Britain considering rollout of 'average-speed' cameras

By MyWheelsOnWalls.com #1, Posted: 4/16/2008

Reapeat after me: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with LIBERTY and JUSUTICE for all."

Yes the country I now live in and have called home for the past twenty years may have some odd international relations policies but there is none of this stuff going on. Are you aware of who won WWII and more importantly what for. Whats next, travel papers to go see your family and friends in the next village?

Draconian? thats down right police state living if you ask me. Land of Hope and Glory it is no more!!

Thanks Dad for moving the family out of England when you did.

By chris #2, Posted: 4/16/2008

ok hold on, America won the Pacific war, and quite decisively, but the european campaign was hard fought by americans AND the common wealth (UK, canada, india, australia, new zeland, south africa...). you don't see Kobe going out there claiming to have won the game himself, even if he alone got the majority of the points. regardless, what the hell does that have to do with anything? you think america was fighting for freedom? what about all the british troops who's wives and children died huddled in their basements because of the daily bombing raids? you're absolutely right. they were fighting so that 70 years later, their government could "screw" their grand children in speed traps. typical.

here's a thought: the speed limit is a LAW. the government has every right to do their best to ensure that you do not break the law. if you dont like it, then move to a country that doesnt give a damn about speeding. like iran. and then you can deal with the high mortality rate they have on their roads. but then you'll have to give up your FREEDOM OF RELIGION and FREE SPEECH. oh darn.... free speech.... or speeding.... frreeeeeeee sppeeeech.... or speeedinggg.... hrrrmmm...

I get the feeling that there would be people in this world who would actually have the nerve to complain if some one invented a device that could remotely locate cocaine from 100 yards away. some one like you would complain "i don't want that driving down my street. I have the freedom to...." .... to what? break the law?

Let's remember, this is england we're talking about. the isle of mann is a couple hours drive from anywhere, and has no speed limits.

By MyWheelsOnWalls.com #3, Posted: 4/16/2008

Your right Chris but if they can track my average speed that means they would have to know where I'm going which would be imposing on my freedom which is not a LAW.

You socialists really make me laugh.

Its not about speeding all the time its about taking a liberty once in awhile which in a police state you cannot do.

Maybe you should move to England? Trust me its a pretty depressing place with govt. handouts being the norm. I'm usually there two weeks out of every year and SFO is a very welcome sight at the end of my two week trip.

By shortroot #4, Posted: 4/16/2008

Soon there will be nowhere left where you will be allowed to drive as you wish. Hopefully these cameras will NOT be installed.

I would also like to say that perhaps these cameras are being installed in order to help cut CO2 emissions. Perhaps it is a 'slippery slope' towards an enforced 50 mph speed limit?

I understand where Chris is 'coming from' but don't know if the motivation is purely safety, as Britain is not known as a country where it is dangerous to drive. The German Autobahns that are de-restricted are quite safe from what I understand, and the real issue to me, is investing money where it is required. Like the saying don't work harder work smarter.

I would like to see money used to give responsibility back to drivers. There are so many distractions on the road and so much nannying that it makes things more dangerous. Remove all the signs and barriers and let people take responsibility for themselves, and use the money saved to improve the motorway network so high-speed driving is safe and legal.

I don't think this will happen though, until the global warming crisis has been averted *sarcasm*

By chris #5, Posted: 4/16/2008

MWOW: you're kidding right? have you ever been on an automated toll route? its a funny highway where you get on, a camera takes a picture of your license plate, and then another one takes a picture again when you get off. a computer calculates the distance you traveled, and sends the bill to you're DMV which then gets forwarded to you. this is something we have in canada, and considering we dont even have paved roads or any kind of technology what so ever up here, I'm sure you guys in america have the same thing too.

if i know when you were at point A, and when you were at point B, then i can figure out how fast you must have traveled to get there. I haven't the slightest clue where your point C is. the paranoia is incredible. you have just as much freedom to go where ever you want. no one is stopping you from going there. all it does is deter you from arriving at that point sooner than you should have. thats called crime deterrant, and it is very much legal.

short root: I'm not arguing for safety, or emissions, or any of that crap. the road was designed for a specific speed, the government requests that you travel that speed on THEIR roads. and they have every right to enforce it in every way they need to. would it make either one of you feel any better if cars could figure out the speed limit of the road you were on and automatically not allow you to exceed the speed limit for any more than 30 seconds (to pass, avoid drunken hill billy freedom fighting 'patriots', etc)? its perfectly legal.

if you were supposed to do 75 in a 55, then the speed limit would be 75. and then people would do 95. the problem is that police haven't been ticketing people for ALL speeding. everyone's gotten used to doing "10 over" or "20 over". you dont even think about it any more. it isn't about going a certain speed, but a certain amount over the legal limit. it's socially accepted because the police dont pull you over for doing 70 in a 65.

Don't get the wrong idea here, I speed all the time. absolutely. but to say that the government doesnt have the right to implement a system that COULD catch 100% of speeders, is incredibly stupid. what's the point of the speed limit if that were the case?

if you really stop and think about it, your sense of freedom that is being taken away is a sense of too much freedom. you have the freedom to live within the law and the government has the freedom to enforce it in what ever way they wish.

By MyWheelsOnWalls.com #6, Posted: 4/16/2008

I'm not kidding at all. In fact I like my sense of freedom and the beauty of living where I live is that I can take that sense to the ballot box and vote with it.

By Paulbe #7, Posted: 4/16/2008

This is not about safety, its ONLY about the revenue it raises. Governments all over are seeing their tax base erode as demands for services rise, not to mention idiotic military adventures, resource depletion, and loss/theft of revenue (now epidemic). This nonsense was kicked off in Australia about 18 years ago by a loathsome corrupt and incompetent State Government, and its success as a money making venture has now spread worldwide.

By Gus #8, Posted: 4/16/2008

Glad not to live in a country where freedoms are trampled more and more very day, and they charge you to do it.
When automatic cars come around, where they travel a set speed all on thier own, then I will be quite happy to sit back and relax. Until then, to keep my head buried in the speedometer seems more dangerous to me than any benefit from reducing speeds.
And it's not their road I'm driving on, it's mine. People need to remember this, or the governments will take over more and more of your lives...

By HECTOR #9, Posted: 4/16/2008

Chris: Sorry friend but the only thing you make clear with your rants is that I - and a number of my fellow readers - don't want to live in the socialist paradise you call home, much less in Britain with their Big Brother-like monitoring of their citizens. They better react soon or one day they will wake up in Oceania.

By Ink Master #10, Posted: 4/16/2008

Gus, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruise_control ;)

By Gus #11, Posted: 4/16/2008

Yeah, ok. So your cruise control is set 2mph too high, what do you do before the last camera, slam on the brakes and wait a while to make sure you're under?

Think, people, think...

By Wizards Lore #12, Posted: 4/17/2008

This is a speeding deterrent that everyone will have to abide by. If you are stupid enough to speed above the governed limit then you deserve to be fined. that money will then be pumped back into fixing the actual roads you are driving on.....or if you live in Sydney like i do it will be pumped back into the governments coffers that will inturn line the pockets of the rich even further, any way you look at it we will be screwed..

there is no point in bitching and moaning about what is coming to pass...regardless of everyones sprouting of freedom of doing whatever, these things are going to hit us all and hit us hard, and we are just going to have to lump it..why?
because there will be no where else to go.
so deal with it, i have......... albeit grudgingly

By SMC #13, Posted: 4/17/2008

People can be made to take a lot of shit. It's incredible.
The only thing people don't take for too long is hunger.
Hungry people take down hard dictators and shoot them.

Since this is not the case, it will just add up nicely to the rest of the shit.

By Gus #14, Posted: 4/17/2008

Not in America.
There is one really good thing about being such a huge country populated by crazy people with guns, it's impossible to simply say from on high "this is how it will be" without 50 zealot groups coming down hard on either side. The arguments and court cases make it so difficult to put anything too restrictive into place, and then the sheer size of this place makes it impossible to implement efficiently. You would have vandalized cameras everywhere, as Americans HATE, LOATH the thought of being controlled by something they percieve as sinister and intruding on their personal freedoms. I mean, by law we don't even have to put on our new license plates for 6 months after we buy a car here, so how do you catch those guys?
Ain't gonna happen here...
You saw what happened to NY's congestion charge and what's happening to the red light cameras all across the country? Three of them have been taken down near where I live in the past year.
Ain't gonna happen here...

By MyWheelsOnWalls.com #15, Posted: 4/17/2008

Very true Gus. Infact the State of Texas has pretty much removed all of their camera's and most of the towns except one or two here in Northern California have removed theirs. As for average speed speeding tickets, Massachusetts had a system in place for a short while but has since abandoned it.

Like I said before the beauty of living in America is that you can take your sense of freedom to the ballot box and vote with it, awesome idea!!!!!!