In Europe, Speed Cameras Meet Their Technological Match
nytimes.com
nytimes.com
I don't know where they saw that. "Radar-detection[1] services like Coyote’s" are universally criticized by the (past and present) French government: a bill passed recently rendering their use illegal. Now such devices alert you of a "danger zone", and the hypocrisy just grows bigger.
I can be controlled for speed up to five times on a 10km, 20min commute, yet I've been controlled only two times in 20 years for alcohol.
[1] This term is incorrect, radar detection systems (the little thingies that detect radar EM emissions) are completely banned, whereas radar alert systems (where a geolocation database is filled by professionals and/or the community and checked against current position) were until recently allowed, and banned recently.
a) Coyote is new b) Coyote is a smartphone app
Both of these are false: Coyote is about 7 years old, and the "warner" is an independent module that uses the GSM network
[1] http://itunes.apple.com/fr/app/icoyote-europe/id367345773?mt...
This isn't a murder trial, it's a minor infraction, like a parking ticket.
I rather see a society where guilty people skip a fine than honest people get a fine.
You could still be warned that you are aproaching the area though. Interestingly these use front mounted cameras (to capture the driver) so have no effect on motorbikes - though the general slower speed seems to slow them on the motorways.
As a cyclist (and driver) I think they are great for city driving, and a much better solution than speedbumps or other calming measures.
Perhaps they make sense when everyone has cruise control as standard to rely on, but until then a mass rollout would drive me to public transport. Or is that the point?
Depressingly, I can't think of a better solution. Driving makes people into assholes, myself included, and averaging cameras are about the only thing that works. Speed bumps and traffic calming simply cause an arms race of bigger and bigger SUVs that simply roll over anything smaller than a mini with impunity.
I suppose they could try the Edinburgh approach of simply not repairing the roads, in favour of spending the money on an overgrown toy train set for the current set of ideologically-challenged councillors.
It's also planned to display the average speed during a section control, but that is not part yet of the current version, I believe.
On a whole day drive that would still be faster as the speeding means you don't have to add on time for breaks.
In France that's effectively what happens. The toll gates are used to determine the average speed check over a journey, and so you can notice that the last service station before a toll gate is busier.
Not that I had a chance to do the same in the clapped out old Volvo I drove through France in.
I personally think average speed checks are great. In London I'd love to see the congestion charge cameras (number recognition technology) also used to check for average speed between any two cameras. I think that if people knew the whole of the city centre had average speed check enforcement that it would be a great benefit to the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and other road users in the city.
I often see policemen with handheld speed kit and mobile camera units, most councils in even have cars with a periscope camera ontop that drive around automaticly processing so many driving violations its just to stressful to drive. But welcome to the UK/Europe and do have a nice stay as we are watching you.
Theoretically, these systems can also handle education by pointing out the current speed limit dynamically (as the speed limit may change around accidents or depending on the weather). They can also warn about other "dangers" than radars, and as the article notes the french govt had coyote change this last year: coyote now reports the user has entered a "danger zone" without specifying what the danger is (can be a radar, but can also be an accident or some other kind of issue)
cameras are to easily collect fines.
win for you, win for the community!
The reason the Netherlands employs so many mobile speed traps is because people quickly learn where the fixed speed traps are and simply ignore the speed limits in between, or try to "make up for time lost by having to brake for a speed trap" (yes, I've heard and seen plenty of people do this).
This is why radar detectors are illegal in the Netherlands.
Besides, there are still quite a few fixed speed cameras in NL AND some "trajectcontrol" camera (as mentioned by a previous poster). I actually find the latter one the only one worth it, because then you are sure that people slow down for a longer period.
It always amuses me to hear local radio news about yet another multi-vehicle collision.
In Germany, the country known for it's wonderful Autobahn, you can temporarily loose your license for tailgating.
PS: I'm dutch.
The worst part of that is when overtaking ... a traditional Dutch driver will only look to see if he has the place to go, not if the car coming at the back is much faster than him/her.
So you end up with a lot of braking when driving on the left-most lane. The "funniest" is to see that happening with Dutch drivers outside the Netherlands ... because drivers from other countries are not used to that behavior :) (disclaimer : I live in NL, but I'm not Dutch and did not learn to drive in the Netherlands)
When they say it's about safety, not revenue... it's about the revenue.
I'm a bit disappointed that it fits the typical parisian pattern of elder, management consultants founders. No twenty-something founders changing the world here!
It is pretty rare to see a police vehicle on the UK motorways. I probably see one on my carriageway less than once every thousand miles and that includes where they are dealing with an accident or traffic stop. Our roads are pretty safe by global standards so maybe that is ok and money is better spent engineering out accident black spots.
The journalists should inform themselves better, as European I doubt anyone is easily left of the hook if caught during a police control using such device.
Site is here: http://www.moncoyote.com/
For some years now it is has been strictly forbidden under article R413-15 of the French 'Code de la Route' (highway code) to have a speed camera detector in a car in France, regardless of whether or not it is being used. Penalties can include fines of up to €1,500, confiscation of the device and of the vehicle. Until recently this legislation didn't apply to satellite navigation or other GPS-based systems capable of displaying fixed speed camera locations as points of interest (PoI).
Effective from 3 January 2012 French laws prohibiting drivers from carrying devices capable of detecting speed cameras have been extended to include devices able to warn or inform of the location of speed cameras e.g. satnav or gps systems capable of showing speed camera sites as PoI.
As well as now banning all devices capable of warning drivers of speed camera locations, the French government is installing around 400 new fixed speed cameras and is taking down road signs indicating the location of existing fixed speed camera sites.