Speed Cameras: HELP

Bill Rehm · Post by **Bill Rehm** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 5:05 am

I just received a notice in the mail that a speed camera registered my
doing 61kph on Tamaki Drive where I ALWAYS make sure I stay at or under
60kph.

Does any one know what the margin of error is on a speed camera? I don't
want to pay a $80 fine if I don't have to. I'll go to court if there is
a chance I can prove I was under 60kph, even if it means a ticket for
doing 59kph.

Regards
Bill

Lou Girardin · Post by **Lou Girardin** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 7:31 am

The manufacturers claim a +/- 1.5 mph accuracy. That said, you don't have a
chance. It's only your word that you were under 60km/h and JP's will not
accept that against the, almost Papal, infallibility of a Policeman.
You just have to pay your speeding tax like everyone else does, but do
remember it come election time.
Lou

Reuben Tarran · Post by **Reuben Tarran** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 9:25 am

Yeah, but only if they both appear in the photo togeather. The camera
office that gets the photos have rules that include making sure that there
is not two vehicles in the one photo. The camera is pretty smart at knowing
which lane is travelling which direction. If your still unsure, get a
copy of the photo and check for your self. Last i heard, they can capture a
photo of a vehicle upto 300kph? upgraded from 200kph after some cars were
only travelling faster than 200 nd only showing the rear half of the vehicle
in the photo hence, no front number plate, no ticket. Also remember that
the beam is very narrow and at 22.5degrees? from the parrallel edge of the
road. The beam is only wide enough to take a couple of readings and
calculate the speed before the vehicle disappears from view. The speed of
computer processors these days make the mind boggle when you consider that
the computer could make those calculations Millions of times before the
vehicle disappears.

Reuben.

ross campbell · Post by **ross campbell** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 9:36 am

In Hamilton new seal has been laid over a camera site.Will the sensors in the road still work with the added thickness of seal?. Ross.

Lyndon Pope · Post by **Lyndon Pope** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 9:41 am

I can see the headlines now BILL GRUMPY OVER SPEEDING TICKET -- LABOUR
FALLS

[...]

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 9:50 am

How accurate is your speedo, Bill?
Maybe you have been lucky until now.
Just a thought though as most speedos read fast, but not all.

Grant.

Bill Rehm · Post by **Bill Rehm** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 9:51 am

Right on bro!!!

Regards
Bill

Reuben Tarran · Post by **Reuben Tarran** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 9:57 am

Ive heard from other that they dont, but you never know, there would only be
one way to find out. I think it will work to a certain thickness but I
wouldnt risk it.

Reuben.

Bill Rehm · Post by **Bill Rehm** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 10:41 am

That said, a +/- 1.5 = 1 kph. Does the camera register in whole round
numbers? For example if I was going 60.5kph would it register 61?

Regards
Bill

lola.anna · Post by **lola.anna** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 10:54 am

Is it possible that if there was another car in close proximity, (even going
the other way) that the speed camera targeted the wrong car???

Reuben Tarran · Post by **Reuben Tarran** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 11:38 am

I would hazard a guess and say that it was rounded down giving the motorist
the benefit of the doubt.
Reuben

Gary Morrison · Post by **Gary Morrison** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 12:03 pm

Speedo's are only +/- 5% aren't they? Probably doesn't help you case though ("I was cautiously driving at an indicated speed of 58km/hr officer")

Bill Rehm · Post by **Bill Rehm** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 12:44 pm

Damn if I know how accurate it is! I uspect that I'm on the back foot on
this one but what is the "down side' if I attempt to fight it? Does
anyone know?

keep in mind I come from a place where we threw tea into the harbour
rather than pay a tax!)

Regards
Bill

Colin Francis · Post by **Colin Francis** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 2:14 pm

On Sat, 03 Apr 2004 12:44:38 +1200, you wrote:

Damn if I know how accurate it is! I uspect that I'm on the back foot on
this one but what is the "down side' if I attempt to fight it? Does
anyone know?

keep in mind I come from a place where we threw tea into the harbour
rather than pay a tax!)

Regards
Bill

Tell them that Bill. They will be scared you will go "postal' and they will be
kind to you .

Colin Francis
Krenford Holdings Ltd
P.O. Box 18547
Christchurch
New Zealand
Ph (64) 3 3387-450 or (64) 0 274 321-737

www.westmorland.co.nz

Colin Francis · Post by **Colin Francis** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 2:15 pm

On Sat, 3 Apr 2004 11:38:53 +1200, you wrote:

I would hazard a guess and say that it was rounded down giving the motorist
the benefit of the doubt.
Reuben

Given the extortionary habits of Herr Klerk and her cronies i would hazard a
guess the figures are rounded up if anything .

Colin Francis
Krenford Holdings Ltd
P.O. Box 18547
Christchurch
New Zealand
Ph (64) 3 3387-450 or (64) 0 274 321-737

www.westmorland.co.nz

Lou Girardin · Post by **Lou Girardin** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 2:50 pm

There's no rounding, the camera displays the speed it detects. It may be 1.5
km/h out.
Funny that there are no speed cameras in the US. But then, everyone has
firearms don't they? I wonder if the camera would detect the speed of a .357
magnum just before it hits?
Lou

Bill Rehm · Post by **Bill Rehm** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 3:02 pm

Whle singing yankee doddle dandy" perhaps Colin???

Regards
Bill

Colin Francis · Post by **Colin Francis** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 3:46 pm

On Sat, 03 Apr 2004 15:02:45 +1200, you wrote:

Whle singing yankee doddle dandy" perhaps Colin???

Regards
Bill

That'll do Bill

DO you have a rag in the petrol tank of the MX 5 and a rifle behind the seats
Bill..
You sound like a rebel. LOL

Colin Francis
Krenford Holdings Ltd
P.O. Box 18547
Christchurch
New Zealand
Ph (64) 3 3387-450 or (64) 0 274 321-737

www.westmorland.co.nz

Bill Rehm · Post by **Bill Rehm** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 4:21 pm

Actually I was thinking something more along the lines of Outkast --
would even bring along a "cooler than a polaroid" with me

Ref: rifle and petrol: prefer "pull pin and toss" devices --- rather
easy to do when the top is down and in 5th gear

)

Regards
Bill

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 4:36 pm

The Poms seem to know what to do...

http://www.speedcam.co.uk/welcome.htm

Grant.

Bill Rehm · Post by **Bill Rehm** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 5:47 pm

Well done Grant!!! Now if they would do the same thing to anyone
holding a radar gun --- we all might get somewhere

(with advanced apologises to the HC, GP fan clubs, and PC oriented out
there)

Regards
Bill

Lou Girardin · Post by **Lou Girardin** » Sun Apr 04, 2004 7:40 am

OK, so you'll be travelling slow enough that the grenade will explode as it
hits the camera, and grenades have a kill radius of 30 metres!
Let us know how how it goes!
Lou

Simon Lord · Post by **Simon Lord** » Sun Apr 04, 2004 8:49 am

Missed this fascinating email conversation as it was unfolding yesterday as
I was out enjoying the topless weather (without the need for possum fur
nipple warmers).

My only question is: yes, you might remember it at election time, but who
are you going to vote for instead? To the best of my knowledge, no party has
announced that it will raise the speed limit on non-suburban dual
carriageways, improve SH1 to motorway standard along its entire length and,
by the way, do away with speed cameras in favour of aggressive policing of
issues such as indicating, giving way at roundabouts, stopping for red and
amber lights and wearing seatbelts. I suppose Paul Adams of United Future
might just draft such a policy (an ex-rally driver, his campaign vehicle was
an Evo VII) but on the other hand Maurice Gatsonides, inventor of the speed
camera, was a rally driver in his youth too.

Did anybody watch the Great Kiwi Driving Test, or whatever it was called, a
couple of weeks ago? The first 20 questions were based on the Road Code and
I flatter myself that I did rather well on those. The second 20 were all
pure propaganda for the LTSA with questions like 'What is the biggest killer
on our roads', the answer to which was supposed to be 'speed' - you could
guess the answers they wanted but take issue with almost all of them. To me,
the most scary statistic that came out of the propaganda section was that,
of the 400-odd people killed on the roads last year, 94 weren't wearing
seatbelts.

Bill, I suspect it isn't worth the effort of fighting this one. It's very
easy to go at 61.5 rather than 58 even without speedometer error, and maybe
you were just unlucky.

There is a parallel with the Boston Tea Party, of course - speed camera
revenue goes into the Consolidated Fund and is used to pay for everything
except decent roads. The tax on tea which the British Government imposed was
to pay for wars in India and France. Coming to think of it, at least wars in
India would presumably have protected British tea-growing interests. You're
right, Bill - to the barricades!

Simon

Lyndon Pope · Post by **Lyndon Pope** » Sun Apr 04, 2004 9:33 am

keep in mind I come from a place where we threw tea into the harbour
rather than pay a tax!)

So... We have a person who comes from a long line of Boston tax dodgers, and
is trying to topple Helen with a speeding ticket.
Hmm...

jeff · Post by **jeff** » Sun Apr 04, 2004 10:39 am

you could get your speedo accuracy indpendantly
verified, seems like a reasonable defence. A pot luck
strategy (offence, not defence) could be to query the
calibration and records of the camera/operator.

IIRC, cosine (?) error makes the camera a bit
inaccurate as well, but makes it read lower than
actual!

Wasn't it amerika where Geico (ins.co) was providing
free , insurance-premium-raising, radar guns until the
public outcry?

Where was the Tamaki drive camera? I normaly zip
around doing a bit less than 69.99 km/h there... :p

g'luck!
Jeff

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