Cue William Wallace

You know that fine line between ticketing to discourage reckless driving and ticketing to increase revenue?

Yeah. You've crossed it.

As a good little girl, I always follow the speed limit...

But even I think this is a load of spotted dick.

It also entails converting the hard shoulder into a running lane

Dumb.

and, from 2010, turning one lane into a toll lane with a higher speed limit.

Pay for it? You'd pay for it anyway! Higher speed = more gas burned = more paid in taxes on that gas.
Idiots.

YouPeopleAreCrazy: Pay for it? You'd pay for it anyway! Higher speed = more gas burned = more paid in taxes on that gas.
Idiots.

But. You. Get. There. Faster.

Driving is a privilege (not a right)? Check
Road construction and maintenence funded by taxpayers? Check
Free market economy? Check
Allow individuals to pay more for more privilege? Check
Of course once said line is crossed there may be slight abuses of the system...
But since the British government is devoid of corruption, this should not be a problem.

Wow, kinda like net neutrality.

Wait...wtf? I can drive 70 instead of 60 without paying a fee. It's called put your foot down further.

Speed cameras suck and should be banned worldwide.

The UK "Home Office" would love to set up a system there using GPS where your speedometer will constantly be monitored and will automatically 'ding' your Visa with the fines. They can just keep changing the limit down and down when they need more money.

Actually, I'm certain that cops all over the world would have wet dreams about this system.

They could just set the limit at 1MPH and be RICH, RICH, RICH!!

All a part of the government slash corporate overlords bilking us for money. I and my family (across the US) are forced to pay for several sporting arenas, and to contribute to hotels, shopping malls, etc thru tax abatements, which only benefit the rich franchise owners and real estate developers.

Real article may be this (new window)

That, or get one of those reflective coverings put over your license plate....

/drives like a bat outta hell
//hasnt gotten one traffic camera ticket yet
///loves to watch the flash as I fly throught teh intersections

/oblig

damn bureaucrats, they're all crooks

/not cooks

vgss: YouPeopleAreCrazy: Pay for it? You'd pay for it anyway! Higher speed = more gas burned = more paid in taxes on that gas.
Idiots.

But. You. Get. There. Faster.

And time is money!

A small part of me would take great pleasure in driving 55 in that lane.

We could use such a system in the USA.

The rich could pay extra, and get the fast lanes. The poor could ride for free, but in the slow lanes.

/Because nothing screws up a freeway faster than poor people in the fast lane.

Speeding would not be a crime if the limits were higher.

If you can't drive fast enough....stay off the roads.


/stick to the Moors!

TheSwissNavy: which only benefit the rich franchise owners and real estate developers.

Ummmmmmm............I'm sure you don't own a house or use any of your cities ammenities.

rodzilla_17: That, or get one of those reflective coverings put over your license plate....

/drives like a bat outta hell
//hasnt gotten one traffic camera ticket yet
///loves to watch the flash as I fly throught teh intersections

Don't you watch mythbusters?

That's the problem with the poor. They think 'freeway' and think they own the place.

That's why when I was young and poor, I never shopped at 'Richway.' It simply wasn't for me.

As if Britain doesn't have enough cameras.

/police state

I have a theory.

Speed cameras are all CCD's these days..
CCD's are sensitive to IR light.
Putting Bright IR LED's around your license plate shining right on the plate itself might over-expose the plate making it unreadable to the camera.

And the light is invisible to a Cop so they couldn't tell until they tried to look at the picture..

This would be most effective at night. But might work in the daytime as well.

Anyone want to try and and let us know?

Arnold T Pants: As if Britain doesn't have enough cameras.

/police state

.

It is a shame. All the Brits I've met seem like nice folk, why does the gov't squash their INALIENABLE civil rights on a daily basis.


Privacy..............................not yours
Self defense.......................can't have
drive at a reasonable speed...not here
Taxes..................................holy crap, they fleece the hell outa you
boobies in the newspaper......awesome!

Massa Damnata: A small part of me would take great pleasure in driving 55 in that lane.

I read that Prius drivers like to do that in California. They are allowed to drive in the HOV lane, and they drive slowly because they are watching the fuel consumption meter instead of the road.

As someone who works for the British govenment in congestion and traffic management i can honestly say we been wanting to do implement this project next year for the last 10 years. It ain't ever going to happen. The public is dead against it, the capital outlay is huge (the cameras that actually work are about £250,000 each) and the politicians are scared that the first month that 10,000 people get speeding tickets from going to work the press will have a melt down.

This is one of those "always on the shelf projects" that we whip up now and again to make it look like were trying to do something meaningful. It distracts people from the real issues that are we have far to many cars on to few roads, all cramed into a much to smaller space that has no decent public transport.

We have not build a major new road since Thatcher was in office and we have twice as many cars now than then.... i mean WTF ?

/I would give my right ball for some good leadership so maybe i could solve problem before i retire.

The rich will continue to buy themselves time, which is why they're rich.

Economies will always stratify.

Rishathra: The public is dead against it.... (re: speed cameras)


well...there you go. If the public is against it, why would you implement it?

Government exists to serve the people. Not the other way around.


Let them just drive.

Fast lane on the Motorway?

Alacritous

Anyone want to try and and let us know?

I wouldn't have even disclosed that on Fark. Would have gone straight to these guys.



As it stands, you now have a real chance that someone else is going to get the credit for your idea.

Rishathra: (the cameras that actually work are about £250,000 each)

So you guys are getting bilked too. That's cool.

/Zaphod voice

Just their Bolshi Overlords picking on the petit bourgeoisie. How dare people pursue non-state sanctioned happiness...

The Brits deserve all the oppression they get from their government. THEY voted for these oppressors, they continue to vote for these oppressors. All because the Brits have an unhealthy level of envy in their national character, hate successful people, etc., and seem torn between resenting government interference in their lives, yet relishing the sight of the government "bringing down the high and mighty".

Their national character has been maimed by generations of resentment caused by living under the control of hereditary aristocracy, hating people whose position above them was purely because of circumstances of birth. Yet when they became a democracy, they not only seized control of their lives, they relished using this power to avenge generations of subjugation under the aristos.

They really need to let go of the anger. It's hobbling their society.

mark12A: The Brits deserve all the oppression they get from their government. THEY voted for these oppressors


-



Interesting point.

Philly eh? Me too.

Arnold T Pants: As if Britain doesn't have enough cameras.

/police state

You understand that not all cameras are controlled by the government, right?

mark12A

What on earth are you talking about, you little oik?

trendon: rodzilla_17: That, or get one of those reflective coverings put over your license plate....

If you can find me one that works, I'd be all over it. A guy that works with me bought them and we were snapping photos of the plate with out shoddy cell phone cameras.

I often thought about setting up in a car a little remote control flap that goes down over the license plate when you press a button in the car. The flap is controlled by a remote control airplane servo and slides down over the license plate then back up into the trunk when de-activated. It would be simple and cost about 150 bucks, zero dollars if you are an RC nerd and have the parts lying around.

I've seen first hand the trial of the hard shoulder idea. Basically, the hard shoulder is usually closed to traffic - as normal - and every few hundred yards there is a gantry sign that has a great big red X overhead so there's no confusion about that. During congested periods they reduce the overall speed limit to 50 and open the hard shoulder to traffic - again all indicated quite clearly by the gantries. If there is a problem and someone has to use the hard shoulder as a breakdown lane then they can - very quickly the gantries will close off that lane again.

Anyone who has used the M42 as much as me over the last 10 years will have noticed the reduction in travel times since they introduced it. It must be well managed though so expect more car tax rises to pay for the staff and infrastructure :(

studebaker hoch: As it stands, you now have a real chance that someone else is going to get the credit for your idea.

Meh.. Not a huge deal.. Besides, it's on a public forum in a dated post.. That can be used as an indicator of the origin of the idea..

But I don't imagine I'm the first person to think of it anyways.

It's a basic principle of CCDs. It's how night vision security cameras work.

You know, sometimes you look around at all the conveniences and simple pleasures and ask your self, "Why is this still free"? Surly, if most people enjoy or take advantage of it, they would most begrudgingly, pay for it. So you find a way to put a price on it and make it illegal to do it without first paying the fee/fine/tax. PROFIT!!! Soon, the very act of breathing will have a price tag.

I really feel sorry for the brits that have to deal with this stuff. We're just now starting to get a good dose of it here in the states as it becomes more and more popular to separate the average citizen from his or her money by the use of speed cameras and red-light cameras. I don't buy this "safety" BS at all. It catches speeders. It doesn't catch a drunk driving, someone yacking on their cell phone paying no attention to what's around them, or someone trying to sodomize the back of your car. In my book speed is far less dangerous than any of those items I mentioned.

Raise the limit, or promise, through legislation that you're only going to go after the real dangerous speeders. I.E. the ones that pass you on the right doing 90 because 85 just isn't fast enough in rush hour traffic, just to get in front of you and jam the brakes yet again.

Stop the biatching ! You vote for "Big Government" you get "Big Government."

Just get over it !!!

"It must not be forgotten that it is especially dangerous to enslave men in the minor details of life... Subjection in minor affairs breaks out every day and is felt by the whole community indiscriminately... It does not drive men to resistance, but it crosses them at every turn, till they are led to surrender the exercise of their own will."
-Tocqueville

Yeah, speed cameras are about safety.

Sorry but anyone who still believes that after shiat like this and the brouhaha in Virginia just recently needs to get their heads checked.

Taxation without representation? Again?

Nick Nostril: Taxation without representation? Again?

Not a fan of speed cameras, but since when does a fine for breaking the law constitute taxation?

Damn Limey, Big Brother loving bastards

You know, I usually try to defend Blighty in threads like this, but even I have to admit this is getting farking ridiculous.

So you can essentially pay up front to speed. If you do the same speed as the pay lane in the free lane you get busted, not for being unsafe but because you didn't pay. Absolutely nothing to do with safety.

Twats.

Rishathra: and the politicians are scared that the first month that 10,000 people get speeding tickets from going to work the press will have a melt down.

By "meltdown", you mean "civil revolt", right?

One of the things you Brits seem to do right.

Yume no Hikari: Not a fan of speed cameras, but since when does a fine for breaking the law constitute taxation?

When the laws being enacted are widely unsupported by the people, they are no longer being represented.