[Just Rick]

Used to love the Gt Ocean Rd, when I was in the army in the seventies, myself and a group of the mates would go for a blast down there every second or third weekend,camp on the beach at Apollo bay,great sights, and even better sight being the rear end Charlie and watching thirty odd Bikes hooking through the curves before you,I bet Ya can't just rock up down in Apollo Bay and just set up camp on the beach anymore either

[rustynutz]

You'd be right, Rick....

And as for going for a blast? You can forget that too as the "Gestapo" police the 80kph speed limit and "previously legal" overtaking heavily...

They have even been known to camouflage themselves and to sit in the bush waiting for their prey....lol.

[Just Rick]

Yeah!! That would be right, can't really blame em they're only doing their jobs, but they could have to guts to be out in the open, funniest thing I heard was when the WA police commisioner came on a radio and TV news show and said I quote "We in Western Australia DON NOT hide our camera's or Mobile speed devices"  well hey dufus you'd better go and let all your staff know 

[Doggie 1]

 
If they sat at the side of the road, everyone would flash their headlights and they wouldn't get any of those dangerous overtakers that day.

[Just Rick]

db08
yes probably true, but hey isn't this the point stop the people from doing it or lets raise some revenue by hiding, as this is simply what they are doing, my argument for years  has been, do away with every plain car and or plain clothes police person, put more police out their make them extremely visible this is a far bigger deterant that poeple not being able to see them, you just have to drive down the freeway, see a marked car and what does everyone do and I mean everyone, they slow down, they don't break the law.

same situation with a plain car, people break the law get caught, pay their fine and within a week or so they're out there again breaking the law forgetting the fines and points the previous few weeks ago, hiding camera's and police in plain cars I have no issue with,my theory is you shouldn't be breaking the law,but to simply be out there making revenue does urk me, gaain the revenue raising wouldn't bother me either, if the government would put ALL the money back into the police service and road safety,such as actually spending some money on roads where it needs to be spent, not to put that money inconsolidated revenue so they can get their continual yearly pay rise.

Even putting more money into viable  driver training schemes that are affective, not just giving out licensed like candy to kids who don't dercerve them,shouldn't have got me started I really get upset with the public services, most of these people don't actually live in the real world, then a situation I just had no more than an hour ago, with two police officers who thought just because they have a uniform on, gives them the right to break the law(in affect is what they were doing)by blocking the main street of our town so they could talk to a driver of another vehicle, through their passenger window instead of pulling off the road,as they would normally do and talking to the driver.

[Phil №❶]

@Rick-p

Yes, there is a lot the govt could do with that revenue. If they're really concerned about road statistics, then how come a smart politician hasn't suggested that all revenue go to road safety campaigns and policing only. I too believe that a visual presence is the best deterrent, but police receive an hourly pay rate which inevitably must be borne by the public. I guess by raising sneaky revenue from offenders they are helping to pay their wages effectively, otherwise the total burden would fall on the general non offending public pocket.

[Doggie 1]

You need both marked vehicles for the police presence and unmarked to catch recidivist offenders and those who just don't give a toss and also for sit-offs for known suspended and drink drivers. Only way to catch 'em.
And in W.A. all proceeds raised from speed cameras goes directly back into road safety, not consolidated revenue.
It's a voluntary donation.
I agree that more effort should be put into driver education of all, but especially our young.
It was a bad move several years ago when they took away the option for police officers to send offenders to a lecture rather than pay a fine. They were a bit gory but had a good effect.

[Phil №❶]

One was shown on TV late night years ago. 2 17yo lads trapped in a wreck, not a simulation. The passenger was dead the driver was moaning about the pain in his guts from the steering wheel, they were cutting the roof off as he died on camera. The parents gave permission for the film to be aired in an attempt to get the message across. Tell you what, made me think 

I still remember it and I'm sure has made me the driver I am today. 

[Dazzler]

Please carry on 

[Doggie 1]

Well where's your twenty cents' worth? 

[Dazzler]

I'll have you know my opinion is worth more like 50 cents 

I don't like the way they hide them here in Tassie .. They have recently started using signs (sometimes) saying you have just passed a safety speed camera or something to that effect ...

However, I can imagine that if there was lots of warnings then people might speed between them .. So there are arguments for and against.

I do think more of the revenue should be earmarked for driver education and other road safety initiatives.

[Doggie 1]

We don't have the point-to-point speed cameras yet in W.A. that average your speed but I don't think it will be long.
Then I guess they won't have to "hide" as much.
If state governments were serious about road safety they would put all revenue raised from fines into it. At present, we have a good start in W.A. with all speed camera revenue going towards road safety but there is still a way to go.
I would like to see all young drivers having to undergo extensive defensive driving education rather than the ad hoc system we have now.

[AlanHo]

The best speed control system I have seen anywhere is the one used quite widely in Portugal. Here they have traffic lights at regular intervals equipped with cameras to detect anyone running a red light. Preceeding the traffic lights are radar detectors which seem to cover a long range which switch the lights to red if you are exceeding the speed limit as you approach. This causes a delay not just to you - but to any following traffic - and is therefore a huge deterrent.

Much better than speed humps or speed cameras in my opinion - I wish the UK would use the same system.

[Dazzler]

That is a clever system 

[Phil №❶]

That sounds great Alan. Someone has finally come up with a good idea. 

[FatBoy]

Or maybe... don't speed, then you don't have fines to worry about.

Just saying.....

[Doggie 1]

 

[Phil №❶]

They don't get any doh from me. But, those lines they have in the swimming events at the Olympics, I hate the red light cameras when the change at the point of no return. How many rear end accidents are caused by this BS idea, there should be an impending change signal somehow. IIRC as a child in Victoria I saw traffic lights with a rotating dial with a Red, Yellow, Green pie graph so you could see what time was left. Anyone else remember these

[Doggie 1]

No, but we have flashing amber lights on the approach to major intersections which start flashing shortly before the traffic lights change to red.
People often accelerate to try to beat the lights when they come on, but I still think they are a good idea for good drivers.

[FatBoy]

I remember those dials from when I was a little FatBoy growing up in Melbourne.

They do have an impending change signal, it is called the AMBER light.  Dave (db08) will probably agree that if you rear end somebody because they stopped at a red light, then you were probably following too close (ie. not driving at a safe distance behind the car in front of you)

[Doggie 1]

All sounds good to me.

[Just Rick]

I would like to see all young drivers having to undergo extensive defensive driving education rather than the ad hoc system we have now.

I'd also like to see them bring back the compulsory display of P's, L's and E's in those holders that used to hold these plates clearly beside, the number plates of the cars they are driving, not like they are now,hidden behind tinted windows,laying flat on parcel racks.
Then again I'd like to see them do away with extrodinary lincenses too, WA is the only state I know of that has them,maybe I'm wrong on this.
I also agree with the compulsory defensive driver courses as well, as I am on the road a lot, I see some amazing things, especially being higher up than Mr average, I think the best one I've seen laterly is not long ago they were doing roadworks Northbound on the freeway over here, 40K speed limit, I happen to see in my mirrors this car hooking through the roadworks(along with many others),well above the posted speed limit, as it got a little closer,low and behold it is a Learner, as they went past I also notice,the passenger along with the driver, were in fact BOTH texting on their phones, so with people like this tutor, what type of drivers do we expect

[Doggie 1]

  Perhaps they were both deaf people and that was the only way they could communicate with each other.

[AlanHo]

Or maybe... don't speed, then you don't have fines to worry about.

Just saying.....

It's not the fines that concern me - but in our town the roads are littered with the most ferocious speed humps. They are a major problem for the emergency services - especially ambulances - and create no go areas for people with Ferraris, Lambos etc which are too low to negotiate them. It's one reason why I don't own a high performance supercar (the other being I couldn't afford the insurance let alone the car). I dread to think of the damage it causes to a car's suspension.

The Portugal traffic light system answers all these problems.

(Perhaps I should have mentioned that there are pairs of flashing orange lights, way before the red lights, to warn you of the imminent order to stop. If the orange lights are flashing you know full well that in 100 metres or thereabouts you will have to stop for about 30 seconds. Half a minute doesn't seem a long time - but it is when you a conscious that you have caused an unnecessary delay to traffic that was way behind you. (Or even worse - traffic you have just overtaken )

[baroudeur]

They don't get any doh from me. But, those lines they have in the swimming events at the Olympics, I hate the red light cameras when the change at the point of no return. How many rear end accidents are caused by this BS idea, there should be an impending change signal somehow. IIRC as a child in Victoria I saw traffic lights with a rotating dial with a Red, Yellow, Green pie graph so you could see what time was left. Anyone else remember these

And nobody tries to "beat the clock"?  There will always be amber gamblers!

The French motoways now have non-stop toll booths for those with a transponder tag. At up to 30kph the barriers opens to allow the car to drive through.  At 31 kph the barrier remains shut for 5 secs before allowing the offending car to pass.

Bring on electronic speed control of cars it's not that far away.

[Just Rick]

I remember those dials from when I was a little FatBoy growing up in Melbourne.

They do have an impending change signal, it is called the AMBER light.  Dave (db08) will probably agree that if you rear end somebody because they stopped at a red light, then you were probably following too close (ie. not driving at a safe distance behind the car in front of you)

Don't remember them, but years ago Adelaide trialed large digital timers before the lights,same affect as the yellow flashing lights here, people just speed up when they see them,don't know how many times I've nearly been rear ended, I see those yellow lights start and I take my foot off the gas and start slowing down when most behind me are automatically putting their foot down,lot of bad drivers out there,hey I'm not perfect but I do know that yellow menas prepare to stop and red actually means stop

[FatBoy]

Not many people know that AMBER also means STOP (if it is safe to do so).

[Just Rick]

Perhaps they were both deaf people and that was the only way they could communicate with each other.

Yeah when we were chatting in the lunch room after work someone said something similar, maybe it was mum and daughter in the car together and maybe this was the only way they could talk to each other 

[eye30]

I hate the red light cameras when the change at the point of no return.

In UK the light squence is:

GREEN
AMBER
then RED

[rustynutz]

I reckon speed cameras, sorry, "safety" cameras, (as they are called in Victoria) are more about revenue than road safety.....

Safety cameras are designed to detect one thing....speed over the posted limit.

They have no effect on tailgating drivers, drivers failing to indicate, drivers using mobile phones, drunk drivers, the list goes on.....

Even for those drivers they do detect speeding, what effect does it have?

Zilch, the driver continues and, who knows, may end up causing an accident down the road.
 
Receiving a fine and coping a few demerit points weeks later means jack if they have already wiped out a family.....