Thursday, May 7, 2009

PCSO speed traps now here...

Hi

I've just got off the phone to Darren, who's one of my
researchers (it's 0:43 in the morning as I write this -
they don't let me get any peace!) and he told me about
a new discovery the team have made this week.

Our source is a Police Constable whose name I won't
mention to avoid him getting into trouble with his
bosses. He has informed us about PCSO's being in
charge of laser speed guns
in the Kent area, and
possibly across the rest of the UK.

According to our source, these PCSO's are untrained
in the use of the speed guns and because of this,
their speed readings can not be used to directly
prosecute motorists.

HOWEVER...

The speed measurements they collect and the "offending"
cars registration numbers are stored on a central
Intelligence Database which is accessed when a driver
is stopped.

Now, I will have a word with our specialist Solicitors in
the morning about this (they will not be amused if I call
them now :-) and ask them if this information could be
used in any prosecution. I am 90% confident that it
could not though.

BUT...

Our source says that it does indeed effect an Officers
decision
if they pull you over. In other words, if they pulled
you over for, say, your headlight being broken, then they
would access this Intelligence Database and this could
effect how they deal with you. Even if the original reading
was a load of rubbish, for a different car (mistake), or if
someone else was driving your car!

I must say that this sounds a bit dodgy to me, but I'd like
to ask your opinion?

Take the poll: http://btst.co.uk/poll5/

Thanks.

Adam Blair

pictures of new camera...

Here are the pictures I promised you last week of the brand
new Speed Camera on test on the A24.

http://btst.co.uk/A24/

As the camera is not yet type approved (hence the test)
we have to make some guesses, so I consulted my camera
"Guru" Steve Walsh.

You'll notice in the pictures that there are three poles
rather than the normal one. We believe this extra equipment
is part of the testing of the device and it's being used to assist
the evaluation for Home Office Type approval.


There appears to be an extra infra red device facing the traffic.

We do know that the camera is manufactured by Robot and
both myself and Steve are going to go and find out more at
the Traffex show at the NEC this week. If they are there we will
go and find out more!

On a different note...

If I told you where I am off to now you might think I have gone
quite mad!

We are filming a TV commercial today for "Project D" and I
bet you can't guess the celebrity we have got on board to do
the advert!

More soon...

Adam

more about the new camera...

I was at the Traffex show yesterday and managed to have
a word with one of the top bods from Robot, who make the
new camera on test on the A24 and A3 (http://btst.co.uk/A24/).

The man from Robot requested to know who I was and
when I told him, he smiled and said "oh yes ...I read your blog!"
(I don't have a blog, but think he means this newsletter).

As promised, I found out a bit more about this new camera.

According to Robot, it is in fact a Radar camera just like
the old Gatso's.

Normally I would have known this because I have a Radar
Detector in my car but on this occasion I was driving my girlfriends
car which doesn't have one (she "never" speeds...).

Anyhow, they were a bit evasive when I asked further questions
so I left it there.

The commercial.....

As mentioned the other day, we were filming the TV
commercial for "Project D" on Tuesday.

I haven't been back to the office yet since (writing this en route
back) but I understand that some of the film crew have got pictures
from the shoot.

I will be having a dig through facebook later to find them and if
I do, I'll share them with you in the next few days...

You'll never guess who the stars of the commercial are!

All the best,

Adam

QE2 bridge cameras go live this week...

During last week, there were SPECS average speed cameras
erected on the QE2 "Dartford" Bridge in Essex/Kent.

They start just before the bridge and end before the tolls at the end.

If you have driven by and not seen them last week, it's because
they are mounted on a road gantry rather than on the normal
yellow or blue poles.

Pictures here: http://btst.co.uk/QE2BridgeCameras/

(from 2 different spotters so that we got all the cameras)


Often there is a big delay between the cameras being put up
and actually going live, but our source tells us that they are
going live this week
.

The SPECS area on the other side of the road is also being
extended but we understand that the extra cameras haven't
been cabled in yet.

If you own a BTST Locator then the bridge cameras are being
added in the morning ( along with 52 other changes last week) so
I strongly suggest you update yours tomorrow!

All the best,

Adam

sneaky bus lane camera...

Hope you had a good bank holiday weekend?

I went down to the west country with my girlfriend and as I write this on Monday, am just watching Battle of Britain on the TV and waiting for my roast dinner!

Anyway, I saw this in Orpington in Kent last Friday:

http://btst.co.uk/SmartBuslaneCamera/


When I asked the driver what she was doing, she tried to ignore me. I persisted and she eventually wound the window down enough mumble something in broken English.

So I asked “is it a speed camera?” (I was playing dumb). She told me that it was a bus lane camera.

It’s a crafty little trap to catch drivers who put two or four wheels in the bus lane.

I know from experience that these guys aren’t just out to catch people actually using the bus lane – they often get you for just ducking into it to overtake someone turning right or waiting to park on the opposite side of the road.

I took a few snaps of the little smart car on my iphone and the pictures are here:

http://btst.co.uk/SmartBuslaneCamera/

Now this car was well hidden and it’s unlikely that anyone would have spotted it as they passed because of the cars size, the fact that it was further in towards the kerb than the normal sized cars in front of and behind it and because it was on the opposite side of the road to the bus lane.

I got one of my researchers on it straight away and we understand that the fine is £60, although this has not yet been “officially” confirmed.

So make sure you look out for a little black car when you put a wheel over that little white line…

All the best,

Adam