Topic: curious about other countries traffic patrols

[Rocking-M]

Are speed traps common in other countries?

Traveling home over Thanksgiving just got me curious.
We were on a road with little traffic, usually not a whole lot on
Thanksgiving day, and the ticket writers were pretty busy.
Then we got on another road with more traffic and
no patrols were to be seen.
Both were 4 lanes and one was an 8 lane with no patrols either.

[my78k]

We definitely have our fair share here in Southern Ontario but for the most part the cops arent overly creative so you tend to see them in the same places all the time...

Nothing compared to you guys south of the border tho...I travel the I75 every Feb on my way down to Kissimmee Florida and can't believe the number we see (have seen as many as 18 one year!)...we do it straight with no stops so we tend to do ok after the sun goes down but even at 3 or 4 in the morning the buggers are out there!

Dennis

[Glenn Stauffer]

I think much of Europe uses photo radar these days.  Last time I was in the Netherlands, I noticed a lot of photo radar installations - in several areas, they were nice enough to post signs informing drivers that photo radar was in use on a particular stretch of road.

Not another country, but in PA, for years, radar is only be used by the State Police with some exceptions - the locals police use various timing devices.  Fortunately, the State Police aren't terribly creative and if you travel a road frequently, you'll know the places and times for most of the speed traps.  The law specifies that you must be traveling more than 6mph over the limit to get a ticket if the speed limit is 55mph or 10mph when the speed limit is lower.

[Rocking-M]

We definitely have our fair share here in Southern Ontario but for the most part the cops arent overly creative so you tend to see them in the same places all the time...

Nothing compared to you guys south of the border tho...I travel the I75 every Feb on my way down to Kissimmee Florida and can't believe the number we see (have seen as many as 18 one year!)...we do it straight with no stops so we tend to do ok after the sun goes down but even at 3 or 4 in the morning the buggers are out there!

Dennis

Brings back memories here Dennis. After the wife and I were first married we did the trip
from NC to Miami and back (went to see the relatives). Anyway we left there at 11 pm and
drove all the way back. Some fellows in a Trans Am from Toronto followed us into the gas
station at one stop and ask me if I was going to drive that fast all the way back. I said, sure
They ask if they could follow, they did for a short while

[petercb750]

Mate - Oz is full of traps. Hand held radar "hairdryers" with the occifer usually standing behind a bush, pole, parked car or tree, or even just sitting in his car with his arm hanging out the window, stationary radars with cameras ususally hidden in unmarked vans parked at the bottom of long hills on traffic-less roads or if they are not in the van they are sat behind a bush and covered in green plastic to disguise it with the well paid controlling occifer having a snooze in his equally hidden van, radars on roofs of patrol cars that can get you coming or going - I'm sure there's more, but don't get me started - oh, sorry I already have 
And still our government insists that they are not revenue raising. Not that I condone speeding, but I don't agree that detection needs to be sneaky - visible presence is the biggest deterrent.
If you get your photo unknowingly snapped when speeding, and don't get the notification and fine for quite a few days, how has that delivered a message to slow down in those intervening days?

Stop me before I start ranting, oh too late for that too....... 

[Trevor from Warragul]

You forgot to mention the newer laser speed guns.  They're more accurate than radar, for example, they can place the beam on a motorcyclists helmet in heavy traffic & get a speed reading.

A funny thing happened in Victoria one time.  A bunch of young guys got chatting to a guy in a speed camera car, asked him all sorts of interesting questions, acted real friendly.  Meanwhile, someone else took the rear licence plate off the camera car.  They then put this on the back of their car & sped past the camera car about 50 times.  The speed camera operators then issued 50 speeding tickets to the car that was taking the pictures!

[Raul CB750K1]

During the last two years Spain has been covered of radar speed traps. Due to the laws that state that wherever there is a camera filming there should be signs saying so, a few hundred metres before the radar there are always signs saying so.

What people complains about is that, theoretically, speed traps are suppoused to be situated in places where high speed can lead to an accident, but the truth is than most of them are in straights, where they can get the bigger number of tickets per hour.


Even when you see the sign, when you travel the same road every day you forget about it, and I can say many times I go past the radar wondering how fast have I passed by and wondering if i would get a ticket in the mail in a few days. Speed traps are a great investment for the authorities: plant them and wait for the harvest...


Sometimes I wonder wether it would be cost-effective to use fake plates in your car. Probably the fine for doing that is smaller than a speed ticket. Actually, according to spanish laws, you get less penalty for stealing a CD in a shop than for downloading it from internet!


Raul

[jsaab2748]

 

And still our government insists that they are not revenue raising. Not that I condone speeding, but I don't agree that detection needs to be sneaky - visible presence is the biggest deterrent

.

Well said sir. If safety wass thier main concern, they'd be visible. But then, there's no money in that. Around here they sit hidden in rural ,newly annexed areas. Operation "revenue scam" is in full swing. My son got a 73.00
fine for a burned out license plate light, after an uneventful search of his car.

[Hockers Choppers]

You forgot to mention the newer laser speed guns.  They're more accurate than radar, for example, they can place the beam on a motorcyclists helmet in heavy traffic & get a speed reading.

A funny thing happened in Victoria one time.  A bunch of young guys got chatting to a guy in a speed camera car, asked him all sorts of interesting questions, acted real friendly.  Meanwhile, someone else took the rear licence plate off the camera car.  They then put this on the back of their car & sped past the camera car about 50 times.  The speed camera operators then issued 50 speeding tickets to the car that was taking the pictures!

Now thats funny!!!! I've always wondered what you guys do for fun in Canada

[johnny-from-bel]

Sometimes I wonder wether it would be cost-effective to use fake plates in your car. Probably the fine for doing that is smaller than a speed ticket. Actually, according to spanish laws, you get less penalty for stealing a CD in a shop than for downloading it from internet!

In Belgium it is counterfitting an official document + obstruction of a criminal investigation. That would be between 10 and 15 years in jail.

Our police does not patrol the freeways. Speedlimit is hardely enforced on the freeway. Off the freeway you will find a speed camera at most intersections. (Red light + speed)

[Glenn Stauffer]

You forgot to mention the newer laser speed guns.  They're more accurate than radar, for example, they can place the beam on a motorcyclists helmet in heavy traffic & get a speed reading.

A funny thing happened in Victoria one time.  A bunch of young guys got chatting to a guy in a speed camera car, asked him all sorts of interesting questions, acted real friendly.  Meanwhile, someone else took the rear licence plate off the camera car.  They then put this on the back of their car & sped past the camera car about 50 times.  The speed camera operators then issued 50 speeding tickets to the car that was taking the pictures!

Now thats funny!!!! I've always wondered what you guys do for fun in Canada

Make that Australia - Victoria is the state where you'll find Melbourne.

[DarkRider]

If im not mistaken theres also a city in BC named Victoria....

[ieism]

I think much of Europe uses photo radar these days.  Last time I was in the Netherlands, I noticed a lot of photo radar installations - in several areas, they were nice enough to post signs informing drivers that photo radar was in use on a particular stretch of road.

Yes we do have a lot of them in the Netherlands. There are 97 photo-installations for every million people.  They are placed in spots that have been known for deadly accidents, so the placement is not random like most people think. I don't care much for speedlimits, but I do try to ride safe. I've never had a ticket with my bike yet.
I noticed in Germany they have camera's that take pictures from the front, So i was thinking a motorcycle would not be traced there. Is this true?

[Glenn Stauffer]

If im not mistaken theres also a city in BC named Victoria....

Yes the capital of BC is Victoria.

I should have been more specific - if you click on Morini's profile, you'll notice he's posting from a .au address, so the Victoria he's referring to is most likely the one in Australia.

[Hockers Choppers]

If im not mistaken theres also a city in BC named Victoria....

Yes the capital of BC is Victoria.

I should have been more specific - if you click on Morini's profile, you'll notice he's posting from a .au address, so the Victoria he's referring to is most likely the one in Australia.

Hey, if you click on my profile you'd know I also live in victoria!!! But I bet nobody did that either

[Rocking-M]

What was that Clint Eastwood said came from Kansas
 

[Hockers Choppers]

What was that Clint Eastwood said came from Kansas
 

No, They just said he came from Kansas in the movie so people would think he was meaner!!

[74cb750]

When I lived in New Hampshire, many moons ago, some of us tired of getting speeding tickets, so....
early one morning a bunch of us went into the police parking lot, loosened the "hubcaps" and taped them
back on with junk tape. (this was before cameras were available cheap)
Someone then called the police and said there was a riot at the local college (3am). We were all standing out in
the local park, directly across from the police station, laughing a bit as the cars pulled out of the parking
lot all their hubcaps started flying around when they went over the entrance curbing.