Revenue raising at its best. Imagine my surprise upon returning to the States after a very pleasant six week ride Down Undah. I did it. It was me. They got me fair and square, tho' their hide and seek tactics leave a bit to be desired. It was the second to last day, out for a quick burn after servicing the machine for an as yet undetermined hibernation, never saw the bastard, and that's their intention. That'll learn me. The fact that QT refers to the drivers' licence as the 'customer number' gives me the particular sh*ts. Down 3 points of 12. Ouch!

Sneaky little blighters. I got nailed years ago by a motorbike cop hiding behind a bus shelter. I also don't like their unmarked cop cars I got nailed by a black Maloo ute. But the sneakiest I've seen was a double cab VW truck complete with ladder racks.
Regards Martin.

On the road to Bathurst, west side, before you start the uphill into the mountains, there was a decrepit old FJ backed up tight into the bushes at an angle facing uphill. On the bonnet was a black, techy-looking cube. Hanging one leg out the driver's side was a bloke dressed in work jeans and a flannel shirt, looking every bit the farmer Brown. The appearance of the vehicle and occupant would have any passerby thinking it was an old Joe enjoying smoko. Not so. He had a perfect shot at vehicles coming out of the twisties and opening it up a bit on the long downhill, or just casually coasting 1 or 2k over the limit. Bastages! Seems you've gotta watch your speedo more than the road ahead in Straylya these days. The barrage of propaganda suggesting it's in the interest of road safety is muted based on how local councils balance their budgets with the windfall.

You wanna play, you gotta pay.

Few years ago, enroute to the Island for the MotoGP, out of Corryong, Vic, following my mate on his Triumph, about 110Km/h. Both doing the same speed. Had held radar doo-dad by the coppers, had me at 123Km/h and my mate at 109 Km/h. Of course, no amount of discussion would be listened to. I had absolutely no leg to stand on (Sorry, Seannii!!) My mate got off. THEN....near Mansfield, crystal clear day, no traffic, a hidden speed camera. Got me for 105 in a 100 zone.

I'm convinced that the Vic traffic police are hell bent on revenue raising. I found it v.scary and dangerous to be constantly watching the speedo, and not concentrating on the road. It's definitely not a road safety issue.

I remember reading about and seeing a picture of a New York State trooper on the Fourth of July holiday in his shorts and singlet (that's a wife beater for you non-Aussies) wearing  thongs (those are flip flops for you non-Aussies) sitting in a deck chair (that's a lawn chair for you non-Aussies) with an esky (that's a cooler for you non-Aussies) at his side, by the wayside pointing his speedy zappo gun at flyers by, while a patrol car waited to nab 'em just down the track. They were right proud to the camera of how many 'speeders' they'd nabbed.

Buggers! It wouldn't be so bad if it was truly safety not sneaky. Sadly it is the same here in the UK - an easy hit on a straight road. Guess that was a bit of an after visit spoiler from your return from down under. 

Only ticket I ever got was in Washington DC - at lunch time - impossible to speed most of the time due to congestion but a sneaky camera clocked me fair and square at probably the only place where I could actually get up to speed.

As for the Aussie twist on terms - I'd rather see US state troopers wearing thongs (provided they're female) in  the UK sense of the word than flip flops. At least, you'd be happy to be pulled (over)! As for the deck chair vs lawn chairs - well, they are deck chairs, just used on the lawn rather than the deck and probably stolen off the ship that took them to the lawn in the first place!

Two Wheels Better wrote:I remember reading about and seeing a picture of a New York State trooper on the Fourth of July holiday in his shorts and singlet (that's a wife beater for you non-Aussies) wearing  thongs (those are flip flops for you non-Aussies) sitting in a deck chair (that's a lawn chair for you non-Aussies) with an esky (that's a cooler for you non-Aussies) at his side, by the wayside pointing his speedy zappo gun at flyers by, while a patrol car waited to nab 'em just down the track. They were right proud to the camera of how many 'speeders' they'd nabbed.

I rode past that ambush.  It was on the I-190 just before the merge with the I-290 at the South Grand Island bridge across the Niagara River.  I heard from some law enforcement acquaintances that the troopers thought it was a real hoot.

Another well known ambush is also on the I-190 about a mile from the bridge to Canada.  They put the radar unit in a minivan that is jacked up with a wheel off as if to have a flat tire.

13kph over hey not another one.
In 2006 I took the bastards to court over a speeding ticket and won, it too was 13 kph over. After I won I requested under the freedom of information act a copy of the court proceedings for the week before and the week after my case and every yes EVERY one of the contested fines and the allegations of speeding made in relation to other offences was 13kph over the prescribed limit.
Since I won my case and in the process made them to look the liars they are I have not heard of or seen an active patrol car or speed camera at that location but in the 4 years previous to that effort the court solicitor told me that there were countless contested cases that were lost in that court and the wording of the police statements were all but identical. The bastards found a great little milking cow till I busted the game wide open.
When I put a complaint into the Queensland crime and misconduct commission I was told that the police had investigated the claim and that there was no case to answer.
In my case it was what is called a retained reading which is that the first time they get a reading of 113kph they don't reset the system and for the rest of the shift the reading is 113. When ever you are pulled up and given a ticket make sure to see it reset and that really pisses them off.
PS 112 is the cut off for 1 point and a heaps bigger fine, isn't it wonderful to see our upstanding and honest bunch of pricks doing such a wonderful job.

Rickmeister wrote:
I'm convinced that the Vic traffic police are hell bent on revenue raising. I found it v.scary and dangerous to be constantly watching the speedo, and not concentrating on the road. It's definitely not a road safety issue.

I've had a couple of week-long trips through Victoria, most recently just a few weeks ago when I couldn't go to Guyra.

Like Rick, I've found it to be distinctly more dangerous than my normal driving due to having to spend so much of my time and attention checking the speedo due to the Victorian police revenue agents having no tolerance in their speed limits. As little as 1km/h over is often enough to get you contributing to the Victorian govt coffers.

If they were genuinely worried about safety, they'd concentrate their efforts on things that are an actual risk to the travelling public.

Bill

indian036 wrote:

Rickmeister wrote:
I'm convinced that the Vic traffic police are hell bent on revenue raising. I found it v.scary and dangerous to be constantly watching the speedo, and not concentrating on the road. It's definitely not a road safety issue.

I've had a couple of week-long trips through Victoria, most recently just a few weeks ago when I couldn't go to Guyra.

Like Rick, I've found it to be distinctly more dangerous than my normal driving due to having to spend so much of my time and attention checking the speedo due to the Victorian police revenue agents having no tolerance in their speed limits. As little as 1km/h over is often enough to get you contributing to the Victorian govt coffers.

If they were genuinely worried about safety, they'd concentrate their efforts on things that are an actual risk to the travelling public.

Bill

In the Victorian parliament a few years ago one polly asked a question of the minister as to how much the total of the fines issued but one particular cameras on a 4 hour period the answer was after much stalling $87,000 what a wonderful tax system.
I often wonder what would the pricks do if we all did not speed and cut off their source of revenue. Imagine the panic when the slush fund for re-election was all of a sudden not there.
I have a very good friend who spent all of his working life as a cop in Queensland and was as honest as the day is long and in 42 years of service he only made it to senior constable because he would not play the game the others in his class of beginners were either top brass of in jail he used to say.
He is now retired and still a very active person in his community doing many of the things he used to do as a police officer and really enjoys what he does. He said to me once not long before his retirement that there are honest cops around but don't trust any cop till they prove to you that they can be trusted.
He refused to man the speed cameras in Queensland because they were just revenue raising and was not popular for his stance.

I've just got back from a four state drive Qld, NSW, Vic and Tas. There is a new law in NSW and Vic anytime you encounter an emergency vehicle with the blue and reds activated you have to immediately slow down and pass them at a maximum speed of 40 KPH point loss and fines applicable. In NSW I had a police car pass and 500 mt's after passing hit his lights to pull over a truck. I was at highway speed 110 KPH with varied traffic behind, so while checking my mirror I hit the brakes while trying not to get rear ended. The chaos caused by my braking even though I was slowly as gently as possible was nearly a disaster. Some cars jumped on their brakes, causing trucks to have to slam on their brakes. Others braked and changed lanes to avoid rear ending causing others to brake even harder. And in the midst of this a P plater just weaved and blasted through at 110 plus. In Vic I encountered the same thing, however I slowed and everyone pulled out and passed me. The best state for realistic and mature approach to speeds was Tas, the very windy road from Launceston through Scottsdale to St Helens was posted 100 KPH with a proviso posted varying road conditions. I pulled over three times on this road to let a motorcycle and a couple of Porsches go past. they were no way doing near the speed limit but were pushing it. They weren't doing any harm they were staying in their lanes but having fun. Just about all of the Tas roads had sensible speed limits and I encountered no speed traps and only saw two police cars on the road out of towns.
Regards Martin.

Hmmm.... that's really not playing the game. BAE was really speaking for Great Britain, rather than the UK as a whole, because it's slightly different over here. Most of the police cars here are unmarked street sleepers (externally identical to the civilian version but internally quite a bit different) and they're not all one make; GB forces tend to buy all Ford, all Volkswagon, etc.. If your eyeballs are fast enough the giveaway is the slight green tint to the bulletproof glass - it's a hangover from the Troubles. 

They're not that fussed about you being a couple of mph over the limit. I've had a few nights trailing a marked car doing 5mph over the limit and they've left me alone. Also; the law is contradictory. According to the UK Construction and Use Regulations, at 30mph your speedometer is supposed to be accurate, but at 40mph+ it allows for a 10% variation on the indicated speed. So, if you get caught at 42mph in a 40mph and decide to argue the toss, they're likely to drop proceedings because they then have to prove that the camera was accurate. That costs money - more than the fine will raise. You've probably already figured from the above that many people are totally unaware of that as a get-out clause; even if you lose the case you don't have to pay for the camera check because it comes under 'burden of proof'.

When you come to classic (antique) vehicles, there's another layer added to the pile. I no longer have my research notes on the following (ex-motorcycle magazine writer, so I am!) but IIRC correctly, anything pre-1986 has to conform to a whole load of other regulations which effectively means that you'll just get a wrist-slap at anything up to 10mph over the posted limit.

However, there's a real sneaky in all of this. I can't speak for Europe but most new cars made/imported into the UK read 10% over at 30mph i.e. you're only doing 27mph. It's supposed to be a hidden safety factor 

Speed cameras are purely and simply money makers they claim that it reduced road crashes but there is ONLY anecdotal evidence and scarce at that that this works. If a meter to measure fatigue as you pass it were invented fatigue would all of a sudden become the biggest threat to road safety that we have ever faced and the advertising would prove it and the fines would be unbelievable.

There's a little ol' company operating red light & the odd speed camera in 'Merica called Redflex. They're an Australian registered company, but owned off the books by a Chinese firm. A few years ago they tendered a bid on security cameras for the US gubmint on military bases and in ports. Needless to say the discovery was made and their bid was eventually turfed out by the government, but the Aussie connection means they have much experience in the field of stealthy surveillance.

redflex.com/us/about/our-history/

RicK G wrote:Speed cameras are purely and simply money makers they claim that it reduced road crashes but there is ONLY anecdotal evidence and scarce at that that this works. If a meter to measure fatigue as you pass it were invented fatigue would all of a sudden become the biggest threat to road safety that we have ever faced and the advertising would prove it and the fines would be unbelievable.

Hit the nail on the head.  I drove over 50,000 miles a year for 20 years doing sales and engineering service.  Without a doubt, maintaining a speed that allowed me to meet schedule without being stopped for speeding was the most exhausting part of the job.  The introduction of cruise control was the greatest automotive invention I can think of.

Two Wheels Better wrote:On the road to Bathurst, west side, before you start the uphill into the mountains, there was a decrepit old FJ backed up tight into the bushes at an angle facing uphill. On the bonnet was a black, techy-looking cube. Hanging one leg out the driver's side was a bloke dressed in work jeans and a flannel shirt, looking every bit the farmer Brown. The appearance of the vehicle and occupant would have any passerby thinking it was an old Joe enjoying smoko. Not so. He had a perfect shot at vehicles coming out of the twisties and opening it up a bit on the long downhill, or just casually coasting 1 or 2k over the limit. Bastages! Seems you've gotta watch your speedo more than the road ahead in Straylya these days. The barrage of propaganda suggesting it's in the interest of road safety is muted based on how local councils balance their budgets with the windfall.

You wanna play, you gotta pay.

That's not a common techniques in NSW these days.

It's mostly the fixed speed cameras which you'd have to be an idiot to get caught by with 3 warnings before you hit the camera itself, plenty time to slow down.  Or the mobile speed cameras (run by contractors, not police so they ARE not emergency vehicles), also signposted although the sign placement might not be so clear sometimes, these take a front on picture and are no threat to bikes.

Of course every HWP car has mobile radar anyway, but its rare in NSW to see a cop man a radar gun these days.

If you see a car parked clearly beside the freeway looking ready to pounce its mostly doing rego plate scans looking for unreg vehicles. They also put the wind up people and get them to stick the sped limit but rarely seem to move.

Al