Forums Forums Enthusiast Forums A - Z Autowirral Police with gun in Meols Drive, West Kirby today

Actually hiding behind a tree with a speed gun zapping every car that comes past! B Careful, it's a tricky road for creeping past 30 that one!

sly behind a bush thought the law stated they must be in clear view the gits

No, definitely hiding behind a tree, with leaves hanging down. I only saw him as I was flashed by about 10 cars!

I've been flashed on that stretch a few times. They obviously haven't got anything better to do.

I've found a great way to avoid being prosecuted for speeding - obey the speed limits - they are there for a reason !

Nobody mentioned getting prosecuted for speeding, just letting people know there is a money making scheme going on at that stretch of road.

If nobody was speeding (ie. breaking the law) then they would'nt be able to make money from it, would they?

So if it's a money-making scheme, this is only because people keep breaking the law, thus giving them money

Just for clarification (and not for the first time *yawn*) the money from the fines does not go to the Police. The only money that the Police get is the running and administration costs for the scheme. Any surplus goes to the Treasury.

The easy answer is not to speed - simples!!

Regarding the visibility, the Law states that depending upon the enforcement method used, speed camera housings (including
tripod-mounted cameras) or the camera operator or the mobile enforcement vehicle should be clearly visible from the driver’s viewpoint at the following minimum visibility distances:

• 60 metres where the speed limit is 40 mph or less;
• 100 metres at all other speed limits.

If you want the full DFT circular then it can be found here Speed Cameras

They were also doing this on pasture road in moreton today, lol

i have actually seen a police woman lying on the floor spread out behind a fence in moreton with a gun pointing up the road towards the railway bridge,that was a long time ago but they are there quite often behind same fence,not usually in full veiw.i work next to said fence and am always amazed at how many people they pull up.the other officer runs out in to the road with his hand up.one day someone will drive straight into him.

We see police with guns all the time here...

I was done for speeding a few years ago coming over the hill at Moreton stn. going to the Sunday carboots
The policeman had his motorbike in the garage at the bottom and you couldn't see him til he stepped out and pulled you in
No sooner had he give me a ticket he was pulling the next car in as it was coming down the hill
I reckon he must have got a car every 5 minutes
As regards what Wench said about the money covering the expenses only - the rest to the gov I'd like to know how much they are
could be in the millions

It's all very well saying "Speed limits are there for a reason" but the question is, WHAT reason?
And saying "Just don't speed, then you won't be caught" ignores that:
a) ~85% of people would drive exactly the speed they already do according to the road / weather conditions etc, regardless of posted speed limits - and would still do so even if there were no speed limit signs at all. So why do we need them?
b) MANY places have unrealistically low speed limits. Even "Safe" and quite law-abiding drivers are likely to be 'nicked'.
c) No speed limit has yet prevented an idiot from having a serious accident through excessive speed. (Idiots ignore signs).

Bottom line is that way too many (not all) speed limits are in place solely to earn revenue and have essentually nothing whatever to do with safety. Studies have even been carried out that have shown than excessively LOW speed limits actually INCREASE accidents.

Police hiding behind trees etc are clearly there to try and CATCH people and not to PREVENT anything. If they were really doing such enforcement for safety reasons, then wouldn't prevention be the preferred option (over gathering fines)?

<Edited for clarity..>

The last audited 12 month period I can find is the 2003/04 financial year that ended on 31 March 2004. The total fine receipts for speeding and red light offences detected by fixed and mobile cameras was £113,549,240.

Of this amount, £91,848,844 was reinvested in road safety as payments back to the partnerships including the Police, local highway authorities and Magistrates' Courts who operate within the safety camera programme. The amount retained by the Treasury was £21,700,396 which is the difference.

As for the reason for speed limits, I personally would love to see anyone caught at stupid speeds (not a few mph over the limit) be made to sit in Resus when the results of such speeds come in so that they can see and smell and hear the end result. It's all very well saying "it won't be me that crashes/runs someone over/kills someone" but that's what they all say!!

It also makes me laugh when some of the people who bitch about speed limits are the first to kick off about how the Police should have done something when one of their loved ones or friends is hit by a speeding car. Different story then isn't it!!