I've 'walked through' this on streetview. The road concerned is a short section of rebuilt grade separated carriageway linking two lengths of thirties by-pass with houses on both sides. The 30 limit is posted where it starts and there are speed camera signs with reminders of the limit.

We've all done it in those circs either by choice or lack of observation. Neither justify 'going to trial'.

The beak will not be sympathetic but will resent the court's time being used for what can only be faux mitigation for what should have been a guilty plea.

The best option for the OP is a course followed by accepting the fixed penalty & points. The court will impose a bigger fine with costs on top

Edited by Bromptonaut on 20/06/2012 at 21:24

SFAIK a course is instead of penalty and points. One gets one or the other, not both. The speed quoted suggests that a course will be offered.

Sorry to confuse.

I meant that OP's choices were (1) course at cost of £60+ and no points (2) FP fine & points and (3) the v costly option of court.

Hello Td5alive, sometimes we just find ourselves in a situation with no 'wiggle room' and this is one. My feeling is you are more angry with yourself for getting caught. At least if you are offered a course you miss the points and the resultant hike in your insurance so you are ahead on that score. One thing is for sure, you will probably not get caught so easily again so it's £60 for a salutory lesson in the harshness of the system if you step over the line. Plead guilty and pay up and move on. Good luck. Concrete

That section of road has street lamps less than 183 metres apart ( 200 ft ) so by default is a 30 limit unless signposted otherwise. There must be terminal 30 Signs on entering the section but repeaters are not required or in fact allowed.

You do not appear to have any defence and taking it to court will through away the chance of a SAC as the courts an not offer these. Regards Peter

I think the only harshness in some of the replies (perhaps mine included) was a response to this rather provocative line in your original post:

"Has anyone risked going and telling the magistrate the obvious, or have we all bottled and taken the Speed awareness course."

Taken at face value, it suggests that taking an aggressive line in a magistrate's court was a sensible option and that anyone who thought otherwise was "bottling it".

I quite agree that there are some speed camera sitings which make a joke out of their supposed role as "safety cameras" and I quite understand that in this case it was easy to make a mistake - we've all been there.

I was once flashed in a town in Kent I've never been to before on a dark wet night, but got no ticket, as presumably there was no recording at that time in that particular camera. A piece of undeserved good fortune.

I don't believe there's a policeman alive who would have even cautioned me where I was doing 35. I do not speed,

That's contradicting yourself. You admit doing 35 in a 30 but don't speed, how does that work?

I don't speed either - doing 38 in what I thought was a 40 limit and got a ticket as it turned out to be a 30 - we all misidentify the speed limit from time to time so take it on the chin and remember to be EVEN more observant in future.

"I don't speed..."

Seems like a case of Humpty Dumpty.

"'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean...'"

Most people would say that "I don't speed" means "I don't exceed the speed limit".

In your case "I don't speed" apparently means "If I exceed the speed limit it is because I failed to spot the signs, so that doesn't count as speeding."

Time for a reality check, methinks.