gatso

[Big_Spark]

gatsos should be banned anyway.

I have to disagree with you, I would goes one better and that is to hide the camera so everyone will stick to speed limit not knowing where they are and it will also stop the braking accidents.

I disagree with this, I would much rather all Gatso's and other speeding Cameras removed, and twenty time the Police Units on Patrol, not only would this help to slow people down, but it would get the total tosssers who drive in dangerous ways and use their blooming phones without hands free kits.

 

[andy]

gatsos should be banned anyway.

I have to disagree with you, I would goes one better and that is to hide the camera so everyone will stick to speed limit not knowing where they are and it will also stop the braking accidents.

I disagree with this, I would much rather all Gatso's and other speeding Cameras removed, and twenty time the Police Units on Patrol, not only would this help to slow people down, but it would get the total tosssers who drive in dangerous ways and use their blooming phones without hands free kits.

much better solution. and have more unmarked police cars. yesterday i saw someone get pulled by an unmarked car. P reg white car!

 

[masona]

gatsos should be banned anyway.

I have to disagree with you, I would goes one better and that is to hide the camera so everyone will stick to speed limit not knowing where they are and it will also stop the braking accidents.

I disagree with this, I would much rather all Gatso's and other speeding Cameras removed, and twenty time the Police Units on Patrol, not only would this help to slow people down, but it would get the total tosssers who drive in dangerous ways and use their blooming phones without hands free kits.

Perhaps thermo can quote me on this, I don't think the police have the manpower. I agree what you're saying but there could be a possibility that a motorist begin chase by the police could cause a accident if they trying to get away maybe? In the real world I would have both, gatso's & police on patrol.

Also I must admit I have seen loads of drivers using mobile phones without hands held kits.

 

[pipme]

A Cronym and I N Itialism embodied in the form of our resident SecureS ... That was fine thanks.. good luck!

 

[AdamW]

Oooh yes, unmarked police cars. Best way, no-one knows where they are!

Since the police round here bought a lot of silver Vauxhall Astras (marked, but not very well!), I have noticed a couple of times that chavcars drive within the speedlimit in front of me, then speed up (as if they just realised it's not a copcar). But if I then speed up and go the same speed as them, they slow down again!

Perhaps they are just really bad at keeping to one speed, but whenever I spot a silver police car I do a doubletake. Perhaps if their mate was caught by one recently they are wary of similar cars.

 

[Thermo]

masona and the rest iagree more police on the roads would be much better. Why does someone speed? in a hurry, ignorant, drunk drugged, stolen car? yes a camera will pick them up for the speed, but nothing else. I agree with cameras in places like outside of schools, but there is no better deterant or improvement to someones driving than the site of a police car. (we used to sit the other side of a speed camera, down the road at nights and stop someon if they set it off. a lot f the time they were drunk.

The trouble is this government has looked at cheap options of giving the public the impression of more police on the street, without actually having to pay policemen to do the job. Thats why you get every tom dick and harry in a flourescent coat, and the vans they drive all have badges etc all over them eg scenes of crime, pcso, camera partnership etc. its all policing on the cheap. They think they can deliver the same results without paying the money, while they have systematically run the traffic units down. You can say what you want about traffic police, but a large majority will only give a ticket if you take the ****, and will do it in such a way that you actually learn from it, as opposed to a letter droping through the door. Thats this government for you though.

 

[AdamW]

Funny how the taxpaying motorist and the professional policeman can see how ineffective gatsos are compared to police, but does it ever get through to the budget holders?

I saw one on TV where a policeman caught someone driving aggressively on the motorway at something like 100mph. Turned out the guy already had 6 points (from minor speeding offences) and so was going to lose his licence, therefore his job, the car was brand new on a big loan... Intangible results could be marriage break-up, depressed children.

The guy didn't try to deny anything, just looked miserable and took it. The policeman took him through all the procedings, looked like he was filling out the forms and everything. Then at the end asked him how he felt... and to remember that feeling if he ever thought about driving like that again and let him off with a caution! I thought that was much better policing.

If he gets caught again, they'll throw the book at him. But you could tell that it was a moment of madness and he probably wouldn't have done it again in a hurry.

If it had been a camera, he would have been daft not to contest it in court, but think of the taxpayers' money that would have cost. In this case I think the policeman saved us some money!

 

[Big_Spark]

We all hate paying Tax, but I would accept an extra 1% on my tax bill if it went straight to the Police of this country, some to give them more money in their pockets, but the majority to recruit more Traffic Cops and to put more Police Officers on the street.

One thing I would also like to see is the Police Use of Blimps as Look outs.

Helicopters are very expensive to operate, and they do a fantastic Job, but they should only be airborne if absolutely required. The vast bulk of what they do could so easily be done by Blimps that cost a fraction of the money to operate and can stay airborne many time longer than copters.

They would have so many uses, I actually beleive the Police would soon wonder how they coped without them.

In terms of Traffic Cops, I would like to see more on Motorbikes, more maneuverable, faster at getting to accidents due to ability to traverse traffic, the Officers are more pragmatic in their approach in my experience, and in 99.5% of cases a Motorbike is all that would be required. Should a car fail to stop, then the Officer can simply hold back and call in 4 wheeled units to take over the chase.

All Police Cars, Ambulance and Fire Engiones should be fitted with Camera's and recording equipment, that way when some arse fails to get out of their way, which seems to be an increasing trend, they can get a nice £500 fine in the post...they'll bloodywell move out of the way after that

 

[andy]

Funny how the taxpaying motorist and the professional policeman can see how ineffective gatsos are compared to police, but does it ever get through to the budget holders?

I saw one on TV where a policeman caught someone driving aggressively on the motorway at something like 100mph. Turned out the guy already had 6 points (from minor speeding offences) and so was going to lose his licence, therefore his job, the car was brand new on a big loan... Intangible results could be marriage break-up, depressed children.

The guy didn't try to deny anything, just looked miserable and took it. The policeman took him through all the procedings, looked like he was filling out the forms and everything. Then at the end asked him how he felt... and to remember that feeling if he ever thought about driving like that again and let him off with a caution! I thought that was much better policing.

!

been watchin road wars? i saw that episode aswell. that type of policing is much more effective than a letter sayin youve been caught speeding

 

[AdamW]

Yes, I think it was Road Wars! The look on that bloke's face when the policeman was trying to explain that he wasn't really going to do him... priceless

I reckon a blimp's forte would be big crowds, you could load them up with CCTV equipment and bring Oxford Street-levels of security to any large gathering.

I have noticed dullards who get in the way of emergency vehicles too... they see blue lights and a message flags up in their brain saying "Stop the car immediately right here no matter what!", without noticing there is an island there, or there is someone on the other side doing the same.

I like it when you see alert consciencious drivers working together to let them through. You know the situation, you are on a red light but the other traffic gives way and you have pull away on a red light to let a fire engine through.

I saw drivers working very well together on Talgarth Road (the A4) in London once, it is basically a dual carriageway with two lanes in either direction. Despite being rush hour in London, on the opposite side of the road all the traffic moved smartly to the outside lane so an ambulance on my side could hop over the divider and zoom down the wrong side!

 

[Moz]

AdamW

yes ,it was Road Wars! an the blokes face was a picture ...lol

 

[confidentincompetent]

Gatso's are now merely a method of imposing a TOLL TAX.

 

[Steve]

Gatsos aren't a big problem for me when im driving - i know where they all are round the routes i drive on in south yorkshire. What i DO NOT like is MOBILE SPEED CAMERAS run by SOUTH YORKSHIRE SAFETY CAMERA PARTNERSHIP

There was one near my friends house the other day. There i was, driving along at 35-38 (it was a 30 zone, but it was late evening and i was approaching a 40 zone). All of a sudden, i see these two little lights next to a bus stop, then i notice what it is - a black box on a tripod - OH S**t. a hundred yards away, and there is the van parked in the bushes.

However, i dont know which was the camera was facing. I HOPE it was pointing away from me (at the back of cars) and not towards me, cos i slowed down as soon as i saw it (but too late if it was pointing at me!)

 

[securespark]

Had a similar encounter near my old school in Ackworth...coming down the hill into the village....camera in bushes...flash flash....

Luckily I was legal. But it p*ssed me off that they parked the van on the pavement.

One day I swear I will stop and tap on the guys shoulder and point out he is parked illegally, and see what he says!

 

[AdamW]

Those illegally-parked cameras p*ss me off.

I understand there are some roads in Yorkshire that are major blackspots. I have a friend who used to live in a quiet village in West Yorkshire, and I love the roads round there... Well maintained, smooth tarmac, few other cars. One of my favourite driving areas.

Because there is little traffic, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the accidents on Yorkshire's country lanes occur because people aren't expecting a car to be on the other side of a corner. When my mate first moved down his driving scared me, he would pull out of junctions without looking and nearly got himself t-boned the first time I was in his new car!

I have heard of one road in Yorkshire which is a favourite amongst bikers and has the worst fatality rate in the country because bikers like to go blatting about at three-figure speeds on it. Simply preventing two-wheeled traffic on that road would save a lot of lives every year!