| Your Questions |
| Paul from Burwell: "Are there any plans to introduce,a scheme whereby anyone convicted of a speeding offence can opt to attend some form of training/seminar in lieu of the 3 points and £60 fine? I have heard of other police forces that offer this option."
- At present we do not offer Speed Awareness Courses for speeding offences in Cambridgeshire. A guida...more |
| Nigel from Ipswich: "Why don't you put a speed limit sign onto the back of speed cameras so that each driver knows what the speed limit is as he approaches the camera?"
- Before fixed Safety Cameras in Cambridgeshire there are advance warning signs to alert motorists to ...more |
| John from Peterborough: "Why are there so few speed cameras in the Peterborough city centre where there are several streets (Broadway, Eastfield Road, Park Road etc) that have a speeding problem?
Why can't the mobile cameras be used to address these problems?"
- Safety Cameras are only currently introduced at locations with a history of collisions that resulted...more |
| Francesca from Birmingham: "I have just accessed the website www.e-database.co.uk to check out any speeding offences recorded against my car.
I was very concerned to find that it shows a violation in Cambridge on A1303 Coldhams Lane. I have never been to Cambridge in my life, so please can you explain why it shows on the database?"
- The "National Speed Offence Database" is a spoof website that I understand has been in existence for...more |
| Paul from Newmarket: "Of all the schools in Cambs how many of these have got a speed camera sited nearby where they would probably be of more use there than some of those sited on the A14?"
- Safety Camera locations are identified based on a recent history of injury collisions and a problem ...more |
| Tony from Chatteris: "I was travelling on the A141 at Old Hurst last Saturday and I went passed the camera at less than 60mph. As I got to the middle of the markers a motorcycle went in the oposite direction at around 80mph. There was a single flash from the camera and it must have taken my picture but I was not speeding. Will the motorcycle be in the picture? Will I be sent a ticket and what can I do about this?"
- For every vehicle photographed by Gatso safety cameras (which are activated when the radar detects a...more |
| Michael from Thorney: "If I approached a mobile camera van on the otherside of the road from its front where it had no warning markings, after passing the van i could see in the mirror the yellow and red, could i have legally been done for speeding when no warning was given on my approach?"
- Mobile Safety Cameras in Cambridgeshire are able to detect vehicles travelling both towards and away...more |
| Christopher from Cambridge: "Do points attained on a licence from speed camera violations accumilate forever or is there a period after which they expire?"
- In relation to speeding offences, points remain valid for 3 years from the date of the offence, alth...more |
| David from Cambridge: "When travelling from central Cambridge along Trumpington Road, how do we know what the speed limit is?
There are no signs at all until just before Trumpington High Street.
What is the speed limit between The Cambridge Hotel and Trumpington High Street?"
- The speed limit on Trumpington Road, Cambridge is 30mph. Rule 103 of the Highway Code states:
"Str...more |
| Tony from March: "If cameras are put at dangerous places where accidents happen, why is it OK for police cars to speed down those roads? What happens to the drivers of emergency vehicles who set off the cameras?
- The Road Traffic Act 1984, regulation 87, states 'No provision imposing a speed limit on motor vehic...more |
| Robert from Milton: "I've seen a plain white van with cameras sticking out of the back - I thought you were supposed to have marked vehicles that were brightly coloured?"
- This is likely to have been one of the police's Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) vehicles. ...more |
| Stephen from Yaxley: "I got a ticket for doing 61mph in a 60 limit and it turned out that it was because I was in a van. I honestly didn't know that it had a different speed limit to a car so why is that my fault?"
- Ignorance of the law is no excuse. Different vehicles are restricted to different speed limits on ro...more |
| Ian from St Neots: "Why are safety cameras where they are? I know of places where they would be better placed."
- New fixed and mobile camera enforcement locations are selected using strict criteria set out by the ...more |
| Andy from Burwell: "I read recently that some cameras have had no effect at all on the number of casualties, and in some cases the number of casualties has actually gone up. Will these cameras now be taken down?"
- Every single camera has an effect on driver behaviour and vehicle speeds, even if casualty rates hav...more |
| Joanne from Ramsey: "Do cameras only catch people speeding in one direction?"
- No. Safety cameras are able to detect offences in either direction. The laser technology used in the...more |
| Mike from Peterborough: "What about motorbikes that don't have a number plate on the front?"
- Motorcycles travelling at excess speed can be identified on the mobile safety camera videos as well ...more |
| Margaret from Sawston: "Can cameras see who's in the vehicle?"
- The purpose of the photographic or video evidence produced by safety cameras is to identify the vehi...more |
| Michael from Peterborough: "How much money are the police making out of speeding motorists?"
- None. All money paid in the form of a fixed penalty notice is sent by the local courts service to th...more |
| Jean from Ely: "How much does a safety camera cost?"
- A fixed camera (Gatso or Truvelo) costs around £40,000 to set up. This includes the cost of the hous...more |
| Mark from Soham: "The roads are quieter and much safer at night - why isn't there a greater tolerance for this?"
- Research shows that the accident rate doubles at night, particularly late in the evening and in the ...more |
| Simon from Earith: "Why use police resources to catch speeding motorists when you could be catching real criminals instead?"
- The salaries of all officers who work in the Safety Camera Unit are paid for under the cost-recovery...more |
| Gavin from Huntingdon: "What proof is there that safety cameras are reducing casualties?"
- The Department for Transport's 3-year report into the National Safety Camera Programme was published...more |
| Michelle from Newmarket: "What is the penalty for breaking the speed limit?"
- If the driver has no current points on his/her driving licence and the excess speed offence is withi...more |
| Dave from Cambridge: "What speed will I get prosecuted at?"
- National guidelines set by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) recommend that there is a...more |
| Sarah from Hampton: "Why are cameras bright yellow? Surely you would catch more people if they were hidden?"
- Safety cameras are not there to catch people. They are located at places with a history of injury co...more |
| Vickram from Chelmsford: "Cameras don't stop crashes - they cause them. People brake and the car behind goes into the back of them."
- Those motorists driving within the law have no need to brake for a camera. As well as staying withi...more |
| Marcia from Cambridge: "I sent off my driving licence and payment a few weeks ago but it's not been sent back to me yet, and I need it back so that I can collect a hire car."
- Payments and licences are processed by the Fixed Penalty Unit at Cambridge Magistrates' Court. You c...more |
