Police on the prowl

[oscarpinch]

I was out having a fab ride today and stopped for a cuppa in a lay-by cafe thing. Saw a cop car pull over a biker for his number plate and then when he was pulling away 4 more bikes went past and the cop then blasted past the traffic to pull the front bike, then, a few miles further on, the same cop car had pulled another bike for small plates - makes me wonder how much commission they're on. Also thanks to the Subaru driver warning me about the unmarked white camera van in Baslow - I thought they had to have some sort of distinguishing marks on them.
It's just a warning to folks to be aware in the Derbyshire area cos the police are clearly on the clamp down. BTW, none of the bikes I saw stopped had been speeding or were excessively noisy so they were specifically targeted for plates.

[twinkiethekid]

The local council must have paid a little to much for their pet projects and discovered a deficit in the budget. :ripass:

[oscarpinch]

...and with the new financial year about to start, it makes me wonder if they have to boost up some figures to get a bigger budget allocated.

[Nooj]

Well known true fact, all bikes with small plates are owned by thieves, rapists, murderers, drug dealers, terrorists and muslims who need to be punished severely for making this country the terrible place it has become. They are never ever owned by normal people who believe in sensible laws to protect the citizenship and have some sense of good taste who just want nice looking bikes without huge yellow barn doors attached to the backs of their machines.

Fling them all in jail to rot!

[D-Rider]

I read recently that the Police in Wales have a horse box converted into a camera van ..... it seems that the old principle of making things visible so that you drive safely in accident blackspots is being replaced by covert ops.

Bastards.

[Nooj]

Riding or driving safely doesn't generate revenue.

[falco03]

off with their heads!!

[DrDuc]

It's been seeming to me like the same things are going on here in Oregon. A State Trooper pulled me over last weekend. I was riding the speed limit and completely behaving myself when he stopped me. He said that he pulled me over because that he could not read my plate where it is located (it hangs from the underside of the seatpan, a couple inches in front of the battery box). He didn't give me a ticket, but I've been seeing cops everywhere I ride and I'm starting to feel like I have a target on my back. With the tailchop that I've done, relocating the plate to the back of the bike is going to take some creativity and clever fabrication to end up with a sanitary fix.

[falco03]

this is a timely post. i have noticed a considerable increase i traffic stops over the last month here in the village where i live. the stops have been all cages because the weather hasn't been good enough for bikes.
but, i was on the bike last tuesday afternoon when i passed by a village cop. she pulled out an followed me for about 6 or 7 blocks. i was wondering what she was up to. i stayed at the speed limit and gave her no legitimate reason to stop me.
apparently the village of north syracuse needs money, too.
it's gonna be an interesting season when it starts.

[anzacinexile]

Thats it, time for a trip to France.......

Byeeeeee :burnout:

[ThEGr33k]

I got stopped the other day but just to be given some leaflets on some police bike training thing they do. Said he (south yorkshire police) didnt care about the small number plate or the slightly loud exhausts because they dont affect safety. So I should be ok in South yorkshire... rest of the country I have to worry about. :bangwall:

Suckage. Leave us alone FFS!

[oscarpinch]

Said he (south yorkshire police) didnt care about the small number plate or the slightly loud exhausts because they dont affect safety. :bangwall:

Suckage. Leave us alone FFS!

You should have got him to repeat that and recorded it on your phone so if some ahole stops you, you just whip the phone out and say 'this was told to me by a police officer so it must be the official line......"

[MauriceOz]

You should have got him to repeat that and recorded it on your phone so if some ahole stops you, you just whip the phone out and say 'this was told to me by a police officer so it must be the official line......"

Police here have started recording what you say, so a barrister I know gave me some advice and when the police ask you "Do you know what speed you were doing" the standard answer was "I have no idea but I am sure I was under the limit". This puts the onus on them to prove that you were speeding as you have not admitted to any speed so do not admit that you may have been slightly over or I just sped up to pass that slow car but if you say you have no idea then they have to say well you were doing X over then they have to prove it somehow and if they have no documented proof and you have not admitted to speeding it just makes a more difficult court case.

Thats what I was told here in Australia not sure how it would be in your country.

Maurice

[FalcoPhil]

This could explain

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/mcn/2008/march/mar2508policetocatchmotorcyclistsinapril/?&R=EPI-99418


I read recently that the Police in Wales have a horse box converted into a camera van

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/mcn/2008/march/10-16/mar1008policetosuehorseboxspeedcamera/?&R=EPI-99153

[FTM]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article979735.ece

:cheers:

[oscarpinch]

In an ideal world, the Land Rover backed up to the horse box in the Sun article would be driven be a disgruntled driver who has attached the box to his car and is just about to drive off with it attached, making his way to the coast to dump it over the edge into the sea.

[Yellowduck]

Came over the Snake Pass on Easter Monday. Noticed an old light blue transit van in a lay-by, just looked like a tatty old builders van. Something didn't seem right, and as I got closer I found it was a speed camera van in disguise. Of all the lousy tricks:eek:

It was a 50 zone so I was sticking to the limit, but I bet he got a few that day!

If you ride through the Peak District keep your eyes peeled.

[Lttlcheeze]

It's been seeming to me like the same things are going on here in Oregon. A State Trooper pulled me over last weekend. I was riding the speed limit and completely behaving myself when he stopped me. He said that he pulled me over because that he could not read my plate where it is located (it hangs from the underside of the seatpan, a couple inches in front of the battery box). He didn't give me a ticket, but I've been seeing cops everywhere I ride and I'm starting to feel like I have a target on my back. With the tailchop that I've done, relocating the plate to the back of the bike is going to take some creativity and clever fabrication to end up with a sanitary fix.

What about one of these:
Tag Relocator:
Moves the License Plate to the Swing Arm, but in a Stylish Manner!
Obliviously it still needs the plate to mount the License to, but you get the idea.
72920

[twinkiethekid]

Forgive my ignorance, but these things are supposed to have 'warning' signs assigned to them are they not? Even the temporary ones?

Or is this a total covert war being waged on us (yes, I include myself since the bastards here will be inspired by these shenanigans) by the councils?

[GREYOZ]

What can you say :bond:

[GREYOZ]

This add was in the same paper

[FalcoPhil]

Looks like you have the same problem as us in the UK:bond:

No need to start a discusion as to the merits of clearly marked police cars/vans cameras etc as opposed to hidden ones.

[ToffeeApple]

Can't find the documented link right now, but:

I believe that as of this year in the UK they don't need to signpost speed cameras in advance of the camera, and more over they are now being encouraged by the so called safety partnerships to install covert speed measurement devices.

These site will usually be mobile, and will be difficult to track with GPS based speed trap warning devices, an underlying reason why laser and radar detectors are now banned in the UK maybe?

I have heard this from a couple of sources, including MCN in the UK and a public government safety bulletin.

The thing I always remind my self of is that the current speed limits on this island were mainly defined some 35 years ago and since then a lot of safety enhancements have been made and technology has improved. Currently manufactures are concentrating on the environment, emissions and engine size, where these are not the main contributory factors to accidents occurring. This doesn't negate the reasoning of speed limits just that it needs to undergo review; some of these rules are there to protect us, but some should be changed.

Sorry to soapbox; I had to get it off my chest, and a bit of topic I know...

[oscarpinch]

...being encouraged by the so called safety partnerships to install covert speed measurement devices...

:WTF:

I don't understand how these 'Safety partnerships' can be encouraging this when it does nothing for safety. Surely this is a barn door tactic. If I'm covertly pictured speeding, how does that slow me down and reduce the risk of killing someone if they step in front of me 10 metres further on? It does nothing, whereas warning signs and clearly visible cameras do slow the traffic down, maybe for a short while only, but the speeds are reduced. Funny that in all the articles I've read, those repsonsible have declined to give full comment.

I agree with ToffeeApple too about rejigging the speed limits. I'm sure no-one has issues with even reducing the urban speed limit, especially near schools, but motorways, dual carriageways etc... I have a feeling that if the speed limits were examined, they would probably be reduced, and to add to that tolls would be introduced and a seperate tax brought in solely for motorway and dual carriageways and..... how many other ways can they make money off us? :bangwall:

[Lttlcheeze]

If I'm covertly pictured speeding, how does that slow me down

The idea is to slow you down everywhere, rather than just where you know there is a speed camera.

[twinkiethekid]

The idea is to slow you down everywhere, rather than just where you know there is a speed camera.

It is not about the speed--it is about the $$$£££€€€, always has been. :bond:

[Lttlcheeze]

It is not about the speed--it is about the $$$£££€€€, always has been. :bond:

Too True!! Thats why they like to sit on the end of I70 inside the Baltimore Beltway (695). There is nothing in there except a Park-n-Ride, and an exit ramp, but the speed drops from 65 to 55 to 40 to 25. And they sit there atleast twice a month. I think the speed limits are set in that area just so they can pull more ppl over, there is no point for the decrease in speed!!

[oscarpinch]

The idea is to slow you down everywhere, rather than just where you know there is a speed camera.

Thats true, but how many of us can say that even though if we know we are not being monitored we would still stick to the speed limit, especially when the road conditions are favourable (such as a clear motorway on a dry, sunny day).
if I remember, these cameras were meant to be at accident black spots where, with plenty of warnings around, drivers would slow down and so reduce the number of accidents - that makes perfect sense. But to sit in places such as hidden on straight pieces of road where they know, although there isn't a high accident rate, its going to be easy money...ohhh, my toys are definately out of my pram ggrrrrr.

[twinkiethekid]

ohhh, my toys are definately out of my pram ggrrrrr.

But their's are not. :mad:

[FutIsle]

Its happeneing everywhere. Here on the Isle of Man the police have always taken a more sensible view about speed, small plates, cans etc. I have been stopped for speeding, but nothing was said about the loud cans or the small plate, or the dark visor. But the tendency is to less and less stick to IOM ways and more and more follow the UK and the other nanny state jurisdictions. Any speeding fines and licence points incurred in the UK now reflect on my Manx licence and vice versa. I might as well forget being manx in my outlook and just regard myself as a UK citizen. Precious little difference. :soap:

[Falcoholic]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article979735.ece

:cheers:

The registration number plate is not recognised by the DVLA :WTF::bond:

[williamr]

I was out having a fab ride today and stopped for a cuppa in a lay-by cafe thing. Saw a cop car pull over a biker for his number plate and then when he was pulling away 4 more bikes went past and the cop then blasted past the traffic to pull the front bike, then, a few miles further on, the same cop car had pulled another bike for small plates - makes me wonder how much commission they're on. Also thanks to the Subaru driver warning me about the unmarked white camera van in Baslow - I thought they had to have some sort of distinguishing marks on them.
It's just a warning to folks to be aware in the Derbyshire area cos the police are clearly on the clamp down. BTW, none of the bikes I saw stopped had been speeding or were excessively noisy so they were specifically targeted for plates.

Some of you guys really should keep an eye on the newspapers. A national purge on illegal number plates was posted a few weeks ago. I guess it must have started.

If you don't like it, fit proper plates, although it's aimed mainly at cars with illegal fonts and spacing and painted screw heads positioned to distort the number when a camera reads it. For once, I'm with th police.

Rob

[Yellowduck]

Came over the Snake Pass on Easter Monday. Noticed an old light blue transit van in a lay-by, just looked like a tatty old builders van. Something didn't seem right, and as I got closer I found it was a speed camera van in disguise. Of all the lousy tricks:eek:

It was a 50 zone so I was sticking to the limit, but I bet he got a few that day!

If you ride through the Peak District keep your eyes peeled.

Someone else spotted this van....

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/user/2008/april/Sneaky-Plod/

[windy]

I got stopped the other day but just to be given some leaflets on some police bike training thing they do.
FFS!

This course is great and well worth the £30 if that’s still what they charge. A full day starting in the classroom then out for a 1.5 hour ride. Back for lunch followed by a one hour first aid course given by the on site paramedics then back out for another 1.5 hour ride. Three riders to one police observer 30 mins each up front.

Mostly defensive riding. Your bike needs to be road legal and you have to stick to speed limits until you hit the national speed signs then its up to you but they will slow you down if they think you're not up to riding fast, that’s the purpose of the course. As they say they'd rather do you for speeding than have to scrape you off a drystone wall.

Get yer sen booked on one you won't regret it.

windy