Azamakumar
bannèd
Couldn't be bothered multiquoting so sort through at will.
To the person that said the people most likely to call revenue raising are the most likely to speed. I have to disagree. iirc, cameras were implemented to reduce the danger at black spots. They were designed to educate drivers passively to slow down around dangerous spots, which is why by law they need the 3 signs ahead of it (which I personally disagree with, there should be none at all but thats another point altogether).
Instead, now we're seeing them on freeways. Anyone that's used the M4 would know how stupid it is to put a camera on a completely straight stretch of road nowhere near an on/offramp. It gets harder and harder to argue that they're there to protect the population from themselves when you put them in factors where speed isn't an important factor in accidents so much as lack of attention/bad roadcraft is, and then being counterproductive and forcing them to concentrate on far less important things.
As for handheld radar, I'm in two minds about this. The idea is that you don't know where they'll be and you'll have to watch your speed to make sure you never get caught which has its merits. When I first opened up my bike I was at 120 after a few seconds and was a lot more cautious about my speed from then on out, purely out of concern for my licence and not myself. Having been picked off on one hiding on the F6, though, I still have my reservations. Hiding your car behind a couple of bushes and aiming it down the road isn't the sort of policing that will stop people from speeding, it'll just increase resentment.
It gets pretty hard to defend the cameras when you get the police saying speeding kills then the RTA dropping penalties for speeding, obviously so your licence can take a few more hits before you're off the road. Average speed cameras aren't any better really. How many black spots are on freeways? And lets not forget state government estimating speeding revenue - that is what they call it - for every budget.
The sad fact of the matter is that most highway patrol officers are really just collectors for the state.
To the person that said the people most likely to call revenue raising are the most likely to speed. I have to disagree. iirc, cameras were implemented to reduce the danger at black spots. They were designed to educate drivers passively to slow down around dangerous spots, which is why by law they need the 3 signs ahead of it (which I personally disagree with, there should be none at all but thats another point altogether).
Instead, now we're seeing them on freeways. Anyone that's used the M4 would know how stupid it is to put a camera on a completely straight stretch of road nowhere near an on/offramp. It gets harder and harder to argue that they're there to protect the population from themselves when you put them in factors where speed isn't an important factor in accidents so much as lack of attention/bad roadcraft is, and then being counterproductive and forcing them to concentrate on far less important things.
As for handheld radar, I'm in two minds about this. The idea is that you don't know where they'll be and you'll have to watch your speed to make sure you never get caught which has its merits. When I first opened up my bike I was at 120 after a few seconds and was a lot more cautious about my speed from then on out, purely out of concern for my licence and not myself. Having been picked off on one hiding on the F6, though, I still have my reservations. Hiding your car behind a couple of bushes and aiming it down the road isn't the sort of policing that will stop people from speeding, it'll just increase resentment.
It gets pretty hard to defend the cameras when you get the police saying speeding kills then the RTA dropping penalties for speeding, obviously so your licence can take a few more hits before you're off the road. Average speed cameras aren't any better really. How many black spots are on freeways? And lets not forget state government estimating speeding revenue - that is what they call it - for every budget.
The sad fact of the matter is that most highway patrol officers are really just collectors for the state.
