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Last week whilst travelling on the M180 i past a parked police motorway car checking for speeding cars the old fashion way. I could not remember the the last time i saw this, aprt form 1986 when i got caught on my way to work for speeding. When was the last time anyone else saw an old fashion speed trap.
Edited by Pugugly on 06/04/2008 at 09:17
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I'm aware of a young, debonair Officer of the Law using a good old fashioned Vascar today.
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This may well be, and probably is, apocryphal nonsense. It does however, at least sound plausible and I wondered if anyone knows the truth. Following on from the OP's point about "old fashioned" speed traps and the radar technology I believe they use, I was once told when I had a Westfield that they were particularly difficult to get a reading on with this equipment. The theory being put forward was that the combination of small frontal area combined with fibreglass bodywork was difficult to "see" with a Vascar or similar. Never felt inclined to play chicken with one as a result mind you. My personal view of the flaw in the argument was that if that were the case then motorbikes would also be less "visible" for the same reasons. Not that it matters to me now as I don't have the wee car any more and anyway would never have knowingly broken a speed limit in it ( cough ). Just curious.
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VASCAR - Visual Average Speed Computer And Recorder. Relies on manual input by the operator. Either moving or pre-fed distance against time taken for subject vehicle to travel that distance = average speed. No radar or laser technology involved. Good old fashioned speed detection.
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OK thanks FC . Myth dispelled, as mentioned previously I kind of thought it sounded like pub chat.
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What is this "old fashion" [sic] method?
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A policeman stood just outside a village hidden behind a bush. When a car approached that he judged was exceeding 20 mph, he stepped out with a flag and booked the driver.
Radar was invented about 50 years later.
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Nearly right Cliff.
Two policeman required as speeding offence demands corroboration at law
As for Mid Life and Full Chat ( have theyb started to shave yet?) then the next step as
PETA - Portable Electronic Traffic Analysiser - Radar box at the road side of the road plus one officer, another down the road to stop plus signs Radar Speed Check ahead.
Ahhh memories.
dvd
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Portable Electronic Traffic Analysiser
Ah, yes, I remember the chief hairing down the road and disbelieving he as only doing 70 (in a built up area), he though he was approaching the ton.
(no, not a plod, I was with Marconi Marine and we were initially going to look after them)
www.dtels.org/html/speed_traps_11.html
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DVD. I remember my dad getting pulled after driving through one of those :-).
The original Truvelo equipment which was about the size of a large briefcase. Long wire along the gutter fixed to two wires across the road 1m or 1 Yd (?) apart. Speeding car drove across the wires, speed indicated on the control box and bingo. Calibration check with patrol car before commencement of course.
My old Sgt for some reason seemed to like to use it on the coldest of winter days. Banging nails into a freezing wet road and standing out all day ain't no fun. And Biros don't work!
Edited by Fullchat on 06/04/2008 at 12:42
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Subject line now fixed.
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M1, A1M, M18, M180 and M62 triangle.
I drive (commute/work) this triangular route and on a regular basis. From the experience of seeing so many others being pulled for speed and other traffic offences I know that this is one corridor of motorway network that it is just not worth speeding/commiting offences on.
Their (The Plods) favourite tactic seems to be sitting right back (especially on the M18) on entry slip roads or on the roundabout roads overhead watching for speeders going by. This is on all junctions too. All they then have to do is catch up with you and issue your ticket.
This is not just in highly visible marked cars too. They also have Audi's, BMW, the old faithful Volvo's & Subaru's (plain & marked) and yes, it (Subaru) does move (well the un marked does) because it came by me one day and made me look I was standing still - even at 59mph!
They also deploy the camera vans as well (usually a transit) and that is normally sat on the M180 between J2 and J4.
You normally get pulled between J1 & J2 if you have brought them to your attention!
Edited by Tron on 06/04/2008 at 19:21
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I've often thought the M180 was the quietest motorway in the UK, but the most likely place to get nicked.
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