, momentary lapse of concentration, need the car for job etc.  He thinks you're looking at 6 points and £250+ fine.  

Thats the one! 

Ok Cheers JJ, looks like I have got some expensive times coming up, luckily I have my Tax, Service, M.O.T and holiday to cough up for aswell soon! Get in.
What colour Gti are you in JJ? I live in Stourbridge but not seen any forum members on the road yet.
[/quote]



You're not in ban territory mate but it might hit you in the wallet a bit eh?

Mine's graphite blue but my daily is a white/brown company Astravan mate so you'll do extremely well to spot me!  I'll give you a wave if I see you!

That pesky van was parked on the northbound A491 just near the bridge over the roundabout at Lower Clent.  Can't remember if that's actually part of the laybay or not.  I would imagine he'd be a bit annoyed if someone came and parked a big truck up behind him.  I came bowling round that bend on Friday and chucked the anchors out when it dawned on me what was parked up there (shuts eyes and crosses fingers...!)

[TANNER]

Hi guys, finally found out my punishment for this nearly 6 months down the line! 
I got 5 points and £310 fine in the end.

Just spoken to Admiral and this won't effect my policy until next year which is at least one positive.
The last thing you need when you have no money is to be hit with £300 fines!

I will be keping my wallet in my pocket at Inters.