Mobile Speed Camera Van - 2 Lanes

SgtBob

So, I was on my way home from work this morning. Driving down the south quays in Dublin. Was stopped at a set of traffic lights and I noticed up the road, on Victoria Quay, a mobile speed camera van.

So when the lights went green, I made absolute sure to stay below the speed limit. I was driving in the left lane and as I got up near the camera, a car came past me in the right lane and started to pull in front of me and the camera flash goes off.

Now, I know I was going under the speed limit, so the car that just past and pulled in front of me had to have set off the camera.

But then I got to thinking, how does the camera know which car was speeding, we were fairly close together when the flash went.

Anybody got any ideas?

I am slightly worried I will receive a fine and penalty points when I wasn't speeding.

Saruman

Probably some sort of software that does it. Wait for one of the Garda members to fill you in though.

Was it one of the new ones? I saw a new one with Garda written on the side (I believe the new ones are marked).
There was no flash and I think the whole line of traffic was going above the 80kph speed limit, maybe 90kph. Two lanes again. Do the new ones even need to flash?

Considering the new ones only roll out next month, it may have been testing.

aphex™

I think they take 2 photos and obviously the car progressing further along the road in the 2nd photo gets the speeding ticket.

SgtBob

Saruman wrote: »

Probably some sort of software that does it. Wait for one of the Garda members to fill you in though.

Was it one of the new ones? I saw a new one with Garda written on the side (I believe the new ones are marked).
There was no flash and I think the whole line of traffic was going above the 80kph speed limit, maybe 90kph. Two lanes again. Do the new ones even need to flash?

Considering the new ones only roll out next month, it may have been testing.

It had Garda written on the side. It definitely flashed, nearly blinded me. :rolleyes:

Saruman

So it was a new one then? Well the one I saw did not flash so maybe the new ones do need to flash.
You should be ok but I imagine the hassle would be a pain if you did get a notice.

SgtBob

I would imagine there has to be some way of differentiating between vehicles. Or hope so.

If I did get a letter in the post, there wouldn't really be any way of appealing it, as you have no proof you weren't speeding.

pARTner81

I couldn't imagine you getting done for speeding if you weren't. This must happen so often, they would never get any fines on anyone if they couldn't determine which vehicle was actually breaking the speed limit!

djimi

I would imagine, given how many two/three lane dual carraigeways/motorways they love hiding on, that their cameras have ways of dealing with this tbh. I wouldnt worry about it.

jaffa20

Was this a speed camera in a 30kph zone? :mad:

Driving is not going to be enjoyable as soon as these speed cameras roll out as i'll constantly be checking for cameras and watching my speed limit. i'm not saying you have to speed to enjoy driving but constantly checking your speed limit and looking out for cameras has got to be dangerous.

Berty

Bear in mind the speed signs indicating the speed limit can be as small as a saucer for a cup on a sign nearby some big bushs so hard to see.

_Kaiser_

Berty wrote: »

Bear in mind the speed signs indicating the speed limit can be as small as a saucer for a cup on a sign nearby some big bushs so hard to see.

That's IF there's a sign, or they don't conflict...

For example (unless it's changed recently) heading into town from Blanch it's not exactly clear where (post roadworks/new roundabout) the road becomes 80 km/h again as I haven't seen any signs and yet traffic goes at this speed anyway.

Or.. there's a roundabout at the end of one of the new link roads into Kells South off the M3. The link road is 100 km/h, yet the roundabout and the R147/old N3 it links to is 80 km/h... there's nothing to tell you this though for about 100-300m (depending which exit you take).

So if you were unfamiliar with the road, you could think that the R147 is 100 km/h (as that's the last sign you saw) and get nabbed by a camera van before you hit the next 80 sign!

Hooch

SgtBob wrote: »

Anybody got any ideas?

The Robot speed detection vans can detect multiple lanes....however if two cars are in the photo then that detection is disregarded. Due to the angle of the radar, and the angle of the camera, if only one car is shown in the photo it HAS to be that vehicle that was speeding.

SgtBob

jaffa20 wrote: »

Was this a speed camera in a 30kph zone? :mad:

Driving is not going to be enjoyable as soon as these speed cameras roll out as i'll constantly be checking for cameras and watching my speed limit. i'm not saying you have to speed to enjoy driving but constantly checking your speed limit and looking out for cameras has got to be dangerous.

It was just after the 30 zone ends and the 50 zone starts.

I agree, constantly checking your speed and checking for cameras could be very dangerous. Like that I don't generally fly around the place breaking the speed limits, 99.9% of the time I stick to the limit, but if you know there is a camera pointed at you, you won't be able to help but constantly check your speedo.

silly1

Agree with the previous comments. Seems to me that most drivers who generally use common sense will end up getting points at some stage or other for what are in fact trivial infractions of the speed limit. Eg. doing 55kph in a 50kph zone on a wide straight stretch of road - it's so easy to just do a few KPH's more & you end up picking up points.

I think that driver's will become obsessed with driving in the following manner

1: - watching the verge up ahead for speed camera vans
2: - constanly focussing on the speedometer
3: - Alternating from 1 to 2
4: - paying attention to the road ahead will become secondary to the above.:cool:

I.S.T.

nice guy always wrote: »

The Robot speed detection vans can detect multiple lanes....however if two cars are in the photo then that detection is disregarded. Due to the angle of the radar, and the angle of the camera, if only one car is shown in the photo it HAS to be that vehicle that was speeding.

Where did you get this information from?

SgtBob

I haven't heard anything yet, so I am assuming that they have some way of distinguishing between vehicles in a picture. Phew.

D3PO

NGA wrote: »

The Robot speed detection vans can detect multiple lanes....however if two cars are in the photo then that detection is disregarded. Due to the angle of the radar, and the angle of the camera, if only one car is shown in the photo it HAS to be that vehicle that was speeding.

Can anybody confirm this ? got flashed this evening there was a car beside me defo speeding but I think I might have been over aswell.

-Corkie-

D3PO wrote: »

Can anybody confirm this ? got flashed this evening there was a car beside me defo speeding but I think I might have been over aswell.

He is a member of the traffic corps so he knows what he is talking about.

SgtBob

Well I never got anything in the post after, in my case.

D3PO

Thanks guys that's a load off my mind

**Timbuk2**

On a slightly related issue, does the accuracy of speed detection not decrease the further the lane is away from the camera? Trigonometry and all that?

One thing I have noticed on the M1 between (I think) Dunleer and Monasterboice, is that there is one of those fixed cameras on the grass verge to the left of the hard shoulder. The horizontal lines on the road are spaced further apart in the overtaking lane than in the left lane - is this to allow for the distance away from the camera?