Gatso's on the A68

[SIAMBLUE]

>Nothing will happen then!
>They cant take your picture from the front (something to do
>with flash photography)
>
>And by rights every gatso should have a sign saying that the
>pictures that are being taken are for use in criminal
>prosecution or words to that effect!
>
>I own a company that installs CCTV etc and if we dont fit a
>sign stating the above any footage that is taken will not
>stand up as evidence in court!
>
>So why should a photo from a Gatso be any different?
>
>

Hi lock how are you?They can take pics from the front,here in Essex,they are starting to put 2 cameras up at each speed check,one going away and the other to identify the driverThey are for the same speeding motorist,and they do flash both ways,very dangerous at night and day i know,

You could take the A7 from Edinburgh to Newton St Boswells then join thr A68 therefore missing 12 of the cameras... Just watch between Newton St Boswells and Jedburgh (7 cameras).

[Peter Milnes]

A Gatso needs to flash twice to measure the speed of the offending vehicle.

All the best, Peter

[steventoon]

Just confirmed today Gatsos can work both travelling away or towards them. It seems that most forces set them up to work as your travelling away from them. I've been told they cant be set up to do both directions at the same time. However the cameras in the mobile vans I have been told can do both so these are well worth keeping an eye out for.
On a different point I cant help feeling that some drivers are just asking to be giving speeding tickets though as twice this week Ive been travelling at the head of a que of traffic in a marked Police vehicle travelling at 40 mph in a 40 mph residential area ( dual carriageway) . Ahead of me I observe the speed limit drop to 30mph and on entering I adjust my speed accordingly. On both occassions on entering the 30mph area I've been overtaken by cars behind me who think its ok to accelerate, overtake and then move in to lane one without slowing down and continue in excess of 40 mph. Both drivers were stopped and given a good bollocking but I can't help feeling that if they'd been caught on a speed camera they would have been moaning when the only person to blame is their own poor driving.
***Phil please dont think I'm having a go as yours is a different situation I just want to make a point about some motorists poor driving !***
Cheers
Steve

[TheJoyOfSix]

On a slightly related note, and I do understand if you are not allowed to answer this, but do Compact Discs placed on the front of the vehicle really reflect radar beams or is that an urban myth?
I only ask because I used to have CD's in the windscreen when I drove HGV's for a living on the basis that 'it might work' and had a radar gun pointed at me on Stainmore bank on the A66. I was fully expecting to get a 'tug' as I let it go up to 65mph down the hill (speed limit for HGV's on dual carriageways is 50mph and I was lightly loaded and holding it back on the engine brake). However, the policeman just glared at me as if to say 'I know you were speeding but I can't prove it as I didn't get a reading' and I have heard nothing.
This was over 3 years ago and, yes, I know I was wrong to do it but we all make mistakes (my licence is clean by the way!).

[steventoon]

Its an urban myth as far as I'm aware. The laser beam is aimed at a vehicles number plate and not at the cab so shouldnt be affected by anything in the cab such as a cd. I have also seen a lot of HGV drivers using these and they may know something I dont! I do know that the laser detectors are effective as we tried one out a few years ago now and it picked up the laser long before we could get a lock on the vehicle. Bur like I've already said absoulutely useless against vascar

[Philip Fisher]

Thanks to all for all your info and your replies to my post(s). Steve, it is always interesting to read the inside line from someone on the "other side of the fence".

I couldn't agree more with your thoughts about people blatently exceeding the limit, and overtaking a marked car at 40 in a 30 is just plain stupid. I really try hard to drive at 30 in built up areas, and often have a queue of traffic behind me. Funnily enough when I am in my ex-police V70 I get far less hassle than when I am in my girlfriends Focus.....

The biggest driver for me to keep to the limit is to ask myself exactly how I would live with myself if I ran over and killed someone. For this to happen when I am concentrating and travelling at or below the limit would be bad enough, but if I was doing something stupid like talking on the phone or exceeding the limit would be unbearable.

As for the A68, it is 11 days now, so lets just hope it was set up for the other direction of travel and I can learn my lesson without an SP30.....

Cheers