Mobile motorway speed enforcement

[j4ck100]

So I was under the impression that speed enforcement on motorways was done via fixed cameras & marked / unmarked police vehicles mixing in the traffic, but my friend told me that a couple of days ago on the M4 westbound approaching Swindon there was a TVP V70 on one of those police layby's to the side of the motorway with a chappy aiming a speed gn out of the window!

Do you see this at all?

[mybrainhurts]

..M11 near Duxford.

I'm more concerned about vans on bridges. I was in the middle of what might have been a big motorway accident when someone in lane 2 spotted the van and hit his brakes.

We all got sorted without contact, but I'm not sure how. The really annoying aspect is that I don't believe anyone was doing more than 70.

[Saabaholic]

I have seen this quite often in the mornings at M4 J11, london bound.
There is a small service building of some kind just 0.5 miles after the slip road, and they reverse up in there and catch people tearing down the slip road and onto the motorway.

[fatboy18]

Couple of years ago I had just joined the start of the M23 heading southbound, as I came across the raised bridge over the M25 there was a copper in the hard shoulder pointing a radar gun towards us. Nice touch considering it was Christmas Day morning Wonder how many presents he gave out that day?

[j4ck100]

How funny, had to drop my car off at a specialist up near Bicester, and low on behold there was a van parked over the northbound M40 with the hatch open facing the outside lane!

Right here if anyone is interested

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.7245363,-1.05765...

[fatboy18]

[outnumbered]

Saabaholic said:

I have seen this quite often in the mornings at M4 J11, london bound.
There is a small service building of some kind just 0.5 miles after the slip road, and they reverse up in there and catch people tearing down the slip road and onto the motorway.

Are you absolutely sure ? There's often a Traffic Womble van there, but I've never seen a police car, and I used to pass that brick hut pretty much every day since they built it.

[motco]

Often on a bridge on M40 near J2

[Sheepshanks]

motco said:

Often on a bridge on M40 near J2

...and around Oxford (on the M40) and the A34. Colleague got done by the van for 80 on the M40.

[Madrabbit]

When I was a Courier I often saw that, particularly on that stretch of the M4. Usually sat up on the 'police vehicles only' islands in their Vauxhall Senators. (it was a while ago).

[2gins]

Favourite of mine is the M40 northbound around J6, long fast downhill stretch, look out for the raised onramp thing about halfway down the hill.

Cheekiest thing is about 2-3 miles up the road there's a little building and I've seen another marked car sat there, I'd speculate waiting to catch the people who've decided they've seen the M40 speed patrol and got back up to silly fast again. You can only see him in the mirrors, and the building itself is just after a bridge IIRC.

[PK42]

They certainly used to do it a lot on the M4 with camera vans. Not sure if they still do as I rarely travel that way.
Was great fun back in 2005 when I was part of the protest organised through pistonheads. Website is still up and running lol

http://www.m4protest.org/

[xjay1337]

outnumbered said:

Are you absolutely sure ? There's often a Traffic Womble van there, but I've never seen a police car, and I used to pass that brick hut pretty much every day since they built it.

I've never seen a police car there either, just a traffic womble.

When I worked in Chippenham I would often see police cars between Jct16 and 17.

[Justin S]

Saturday between Junc 12 and 13 at 10am , the boys were using a radar to catch people, but to be honest I was heading to Swindon at 70 mph and not much was coming passed at much more speed, so may have taken a while to grab someone.

[slow_1]

Saw this Mobile Speed van on the bridge over the M23 just past Pease Pottage Services as I was heading towards Brighton!

[xjay1337]

There is nothing safety about it, it's just money grabbing.
It is really annoying.

Archaic speed limits and arbitrary policing create an atmosphere of content.

Then again, I drive like a tt and somehow have yet to be fined for speeding.

[slow_1]

xjay1337 said:

There is nothing safety about it, it's just money grabbing.
It is really annoying.

Archaic speed limits and arbitrary policing create an atmosphere of content.

Then again, I drive like a tt and somehow have yet to be fined for speeding.

Yep agree its just easy revenue generation especially as motorways are considered to be the safest roads! From a distance they were hard to spot - if they use the 70mph +10% +2mph guidance calculation then anything over 79mph and you get a fine + points!

[Sheepshanks]

slow_1 said:

...if they use the 70mph +10% +2mph guidance calculation then anything over 79mph and you get a fine + points!

They certainly do.

Hate to admit it but after a few lucky escapes and then actually getting done by a well hidden tripod mounted camera on a motorway standard A road, I slowed down on the motorways.

It's a lot more relaxing not having to constantly scan the horizon, but irritating to be caught in gaggles of traffic all going at approx (but not steadily) the same speed.

[madazrx7]

slow_1 said:

Yep agree its just easy revenue generation especially as motorways are considered to be the safest roads! From a distance they were hard to spot - if they use the 70mph +10% +2mph guidance calculation then anything over 79mph and you get a fine + points!

Sad to see the UK following Australia's lead on this revenue raising but you've still got it way better than us, 62MPH on the "motorway" here will get a fine, 67MPH bigger fine and points, 90MPH loss of licence, massive fine and vehicle confiscated!

[hewlett]

fatboy18 said:

That's been there a lot for the last 3 - 4 years, alternates each side of the bridge.