Speed Cameras

[japanese lowrider]

After reading peoples views on speed cameras no-one seems to like them for obvious reasons.

So i have a question... Cameras that take a picture of the vehicle from the front are they discriminating against car, van, truck drivers e.t.c.

By this i mean if you drive a motorbike you dont have a front plate so these cameras cant catch you, So surly as a car and van driver i am being discriminated against as i have a higher chance of getting caught.

Before anyone posts "dont speed then" i dont condone speeding and dont speed everywhere it just happens occasionally as with the majority of people.

What do you think? I dont know all the ins and outs of the law that probably means its perfectly legal.

[Fargo]

in my experience, the fixed camera's will takea picture of you from the rear. however, recently i got caught by a mobile camera and that was from the front.

Then there the digital camera's that get you from the front..

so this does seem to be a funny one. and as far as i know only bike in the UK do not have plates at the front.

Oh and dont speed.. :P

[mudzs]

I agree with you and have discussed it on many occassion ,no one seems to have the answer it seems that if you have a bike the only way of being caught is if they can identify you or your bike .

[Rodders_UK]

I think you're right - it's not illegal to discriminate on number of wheels though

[MAC_600]

I think you're right - it's not illegal to discriminate on number of wheels though

As a biker - I can assure you that as a group we are picked on way more than car owners. We make up a very small % of road users. So low in fact that the the road transport lot consider bikes as a recreational use not a mode of transport and this means that they can put up miles of cable as opposed to armco on motorways/dual carriageways - this stuff simply slices and dices riders who are unfortunate to hit it.

Despite evidence showing that low sun in winter is blinding we are banned from using dark visors, despite the fact that you will often see police motorcyclists riding with them. Why - because the powers that be think we are incapable of switching visors at night :duh:

Road surfaces get worse and worse, they are doing nothing to stop people spilling diesel all over the roads - lethal if you are on 2 wheels. They also don't bother punishing drivers who come up with the "Sorry mate, didn't see you" line and kill riders but will send to prison bikers caught speeding on motorways - even though car drivers have been clocked at higher speeds they do not go to prison.

[Scorpion]

Here here...

I have recently given up the 2 wheels for 4 since i had an accident in 2000

and you'll know where im coming from when i say you cant have as much

fun on 4 wheels as you can on 2.....i miss it terribly

[mudzs]

I think you're right - it's not illegal to discriminate on number of wheels though   

As a biker - I can assure you that as a group we are picked on way more than car owners. We make up a very small % of road users. So low in fact that the the road transport lot consider bikes as a recreational use not a mode of transport and this means that they can put up miles of cable as opposed to armco on motorways/dual carriageways - this stuff simply slices and dices riders who are unfortunate to hit it.

Despite evidence showing that low sun in winter is blinding we are banned from using dark visors, despite the fact that you will often see police motorcyclists riding with them. Why - because the powers that be think we are incapable of switching visors at night :duh:

Road surfaces get worse and worse, they are doing nothing to stop people spilling diesel all over the roads - lethal if you are on 2 wheels. They also don't bother punishing drivers who come up with the "Sorry mate, didn't see you" line and kill riders but will send to prison bikers caught speeding on motorways - even though car drivers have been clocked at higher speeds they do not go to prison.

All good points ,never thought of the cable armco and bikes you would think they would ban it.still think they get away with the camera though .I must admit my biggest gripe with bikes is the noise they make ,i live on a busy road and of a night some of the bikes make the windows shake not to mention waking my little girls .A bloke up the rd runs out with a shovel sometimes to get a certain biker who insists on doing silly speeds at 2 in the morning ,he aint got him yet but we live in hope .

[MAC_600]

A bloke up the rd runs out with a shovel sometimes to get a certain biker who insists on doing silly speeds at 2 in the morning ,he aint got him yet but we live in hope

Attempted manslaughter?

On the noise issue, I feel part of the problem is they are making bikes and cars too quiet - I've now got a non-legal can on my bike, not too noisy but then how many on here have non-legal exhaust systems or noisy sound systems?

Like any area there are always idiots. The people I ride with tend to ride through villages and built up areas in high gears/low revs to minimise the noise, though we do give it beans on NSL.

In September I had an accident, which I feel would not have happened if I had had a loud can on. I was overtaking a car and got level with his drivers door when he swerved out to over take the car infront of him. Though he sideswiped me it took him a fair while to realise I was there and pull back. I some how managed to stay on though he had smashed the left peg off and yet my left leg was ok :-)

I'm sure that with a loud can on he would have heard me and not pulled out!

[Scorpion]

They need noisey pipes for all the car drivers that dont see us,but we make sure you can :tsktsk: well hear us.

[MAC_600]

Here here...

I have recently given up the 2 wheels for 4 since i had an accident in 2000

and you'll know where im coming from when i say you cant have as much

fun on 4 wheels as you can on 2.....i miss it terribly

How true, 0 - 60 in sub 4 seconds 0 - 100 in sub 7 seconds 170 mph top speeds It does however take far more skill to go fast on a bike than fast in a car! It also tends to be more fun and at the same time far scarier

To those of you who have never tried it, give it ago, it will make you far better drivers for it.

[mudzs]

To those of you who have never tried it, give it ago, it will make you far better drivers for it.

Just do it properly i lost a good freind due to motorbikes and he was a good rider .A lot of middle aged men are jumping back on bikes and becomming barry sheene overnight they are a different kettle of fish to what they were years ago .As for the loud pipe we don,t need the noise to see you comming , your light on full beam does that .

[Scorpion]

Happy days...0 - 100 - 0 in 10 secs.

It should be part of the driving test to do a full day on 2 wheels,then you would appreciate the attitude of some car drivers

being able to do both i am aware of m/cyclists long before the average driver.

What used to annoy me when i was riding was drivers who did see me and would swerve out the way to let me pass.

a good tip for drivers is to just carry on driving as you were and let the biker make the decision,you'd be amazed at how

many car drivers think they can out run a bike.

car drivers should do a track day..................on 2 wheels!!!!!!!

[mudzs]

a good tip for drivers is to just carry on driving as you were and let the biker make the decision,

Is that so the bike can decide wether to overtake on the inside or outside :D

[Scorpion]

Generally you only find numpty 16 yr olds on scooters that do that!!

[mudzs]

Not on the motorway ,i get loads do it to me they straddle the white line between lanes and go through the middle ,the amount of times i go to move over and they just come through .and yes i do indicate to move over .

[MAC_600]

To those of you who have never tried it, give it ago, it will make you far better drivers for it.

Just do it properly i lost a good freind due to motorbikes and he was a good rider .A lot of middle aged men are jumping back on bikes and becomming barry sheene overnight they are a different kettle of fish to what they were years ago .As for the loud pipe we don,t need the noise to see you comming , your light on full beam does that .

A good point - lots of born again bikers are not aware of how bikes have moved on in the last 10 yrs, let alone 20 yrs since they had one. The lates crop of superbikes weigh in at 170kg and put out 170 bhp! The latest Kawasaki will spin it's back wheel in 4th at 140 mph

You then have the hyper sport class, a cross between sportsbikes and tourers capable of doing 200 mph with a little fiddling. It was amazing to see the number of these for sales with a few hundred miles on the clock. The owners had obviously run them in and then opened them up - only to scare the :tsktsk: out of themselves thus putting the bike up for sale the very next day.

[Scorpion]

Heres another tip for you then,if your on the outside lane ,stick to your speed and indicate right....

that way he knows you wont suddenly veer over and he can pass no worries.

Yes i know its illegal,but saves him wondering if your gonna drift left.

[MAC_600]

Not on the motorway ,i get loads do it to me they straddle the white line between lanes and go through the middle ,the amount of times i go to move over and they just come through .and yes i do indicate to move over .

Not having a go but if you had been using good observation then you would have known they were about. It's ok to use indicators, however, you need to use mirros first.

The biggest problem is that car drivers under estimate the sheer acceleration that bikes are capable of and so don't think/plan far enough ahead to avoid bikes. Then of course you do have the complete muppets - there was a guy who used to do the Paris Perapheric (sp?) at speeds in excess of 140 mph, zipping through gaps that you just woudn't attempt if you were sane, however, as they used to say about pilots - You get Old Bikers and you get Bold Bikers, but you don't get Old Bold Bikers The rider in question is no longer with us

[MAC_600]

Is that so the bike can decide wether to overtake on the inside or outside :D

Interesting point this and one that came up on a biker group a while ago. It seems that it is not illegal to undertake, there is no such thing legaly speaking. The highway code advises against this, however this is a guide and not law in itself. However, if you do this and it is deemed to be dangerous you can be charged with either driving without due care and attention or dangerous driving.

Have to say I will often undertake on motorways, though it's more a case of me using the lanes as they are supposed to and lots of muppets just sitting nose to tail in the outside lane.

[mudzs]

i will remember that next time i come up behind a slow bike in the fast lane . :P .

[Scorpion]

Improve your driving....go 2 wheels for a day.

[UKPulse]

Ooooh, get me on the subject of bikes!

I have been riding bikes since 1978 with only a one year break. I agree with most of what's been said, so if you really want to feel discriminated against, ride a motorbike! I'd say on average I'm stopped three times a year on the bike, but in 20+ years of car driving have only been stopped for a random check a couple of times.

And yes... I too hate cheese-wire barriers on motorways, the UK's neglected roads, diesel spills, motorists who are either too ignorant or arrogant to deal with bikers and dumb laws about tinted visors.

And on the subject of resisdents vs. bikers, there was a case last year of a biker who was knocked off his bike by a villager brandishing a wooden stake. The biker was doing 30mph in a 30 limit, his only crime was to encounter an irate resident who was indignant about bikers who occassionally sped thru his village. I believe the culprit was let off by the courts with little or no punishment

[MAC_600]

And on the subject of resisdents vs. bikers, there was a case last year of a biker who was knocked off his bike by a villager brandishing a wooden stake. The biker was doing 30mph in a 30 limit, his only crime was to encounter an irate resident who was indignant about bikers who occassionally sped thru his village. I believe the culprit was let off by the courts with little or no punishment 

Would have been interesting if it had been the other way round, biker stops bike and picks up 2x4 and smacks a villager - would he have been let off - don't think so.

One that got my goat a while back was an old boy (68) who pulled across the traffic to turn right but didn't see the bike who was already turning left to go down the same road - The biker was killed and the driver got 6 points and a £60 fine - A friend of mine was caught doing 90mph down a clear country lane - she got 6 points and a £500 fine - how does that work then?

[mudzs]

Done all that when i was younger plus i would like to see my children grow up, there is far to many alvin stardust lookalikes in there shiny new leathers who have gone to see there maker far to early.As for improve my driving ,one accident in 17 years of driving, and yep you guessed it motor bike came down the inside as i was indicating to turn left into my yard he hit my transit so hard he wrote it off then smashed straight into a lamp post.full police investigation ,motorbike rider found to blame apparently he had hit 70mph in a 30 mph zone so by the time i had checked my mirror once he was not in sight and when i started to turn he was on top of me .thankfully he only had cuts and bruises etc but scared the crap out of himself and me into the bargain .

[UKPulse]

I heartily agree, like motorist there are a minority of bikers who have a death-wish and who take all sorts of silly risks. All I can say is that to stay alive you have to remain alert and ride defensively. And yes, it's great training - motorists should be made to do it :)

The justice system can be an *****. 6 points and a £60 fine in exchange for a life? It's outrageous! Likewise the case of a biker who popped a wheelie at 40mph and was spotted by a patrol car - he was banned for a year. In the same year, a woman crossed the centre line and hit a biker head on and killed him. In her defence she pleaded mitigating circumstances for her lack of concentration - she stated that it was down to her going thru a stressful divorce at the time. Her penalty? 6 points and a £300 fine.