Police camera vans> what direction do they take a picture?

Are they set up to take photos of speeding cars coming towards them…..and ignoring motorbikes cos they don’t have a front number plate or do they take pics of cars/bikes going past?

Generally oncoming, there was a FAQ about motorbikes which explained the operator could still turn round and read the plate and book the motorbike

I think they’ve mainy got forward facing CCTV type cameras these days, the rear facing ‘oncoming’ camera does the speed measurement but the second forward facing camera is there to get the rear plate if needed.

The one that sits on the Peebles road near Leadburn has a hatch at the back and on the sides, and I’ve seen the camera pointing out he front windscreen. So in answer, all directions!

I was told at my speed awareness course that they can do either front or rear facing cameras.

I was under the impressio that it was back window only , till my NIP came in the post . Crept up to 35 between the van and the NSL sign.

Given I have only ever seen them in daylight hours I am guessing they don’t have a flash function. Either that or it is too expensive to have a civvie sat in a van to book people outside normal office hours.

….and they can only sit in designated places where there are warning signs, a good sight line and space for them to pull off the road.

The ones in north yorks have 2 forward 2 rear and iirc 4 on each side . They see you coming watch you pass and see you on your way. Barstewards

There are massively strict rules in place for position, placement, signage, distance, etc BUT unless you know them all, are willing to fight and get the tape measure out, etc they win every time….
Something as simple as “not more than 10ft from the carriageway being measured” can see you in the clear IF the placement covers two roads for example. Carriageway ONE is withing 10ft – carriageway TWO is nowhere near 10ft to the vehicle yet they still measure and send out the NIP.
Hampshire got royally f**ked a while back for this in a very well known place where the A27 and the A32 pass alongside each other……..

OP where was it? Positioning and where was the nearest bend/blind corner in relation to the van’s rear?

There are massively strict rules in place for position, placement, signage, distance, etc BUT unless you know them all, are willing to fight and get the tape measure out, etc they win every time….

They win every time because those rules are for the safety of the camera operator, they’re not about the admissibility of the evidence.

There is always the option not to speed.

Not being high and mighty and all that but why do people get so het up about being caught breaking the law?

Yes, the speed limits are daft in some places, yes there is probably some truth that cameras and vans etc are sometimes placed in ‘high catch’ areas with a view to generating some revenue but the fact is you only get a fine and / or points if you are speeding.

I am not saying I never speed but rarely do and never intentionally. The moment I notice I am I slow back down to the speed limit.

If I did get a ticket I’d take it on the chin.

Couple of years ago I encountered a speed trap police safety camera van up in Kirkby Lonsdale, with its camera pointing towards oncoming traffic. I watched as three Power Rangers on sports bikes hurtled through at just under the speed of sound, one of them defiantly popping a wheelie as they passed the impotent camera.

About a mile down the road I encountered the bikers again, standing next to their bikes with their helmets off, looking sheepishly at their feet after being stopped by a second officer who was presumably stationed there waiting to hoover up cocky bikers.

In west yorksire the latest camera vans appear to have hatches on the front, rear and side.
One particular location that the van sit in is in the middle of a dual carriageway meaning you aren’t sure which way tha cameras facing until you are right on it.

Jay those ones do front back and both sides at the same time. One van covers both sides of road 🙁

Konabunny – they are about the admissibility
The specific type approval has very strict rules for their use.
The distance they can be measured at, the length of road prior to the placement, lack of curves, etc.
They win because the information is very hard to find by the general public.
The info comes directly from serving traffic officers I know – the rules are bent deliberately.

Not being high and mighty and all that but why do people get so het up about being caught breaking the law?

I’m with you here regards not speeding and so not getting caught but, I do feel slight anger towards them as they appear to be more of a cash generator than a speed deterrent.

Also, catching speeding motorists to hit targets (which they have set) must be like shooting fish in a barrel. I’m sure there are crimes being committed that are far more serious but with less resources being thrown at them.

That said, when I see a chav racing down the road, I wish there was a speed trap but there never is.

Edit, I use the name speed trap because that’s what they are.

Police have started using the vans at night in cheshire. Over the last 2 weeks I’ve seen a van at sandiway and between tarvin and kelsall. Any other areas use the vans at night, and what technology do they use in the dark?

Working in the dark is technically not difficult, laser still works and with night vision CCD tey would take images fine.

The rules about placement are often flouted because no one really knows, or can find them. A friends father moved one on from his road end as it was private property. As with all of these thing the evidence gatherer (civvie) and the “prosecueting officer” must get it right.

Ok thanks, ‘sweating’ on one of the sightings.

I regularly see the vans working in the dark – at around 21.00 last month – on the A4174 ring road near the M32 and on the Badminton Road near Bristol.

I was told around 6 years ago on a speed awareness course that Avon and Somerset SCAM partnership (as it was back then) were very keen to develop this technology back then.

globalti – Member
….and they can only sit in designated places where there are warning signs, a good sight line and space for them to pull off the road.
POSTED 1 DAY AGO

If only they abided by that…

I’d like to know how they get away with (presumably) giving people tickets whilst it’s raining and windy – I’ve seen them on the bridges over the A74M in quite foul conditions, given that it’s effectively an optical device IMO there’s no way the readings they’re getting can be accurate.

I think my local coppers are too lax on this. We use a T junction from a 30 into a 30 every single day. It has a limited line of sight so you pull out based on what you can see. If traffic was doing 30 then there would never be a problem. The amount of accidents there is stupidly high with near misses a plenty. All because the school mums and arrogant git salesmen think that doing 50-60 is their right.

Seen one enforcement action there in 6 years and they were giving warnings…on a Sunday. Only ever time I’ve seen a camera van was once, outside a school, in plain view. Perfectly fair. The rozzers could make a fortune if they wished, but don’t. I would support them every step of the way if they did.

“I’d like to know how they get away with (presumably) giving people tickets whilst it’s raining and windy – I’ve seen them on the bridges over the A74M in quite foul conditions, given that it’s effectively an optical device IMO there’s no way the readings they’re getting can be accurate.”

O_o