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What's the point of warning drivers of speed cameras?
I was interested to see the letter from Alan Miller (Echo, April 21) regarding the Dorset Safety Camera Partnership's van parked at a bus stop.
About a month ago the van was parked in Radipole Lane not far from the football ground roundabout.
To my surprise there was a small plastic notice on a metal frame on the verge about 100 yards in advance of the van in both directions which said mobile speed camera' or similar wording.
I have seen the speed trap van many times over the years from the days when you spotted the black framed triangle holding the camera placed on the verge with the van concealed in the hedge.
Now the camera is in the van looking out of the back window.
However I have never before seen a sign warning you of the van's presence!
Providing you spot the temporary sign no one will get caught. Doesn't this defeat the whole purpose of the camera?
Terry Putnam,
Springfield Road,
Weymouth.
8:15pm Wednesday 30th April 2008
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CommentPosted by: maximus, Weymouth on 7:19am Thu 1 May 08
So-called 'safety' cameras do not stop speeding, only reduce the chance that you will get caught again. Having been caught the first time, you then spend a lot of your attention on watching the speedometer instead of paying 100% of attention on what is happening in front of and around your vehicle. There are those who have said on this website that they instinctively know what speed they are doing but I defy them to judge what EXACT speed a modern car with an auto gearbox is doing. It has been suggested that one way around this problem is to move the gearbox into 2nd gear but this defeats the whole object of having an auto box with overdrive which is to reduce engine speed and so reduce fuel consumption (now becoming increasingly important). Bring back the traffic police who could appear at any time on any point of the roads not just wide straight stretches or where roads change from being narrow to wider straight sections as happens at the easterly junction of Littlemoor Road and Louviers Road. Perhaps the next step will be to place these signs at random alongside our roads without actually deploying a little man crouching inside a van with camera, thus saving money on wages and van running costs. It used to work with cardboard cut out pictures of policemen!
So-called 'safety' cameras do not stop speeding, only reduce the chance that you will get caught again. Having been caught the first time, you then spend a lot of your attention on watching the speedometer instead of paying 100% of attention on what is happening in front of and around your vehicle. There are those who have said on this website that they instinctively know what speed they are doing but I defy them to judge what EXACT speed a modern car with an auto gearbox is doing. It has been suggested that one way around this problem is to move the gearbox into 2nd gear but this defeats the whole object of having an auto box with overdrive which is to reduce engine speed and so reduce fuel consumption (now becoming increasingly important). Bring back the traffic police who could appear at any time on any point of the roads not just wide straight stretches or where roads change from being narrow to wider straight sections as happens at the easterly junction of Littlemoor Road and Louviers Road. Perhaps the next step will be to place these signs at random alongside our roads without actually deploying a little man crouching inside a van with camera, thus saving money on wages and van running costs. It used to work with cardboard cut out pictures of policemen!
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