In todays news...

Current affairs, Politics, News.
Mr. Dazzle
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Re: In todays news...

Post by Mr. Dazzle »

Yambo wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2023 6:00 pm There's definitely an argument that speed cameras are simply revenue earners but you know what - the payments are all 100% voluntary.
This is pretty much my attitude.

I don't support the "war on speed", but the police make no secret of the fact they want you to obey the speed limit, quite the opposite. They tell you what the speed limit is, they keep telling you, and your vehicle tells you what speed you're doing constantly. Then they tell you when there are speed cameras 'about' and they generally paint those cameras/their vans bright yellow. They often also put handy little marks on the road!

So yeah - if you get caught speeding by a camera...not sure I really have much sympathy :D

I'd be curious to know if they make any money or not TBH. I can well believe if they're run by someone like Serco they make shit tonnes of cash (for Serco!) but if they're run by the local authorities they're a bit shit :lol:
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Re: In todays news...

Post by Screwdriver »

Mr. Dazzle wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2023 6:58 pm I'd be curious to know if they make any money or not TBH. I can well believe if they're run by someone like Serco they make shit tonnes of cash (for Serco!) but if they're run by the local authorities they're a bit shit :lol:
https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/car ... meras.html

TLDR: £££millions
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Re: In todays news...

Post by Mr. Dazzle »

Yeah but how much money do they actually make? That's why I mentioned Serco, 'cause I bet someone like that could be relied upon to turn a profit.
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Re: In todays news...

Post by DefTrap »

Mr. Dazzle wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2023 6:58 pm

So yeah - if you get caught speeding by a camera...not sure I really have much sympathy :D

Irritates the fuck out of me but ultimately it's a nod to my carelessness, selfishness and lack of observance. All of my fines are for trifling limit breaking on fairly unbusy roads and nowhere near schools or cat orphanages, but ultimately they just caught me lazily daydreaming.
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Re: In todays news...

Post by KungFooBob »

That one listed on the M180 isn't even a static camera. It's a van on a pig perch that's hidden by a bridge and a gentle curve until the last minute.
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Re: In todays news...

Post by Mr. Dazzle »

The freedom to lazily day dream is part of the reason I set the 'soft' speed limiter in my car ;)

That and the fact I get better mpg :lol:
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Re: In todays news...

Post by Count Steer »

Doesn't the money from speeding fines go into central government coffers and the police get the money from speed awareness courses? Might explain why my local authority scrapped all the fixed cameras. Contracting out the mobile ones is probably just showing willing but it would be nice to know how they're incentivised. There are more 'community speed watches' than the mobile lot though and they seem to clock more locals than passers-through. They're incentivised by a sense of righteousness :D (but they usually put out their signs well in advance so they actually DO want people to slow down rather than gathering ££s).
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Post by wheelnut »

Count Steer wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2023 7:39 pm Doesn't the money from speeding fines go into central government coffers and the police get the money from speed awareness courses?
Yep, which is why North Yorks police (for example) have about 25 vans and have kindly raised the threshold at which the SAC offer stops and the FP kicks in.

Also, surprisingly(!), they mainly target the fastest and safest roads in North Yorks. I travelled the A19 and A1 today and passed 3 vans, 2 on the A19 and 1 on the a bridge near wetherby.

They also seem to be trying to conceal them more now. Instead of parking in clear view they seem (at least today) to be looking for locations where they can be partially concealed.
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Re: In todays news...

Post by westers151 »

DefTrap wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2023 7:26 pm
Mr. Dazzle wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2023 6:58 pm

So yeah - if you get caught speeding by a camera...not sure I really have much sympathy :D

. All of my fines are for trifling limit breaking on fairly unbusy roads and nowhere near schools or cat orphanages, but ultimately they just caught me lazily daydreaming.
You careless, selfish, unobservant person.

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Re: In todays news...

Post by ZRX61 »

This fine specimen is the Governor of Califailure, along with his wife who he refers to as the "First Partner".. actually the third partner if you include the last one who ditched his liberal ass & hooked up with Don Trump Jr.. & his mates missus who he got caught banging on the side.
Here's the caption:
"California’s kids have the freedom to succeed - we are launching new efforts to prepare Californians for high-paying careers.
We're breaking silos across sectors, strengthening career pathways, hands-on learning & real-life skills in high schools, and reducing costs for career training."

& then he illustrates the post on his official FB page with a pic of minority women working in a kitchen being watched by rich white people LOL!!

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Re: In todays news...

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

KungFooBob wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2023 7:27 pm That one listed on the M180 isn't even a static camera. It's a van on a pig perch that's hidden by a bridge and a gentle curve until the last minute.
The good old M180, used to be as empty as anything and you could do what speed you wanted to, for miles, I think it's probably the longest spell of 150+ I've ever done, must have been 1991 or 2
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Post by Bike Breaker »

Horse wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2023 6:03 pmI struggle to keep up with 'acceptable' terminology. When I was much younger 'gay' was an insult, now it's a regularly-used self-description.
I remember when 'gay' meant 'lively and cheerful'.
Without being *whatever* I doubt anyone can fully understand and appreciate how it is to, for example, have a brain (soul, whatever ...) that's female inside a body that's male.
I don't understand how anyone biologically one sex can know how people biologically the other sex think and mentally feel. I'm a biological female who has always felt female but I don't really know what other females think. 25% of the time I don't know what I'm feeling. Now that's a sign of a true woman. :lol:
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Re: In todays news...

Post by Bike Breaker »

Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Fri Sep 01, 2023 6:51 amThe good old M180, used to be as empty as anything and you could do what speed you wanted to, for miles, I think it's probably the longest spell of 150+ I've ever done, must have been 1991 or 2
One Thursday evening in the late 90s, I rode my trusty Honda 400/4 along the M180. I wanted to know what it was like doing 100mph so deliberately broke the law. This was the only bike I own that had a chance of doing it and that would be at the end of its range. It took 7miles to get the speedo to register 110 mph. True speed, just on 100. All I could think was that if I got a puncture, I'd be dead. I never did it again.
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Re: In todays news...

Post by KungFooBob »

The fastest (indicated) speed I ever saw on a bike was 185mph... On a ZX9R on the M180, it was deffo faster than my Blade top end.
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Re: In todays news...

Post by gremlin »

KungFooBob wrote: Fri Sep 01, 2023 8:35 am The fastest (indicated) speed I ever saw on a bike was 185mph... On a ZX9R on the M180, it was deffo faster than my Blade top end.
I used to have an old 'Blade back in the day. On a trip to France I opened the throttle all the way to the stop. IIRC, it was showing about 160mph, but my memory is poor and I think for most of the time my eyes were shut.

I've never been that stupid on a bike since. Hardly.
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Post by KungFooBob »

Pah, I used to see 160mph on my daily commute using the Blade.
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Post by weeksy »

KungFooBob wrote: Fri Sep 01, 2023 9:02 am Pah, I used to see 160mph on my daily commute using the Blade.
Yup, same on the R1 and i only lived 4 miles from the office... in town :D
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Re: In todays news...

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

KungFooBob wrote: Fri Sep 01, 2023 8:35 am The fastest (indicated) speed I ever saw on a bike was 185mph... On a ZX9R on the M180, it was deffo faster than my Blade top end.
I saw 190 on the speedo of my SRAD 750, it felt more like 160
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Post by Yorick »

gremlin wrote: Fri Sep 01, 2023 8:59 am
KungFooBob wrote: Fri Sep 01, 2023 8:35 am The fastest (indicated) speed I ever saw on a bike was 185mph... On a ZX9R on the M180, it was deffo faster than my Blade top end.
I used to have an old 'Blade back in the day. On a trip to France I opened the throttle all the way to the stop. IIRC, it was showing about 160mph, but my memory is poor and I think for most of the time my eyes were shut.

I've never been that stupid on a bike since. Hardly.
In all my years on track, I reckon I've done 150 about 30,000 times :
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Re: In todays news...

Post by Mr. Dazzle »

gremlin wrote: Fri Sep 01, 2023 8:59 am I used to have an old 'Blade back in the day. On a trip to France I opened the throttle all the way to the stop. IIRC, it was showing about 160mph, but my memory is poor and I think for most of the time my eyes were shut.
I saw 165mph on the clocks on me auld VFR750 at Bruntingthorpe. That reading, I think it's fair to say, was ambitious :D