Monitron camera on tall post
Although the Gatso is by far the most common speed camera, there are other types around.
This picture shows a new type of camera which works like a Gatso with a number of differences. It doesn't use film, instead is sends the image directly to the police via a digital link. The camera is triggered by sensors in the road which means radar detectors won't give you any warning. Only GPS systems will alert you to these. The camera housing is on top of a tall pole which is designed to make the camera of out reach of potential vandals. However, the most sinister feature is that some of them are installed at traffic lights to catch red light jumpers but they also have the potential to operate as speed cameras when the lights are on green.
These cameras are spreading at a rapid pace. They can be found in Bristol, Cumbria, London, Manchester, Nottingham, Norwich and in Somerset. This particular one is on
the A38 at Patchway where an existing Gatso can be seen in the distance.
Monitron camera on tall post
Here's another Monitron. This one has just gone up on the A303 and is still in its protective wrapping.
Monitron
This is a Monitron in Bristol which is nearly hidden behind a lamppost.
Monitron
The picture below shows a SPECS pole on the A43 in Northampton during installation. There will be cameras at both ends of the pole which read the number plate of every passing vehicle (bikers don't need to worry as they don't have a front number plate). A similar camera is situated further on up the road which will calculate how long it took for the vehicle to travel between the two cameras. If the vehicle reached the second camera below a preset time a speeding ticket will be on its way to the owner before their journey is complete. These cameras are always in pairs so don't speed up after the first one.
A reliable source tells me the SPECS cameras on the A43 Lumbertubs Way in Northampton are not working! They are functioning, but are not making the sort of returns on their £350K investment that was anticipated. The reason? It has been discovered that since the cameras only cover the outside lane of this dual carriageway, if drivers ensure they are not in the outside lane at the reference points for the cameras, or if they only pass one of the four cameras covering each direction whilst in the outside lane, then the system dumps the captured image of their number plate. The drivers "in the know" are not members of the general public (draw your own conclusions)...
Update - ignore the above as there are now cameras monitoring both lanes. It seems the scamera partnership aren't happy to see potential revenue being lost as drivers
were diving into the left lane as they pass each camera. However there are plenty of other SPECS installations in the UK where only one lane of a dual carriageway
is being monitored, which is almost certainly the outside lane although you will be able to see which lane the camera is pointing at.
Newly built SPECS pole in Northampton before the cameras were fitted
This is a SPECS post with the cameras fitted. These are known as yellow vultures as they sit on the top looking down at their victims.
SPECS in roadworks on the M20
This is a SPECS pole on the A77 near Ayr. There are cameras for both lanes in each direction.
SPECS
This is a gantry in the variable speed limit section of the M42 between the M40 and M6. There is a camera mounted above each lane and they work in the same way as a
regular Gatso. Only twelve gantries are fitted with cameras as the rest just have dummy road markings. As the cameras are hidden behind the speed limit displays its easier
the look at the section of gantry over the opposite side of the road as the gantries fitted with cameras have them in both directions.
Variable speed limit camera
This is a forward facing camera made by Truvelo. This camera is similar to the Gatso but takes a picture of the front of the car instead of the rear. This one is situated on the A43 in Northamptonshire at the start of a dual carriageway, precisely where you would build up speed to overtake slower vehicles.
The white line going across the road is where the strips are which measure your speed. It is important that you slow down before the camera, so that you are doing the speed limit when you cross the white line. It is safe to speed up once you're level with the camera.
Some of these cameras are painted blue instead of grey.
Forward facing camera on A43
This picture shows another forward facing camera, this time in the usual battleship grey. This one is more of a nuisance to slower
vehicles as they need to keep the momentum going to make it up hills. What this camera does is forces them to stick to 60mph and then having to
use full throttle in order to make it up the hill. Lorries in particular, which the speed limit is just 40mph have to rev their vehicles which
results in smoke belching out of their exhausts. Surely this camera is bad for the environment as well as motorists pockets.
Forward facing camera on a hill
This camera is one of the worst I've seen for persecution. The speed limit drops from 60mph to 30mph at the bottom of a very steep hill.
The first time I drove down here I only saw the camera at the last minute and had to do an emergency stop or face a £60 fine. Even though the
bend looks sharp from this angle, it's safe to do 40mph. I'm sure the only people who get caught by this camera are those who have never been
here before.
Forward facing camera on a bend
A speedtrap doesn't have to be a fixed camera. Some police forces use a system called DS2 (also known as Speedmaster and Autovision but I like to call it Plug and Pay), which consists of three strips buried into the road and a small grey post to connect the camera. In the image below, you can see them clearly. If you look just in front of the yellow sign, you can see a dropped kerb and the grass is a different texture. This is where the Talivan sits and a wire is then plugged into the post. And finally, notice how the post is right next to the signposts, this is an attempt at trying to obscure it like they do with Gatsos.
This type of speedtrap is only active when a camera is hooked up to it.
DS2 strip
This view shows the colour of the post more accurately. They are a distinctive bluey/grey colour. Also notice the strips only go halfway
across the road, so if you drive on the other side of the road, your speed won't be measured.
The distinctive bluey/grey DS2 post
This new DS2 installation is on the A41 just south of Whitchurch. This location has most likely been chosen for its revenue potential. The road is dead straight at this point and presents a safe overtaking opportunity for those stuck behind slower traffic. There is also another Plug and Pay installation on the opposite side of the road although only one is likely to be used at any one time. The layby in the distance has been provided to allow the Talivan to park, there is also one on the other side of the road. So if you see a white van parked ahead slow down, it may save your licence.
Recently all DS2 sites have been made easier to spot by adding two white lines on the road before and after the strips.
The two after the strips can been seen in the picture but the two before the strips are out of shot.
Plug and Pay