M50 toll bridge camera - Not working properly???

I.S.T.

I was watching the M50 toll bridge camera last week and noticed it only flashes once for each car caught. I thought these cameras were meant to take two photos in order to calculate your speed. I was wondering if anyone has been caught at this speed trap and if so did you receive a copy of the two photos.

Stephen

I guess it probably calculates your speed using radar or laser and then just flashes once to photograph your plate?

I.S.T.

Stephen wrote:

I guess it probably calculates your speed using radar or laser and then just flashes once to photograph your plate?

But it is supposed to take two photos so that if you dispute the case they can prove you were speeding by calculating the distance you travelled using the two photos and position of your car on the road in relation to the road markings.

www.ukspeedtraps.co.uk wrote:

They read the speed of the passing vehicle by use of a speed measuring device (Inductive loop or Radar) and if the speed is above the set limit then it takes two pictures half a second apart of the offending vehicle.

Operators back at base can also manually calculate the distance traveled by the use of the white lines painted on the road allowing them to then work out your speed, should you disagree.

drdre

I think we need to start getting jammers in our cars to stop getting points.
Will they work for fixed cameras in ireland or are they just for the speed guns?

Seth Brundle

I was going to post about the illegalities of speed camera detectors and jammers but I'll let someone else do it!

unkel

drdre wrote:

I think we need to start getting jammers in our cars

You do realise these are illegal in this country?

drdre

unkel wrote:

You do realise these are illegal in this country?

I know they are but i was just joking. I just want to know do they actually work on fixed cameras

drdre

kbannon wrote:

I was going to post about the illegalities of speed camera detectors and jammers but I'll let someone else do it!

I know its illegal, i donot want anyone to tell me, im just asking how do they work and do they work on fixed camera's

OldmanMondeo

IrishSpeedTraps wrote:

I was watching the M50 toll bridge camera last week and noticed it only flashes once for each car caught. I thought these cameras were meant to take two photos in order to calculate your speed. I was wondering if anyone has been caught at this speed trap and if so did you receive a copy of the two photos.

I presume you mean to get out of paying the fine and receiving the points?

I.S.T.

OldmanMondeo wrote:

I presume you mean to get out of paying the fine and receiving the points?

No, to verify that you were actually speeding. What happens if there is a fault in the radar device used to measure your speed? That photos act as a backup.

OldmanMondeo

IrishSpeedTraps wrote:

No, to verify that you were actually speeding. What happens if there is a fault in the radar device used to measure your speed? That photos act as a backup.

Oh Ok, but as you say the camera does flash, which you should notice, well at night anyway, therefore you will know then if you were speeding or not.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

IrishSpeedTraps wrote:

No, to verify that you were actually speeding. What happens if there is a fault in the radar device used to measure your speed? That photos act as a backup.

Yes! Anything but admit you were speeding and breaking the law. :mad:

blastman

There's a burden of proof in the eyes of the law, even if you're accused of speeding or kiddy-fiddling (both seem to be roughly the same as far as some people are concerned these days), you do know that?

drdre

Arabella Inexpensive Snowshoe wrote:

Yes! Anything but admit you were speeding and breaking the law. :mad:

Yes you might be breaking the law but that doesnt mean the government is right.As irishspeedtrap said there should be 2 points used to prove the speed.
How do these camera's work?

Rowley Birkin QC

As a matter of interest if you happen to be shown to be on the phone in these pictures could you be done for that too??

By the way I'm not worrying about it, firmly in the camp of not worrying about speed cameras because I don't speed anymore.

OldmanMondeo

blastman wrote:

, even if you're accused of speeding or kiddy-fiddling (both seem to be roughly the same as far as some people are concerned these days),

Don't think that is a fair comment. The some people you talk about tend to take the line "if you speed and get caught it's your fault, not the Guards not the Goverment".
Where as the Kiddly Fiddlers get.... well I can't say on a public forum.....;)

ballooba

I went through at 50mph the other day, couldn't see a flash. Anyone know what it's set too. I had problems with the EazyPass at the toll so I forgot about it.

I.S.T.

OldmanMondeo wrote:

Oh Ok, but as you say the camera does flash, which you should notice, well at night anyway, therefore you will know then if you were speeding or not.

But if it's only taking one photo then there is no proof you were speeding. As I said, two photos are needed.

I.S.T.

Arabella Inexpensive Snowshoe wrote:

Yes! Anything but admit you were speeding and breaking the law. :mad:

That's not a fair comment. Are you saying that there is no possibility of these devices developing a fault? In any other case in law the state has to prove you broke the law. Why should speeding be any different?

OldmanMondeo

IrishSpeedTraps wrote:

But if it's only taking one photo then there is no proof you were speeding. As I said, two photos are needed.

Maybe the camera is a new type and actually has 2 camera that take the picture within milliseconds of each other, therefore only needing one flash? Could be more acurate than the old type?
EDIT: If the law states that 2 pictures are needed, you can be sure that the camera will take 2

I.S.T.

bigkev49 wrote:

As a matter of interest if you happen to be shown to be on the phone in these pictures could you be done for that too??

Well,there was a woman in the UK caught putting on her makeup as she was driving by a traffic cam and she was done. You can find the story on the BBC news website

Keith C

Arabella Inexpensive Snowshoe wrote:

Yes! Anything but admit you were speeding and breaking the law. :mad:

:rolleyes: You really have it in anyone & everyone going over the speed limit, tht OP question is in regard to the operation of a camera not that HE/SHE was actually speeding, need to lose that big chip........

I.S.T.

OldmanMondeo wrote:

Maybe the camera is a new type and actually has 2 camera that take the picture within milliseconds of each other, therefore only needing one flash? Could be more acurate than the old type?
EDIT: If the law states that 2 pictures are needed, you can be sure that the camera will take 2

That wouldn't work, the photos are supposed to be taken a set interval apart (half a second as quoted on some sites). That way you get the car in two different positions. You can then calculate the speed of the car by the distance travelled between the time of the first and second photo.

Seth Brundle

Arabella Inexpensive Snowshoe wrote:

Yes! Anything but admit you were speeding and breaking the law. :mad:

Technology is not infallible. Admitting is one thing but to be wrongly accused is another. This is why there is a manual method for speed calculation. Are you suggesting that all people caught by a speed camera were in the wrong?
Explain this then: www.topgear.com/content/news/stories/448
The right to contest or appeal an accusation is part of our judicial system. The fact that with many motoring offences the driver is guilty until proven innocent has eroded (in some respects) drivers rights of being innocent until proven guilty which I thought was a constitutional right.

I.S.T.

Keith C wrote:

:rolleyes: You really have it in anyone & everyone going over the speed limit, tht OP question is in regard to the operation of a camera not that HE/SHE was actually speeding, need to lose that big chip........

He should be happy I am pointing this out as if there is a fault with the camera they will have to refund all the fines and deduct the penalty points!! At least they can fix it now.

tabatha

i will be interested to hear when the first person gets there points for the m50. a thread should be set up for it!

sdanseo

Stephen wrote:

I guess it probably calculates your speed using radar or laser and then just flashes once to photograph your plate?

That's exactly how it works - Mythbsters did a job on sprays that are meant to shield your plate from the flash (all were useless) - and during the programme they had the head of one of the companies explain how they work. In the US anyway.

hobochris

chances are that TWO pictures are taken, One of them being with the flash to get a shot of the reg. Even though the second one would not show a clear reg shot im pretty sure that you could still make out the position of the car and then check it against the second picture to determin the speed.

another question is, for the speed camera van,what secondary system do they have in place in order to defend cases wear drivers challenge the alleged offense???

DubTony

ballooba wrote:

I went through at 50mph the other day, couldn't see a flash. Anyone know what it's set too. I had problems with the EazyPass at the toll so I forgot about it.

The cameras only flash when it's dark.

Our man in Havana

DubTony wrote:

The cameras only flash when it's dark.

Wrong! It will flash regardless of weather conditions/time of day.

I suspect it is a dummy radar with no film in it anyways.

I.S.T.

DubTony wrote:

The cameras only flash when it's dark.

Well it was daytime when I was looking at it and it flashed just the once for each car that passed