Agreed, no objection to this, I dont use my phone while driving as its against the law, and i dont eat and drink while driving, i can usually wait an hour or two to the next stop.
Nor do i read books (which i saw the other day whilst on the M5) whilst driving which is downright stupid, and if you do that then you deserve to be caught.
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They have these up in Glasgow, but are in Renault Kangoo based vehicles. However as far as I am aware, they are only used for community issues rather than traffic.
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disgusted of yorkshire
Why?
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why?
is just another big brother corruption of power against tax payers who the authorities know can afford the fines
i would rather the police excercised their powers against car thieves like the excellant bbc1 programme last night at 9.00 pm
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Manchester is in Lancashire :-)
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Manchester is in Greater Manchester actually but then that statement is an entire thread in itself :).
A Bolton lass the other day said to me "Did you know Bolton used to be Lancashire" how times changed when I told her that Manchester used to be too she was very surprised.
PS there is there is one of these cars which is always parked up in Chorlton and have been for years catching people making right turns at a junction where only buses can make that turn.
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Anyone who pours carborundum powder into the cambox of one of these cars, or sticks a huge knife into its tyres or simply runs it off the road - you could do it with a large pram after all - will have my enthusiastic moral support.
Westminster have had them for years. Some time back I ended up paying a parking fine imposed in Soho by one of these. I wasn't parked, but did the snivelling carphounds care? Damn pickpockets.
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A couple of things puzzle me slightly about this thread, and the reactions to the "Smart camera car":
1 is there really a camera on a pole out of the roof? and if so, has it got a lamp post above the drivers seat too?? (surely this picture and article are relics from 1st April).
My post earlier was on the basis it is just opportunistic framing of the shot.
2 even if it's genuine in some way, surely it's a law enforcing tool, so why all the bleating and whining? Do you object to Police cars, or Plod on foot??
GOK what the place would be like without Plod - it's getting fairly anarchic on the roads around here (Birmingham) even while there is a (limited) Police presence.
Maybe I'm just getting old, or my irony detector is broken.
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why all the bleating and whining? Do you object to Police cars, or Plod on foot??
NO and no. Don't even mind parking wardens, who are human and amenable to reason. They can ask you to move on if they think you have been waiting for too long.
Taking a photo of your number plate and then claiming your car was parked, when it was waiting with you inside it at all times, is out of order though and completely different. It is money-grubbing and sharp practice. Surely this is obvious even to the most law-abiding and irony-free? The point is that a ticket by post on the basis of a photo just invites that sort of dull, ugly cheating. There isn't much doubt either that it is deliberate local policy aimed not at reducing 'anarchy' on the road or anything positive like that, but at, er, maximising revenue flow from parking operations.
Tchah!
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These are the ones they have in our 'community'..
farm4.static.flickr.com/3400/3421026877_f781617299...g
POLICE
Caught on CCTV
Together Tackling Antisocial behaviour
COMMUNITY AGAINST DRUGS
Watching Out For You
Mobile CCTV
Proud to be watched
Edited by Hamsafar on 07/04/2009 at 19:18
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A couple of things puzzle me slightly about this thread, and the reactions to the "Smart camera car":
Because we are sleepwalking into a "Big Brother" state controlled society and it is truly frightening what is going on out there and the erosion of our privacy and civil liberties. I have no objections to the Plod in the street - many of my friends are policemen, but they are being used for frightening social engineering purposes as the puppets of a state that wants to intrude more and more into our private lives. What kind of society are we tolerating folks, if I can't eat a banana at the wheel or have a laugh or chat or whatever, without someone somewhere pointing a camera at me and reporting me to the authorities? C'mon guys, does no one feel the same as me here, or are we all meek followers?
Cheers
Baz
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C'mon guys does no one feel the same as me here or are we all meek followers?
I feel exactly the same way.
I find it very creepy all these police propaganda posters that are now springing up all over the place. It's very reminiscent of Soviet Russia or the McCarthy era in the US.
Getting back onto a driving theme, none of the driving offences now convicted by camera were ever designed for camera enforcement. They were designed to be policed by real policemen, who could exercise that now alien concept 'discretion' and 'have a quiet word' to warn you if your behaviour behind the wheel was bordering on the unacceptable. That would have the result of instantly changing your behaviour, immediately making you a safer driver.
Issuing fines by post 14-28 days later doesn't deal with the immediate problem of unsafe behaviour - after all the driver is blissfully unaware they've been caught out, plus all it does is alienate the easily-traceable generally law abiding people. There's no discretion any more, which leads to ludicrous situations like drivers being prosecuted for jumping a red light when they move out of the way of emergency vehicles.
Edited by Ravenger on 08/04/2009 at 00:27
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opportunistic framing of the shot.
Opportunistic framing is in fact a main speciality of the carphounds who operate these photo-based extortion systems, JH. You are in effect blaming the victim not the perpetrator.
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The Smarts seen around Manchester up to now are 'bus lane monitors', not police. I walked past one...parked on the pavement..a couple of weeks ago and had a word with the driver, he drove off without a word.
Manchester is still in Lancashire, the GM is just an administrative thing, foisted on us before Rattle was born. The whole of the City of Manchester south of the Mersey was in Cheshire prior to being bought for overspill purposes, (Wythenshawe) I still put my address as Manchester, Lancashire.
We have an old police station here, well within the old Manchester City Police area, with 'Lancashire Constabulary' in the stonework.....now a wine bar, of course.
Ted
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Interesting to note that traffic enforcement and safety partnership vans have no qualms about breaking the law themselves while going about their business. Came across one the other day parked half on the pavement and half blocking a cycle path so a young mother with a pram had to go onto the road to get past. Couldn't avoid clipping the drivers door mirror with my elbow as I cycled past, unfortunately...
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I often see a camera van parked in a bus stop on the A4 just to the east of Reading. Strikes me as rather poor form.
Edited by Alanovich on 08/04/2009 at 16:22
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I sometimes see one parked in a gated entrance to a factory, blocking it and the pavement completely. This despite a large sign on the gate saying "Keep Clear- Emergency Fire Exit". Clown. I always hit the high beams whenever I see him.
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bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7994362.stm
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So, lots of people dislike speed cameras as they only catch people breaking the limit but do nothing to atch people using mobiles etc. and yet it seems that some people also dislike the cameras that catch you using your mobile as it's an invasion of civil liberties...
Can't win can they?
To me this car seems to be about encouraging a behavioural change, they want people to be so concerned about getting caught that tey acually stop using their mobiles etc. whilst driving?
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This is part of an unpublicised but deliberate Government plan to intrude into and record and control most aspects of our public AND private existence. We are assured that we are under constant threat of a terrorist attack, and I do not doubt this at all. However, a number of totally non terrorist related measures are being introduced to 'control' us and we are being told that they are for protection and safety.
One of the above mentioned cars can photograph you, stationary and parked in your car (motoring Link) eating a pie and it may be down to you to prove that you were not moving at the time.
Most of what is being brought in is to raise money for the depleted central Government coffers. £80 fine for having your wheelie bin lid open is not an anti-terrorist measure Similarly, CCTV cameras to spot pooing dogs seems a slight misuse of hi-tech resources. The Government are determined to control us but are unable control themselves; smutty movies on expenses, puerile e mails issued by the PM's trusted advisor. I am too fed up to keep quiet and too old to emigrate!
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. I am too fed upto keep quiet and too old to emigrate! here here
I just dont understand how a citizen of this country can sit back and let the govt tell us that being filmed going about your normal day is for your own good and the sony dvd you have been captured on is going to be kept in secure storage.
I suppose its as secure as flash drives not going missing ,laptops and guns from a police store
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'One of the above mentioned cars can photograph you, stationary and parked in your car (motoring Link) eating a pie and it may be down to you to prove that you were not moving at the time.' Good point. Heres another one.
If you pull over at the side of the road to use a mobile phone, you can still be done if the engines is running as it still constitutes using a phone whilst driving. Now if you turn the engine off to keep with in the law, how will this camera know the engine is off ? The answer is it probably won't and the ticket will arrive in the post. Any one know how you will gather the evidence to prove you had the engine off ?
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This Country is 6.21.3.11.5.4. We work. We pay tax to pay for single mum's with more fat tums and others that WON'T work. We get fined cos we work and have SOME money. If our glorious state fines the have not's (cos they won't work), they don't pay fine. State does NOT chase. I meet Policeman who is assaulted in the front office. He gets the matter sorted favourably! and the scum goes to court. Big fine for scum (previous as long as arm) and suspended sentence. He no pay fine. He still no pay fine. Nobody chase. No probation officers here apparently and this is rural Devon!!
The game is up in our country. The situation is irreversible as any right thinking Englishman of a certain age and attitude will know.
34 years of hard graft have left me a little bitter you may have detected, but the game is definitely up.
Best regards to you all...............MD
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I agree MD, When I responded to a street begger by saying "If you have your act together your benefits will be more than my pension so you should give me some money" He did not have an answer, and looked shocked. I did bend the truth, but it had the desired effect.
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When I responded to a street begger by saying "If you have your act together your benefits will be more than my pension so you should give me some money"
I have my pension and retirement plan well sorted ON. When the time comes I'll nip over to France and return in the back of a lorry. Free house, free sky tv and lots of benefits. I can't wait ;-)
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The game is up in our country. The situation is irreversible as any right thinking Englishman of a certain age and attitude will know.
You often speak for me MD, far more eloquently than i ever could and that post and in particular that sentence is so hauntingly true.
I confess i have no idea what that number sequence means though, hang on yes i do.
Edited by gordonbennet on 11/04/2009 at 23:30
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If you pull over at the side of the road to use a mobile phone ... how will this camera know the engine is off ?
Any one know how you will gather the evidence to prove you had the engine off ?
You don't need to "gather evidence".
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If you are parked at the side of the road with the engine off using your phone and are snapped by this car, you will need to prove the engine was off ......unless you are a member of the back room millionaires club in which case you would just cough up the fine.
Of course you will need evidence to fight your fixed penalty and I am asking what is the best way of gathering that evidence ?
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Go to court and say that you were parked. There's no need to do anything else.
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Going to court is far more expensive to the individual than paying the fine and thats exactly how the system has been designed, to discourage us from questioning these fines.
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Of course you will need evidence to fight your fixed penalty and I am asking what is the best way of gathering that evidence ?>>
Go to court and say that you were parked. There's no need to do anything else. >>
Dont forget we are now in the age of guilty until proven innocent
I guess, unless you used the car keys as earrings, (Hmmm what about keyless go?) then how could you prove the keys werent in the ignition?
there again....... 'and where were your spare keys Mr Swiss?.......'
we cant win......
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As regards driving in manchester i have the perfect solution
dont go there
why?
well a fire engine got marooned on the bollards last week
the m62 is always jammed every morning trying to get there (im talking 7.30 am too)
i sold my brother a mk2 escort one saturday morning,he got to manchester at 11.00 am and at 11.30 his car was nicked from the multi storey
i dont blame rattle as i dont think he was born then
so all good reasons not to meet the expensive camera on a stick
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"To me this car seems to be about encouraging a behavioural change, do they want people to be so concerned about getting caught that tey acually stop using their mobiles etc. whilst driving?"
I watched the thing on TV news. There was a clip shown of a young woman texting a message with her right hand, while steering and holding a cigarette with her left.
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just a guess here but they use a simular system in germany and have done for a number of years, all the photos there contain a data strip showing the cars speed and therefore proving the car is moving and not parked up........sorry mr x there goes another of your police state conspiracy theories
Edited by welshlad on 13/04/2009 at 05:05
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