E30 Zone

As the Title says I recieved a speeding ticket through my letterbox today saying I've been caught exceeding the speed limit , I'll accept I was breaking the speed but nowhere near to the extent that the ticket office has claimed.

I know exactly where I was caught, by mobile camera, but I am sure the speed limit they have stated in the notice is wrong.

-They have said it was a 40mph limit but I am pretty sure it is a 60mph limit. At both ends of the section I was caught on, there are national speed limit signs.

If anybody can help it would be much appreciated.

Thanks, Dan.

Drive down there and take some pictures of the signs, and then ask how they established the 40mph limit...

unless you were driving a van !!!

Thanks, I'll do that when I get time.

I wasnt driving a van, I managed to get some shots of the road I was caught on.



The layby I'm parked in was where the mobile camera was.

Dan.

Ha, ha.

I know I deserve the ticket because I was speeding excessively, but not to the extent that they make it out

We all accept its a travesty of law, you're innocent of course.

But, get someone, a mate, who thinks you arn't and get him to tell you why. Just to back check. If he can't then contest it, with all the evidence you can find!

If that road is a 40MPH limit there must be repeater signs at a certain maximum distance apart. Check that they are there and all in good condition.

The section of road is about 2 miles long the only signs are national speed limit signs at either end, and there is one house along the entire stretch so I'm hoping it isn't a 40 cos I might be in the s#*t if it is.

Dan.

if there is insufficient signage that does not conform to the rules they have then you have a case.

1) find the rules
2) find all the signs
3) present the case in the form of a letter/pictures/photos.

search the net for the rules an regs of uk road signage laws...

I guess the fact that you don't mention the speed you were doing, indicates you might have been in excess of 60mph...

Thanks all for your help.

Mark, I don't know if you know this stretch of road, the A352 Sherborne to Dorchester, between Middlemarsh and Longburton.

Dan.

P.S Yes I was doing 73mph , though there were'nt any other cars people on this quiet stretch of road at the time, but I know that is no excuse so I'll just shut up.

Erm how did you not spot the camera van parked in the layby on the straighest section of road I've ever seen?

Its not as if it could've been hidden by bushes!

Looks very similar to a road near mine which is NSL though

if you do find you have been done in a 40 zone, its worth going to court & saying sorry in person etc etc...

If you just sign the paper & send it off they will more than likely do you over

I got caught on a motorway by VASCAR doing an average of 120, I went to court, said I was very sorry & got 6 points + £380 fine

I got sh@t from everyone, your gonna loose your licence etc etc
Even work threatened to do me over
But if you do these things, you gotta pay!

It always pays to say you are sorry, and that there was no excuse despite being late to see your sick mother etc. Might save you a bit of fine, and who knows, some points?

73 in a 60 is far less serious than in a 40, you've got to go for this. In your mind it was a 60 limit. You need to show the court that you were justified in thinking it by supporting your arguement with pictures like the one above, and with the NSL signs. In your position I would take a series of overlapping photos from one NSL sign to the other noting the distance on your trip meter between shots. If there are any 40 signs, photo them too but do it from a distance ;)

Agree with most of the above helpfull comments, you need to PROVE you were correct in thinking it was a 60 (even if it wasn't), by proving the signs were wrong/inconsistant/non-existant/illegible/incorrectly spaced or applied and then present a clear and hnest account.

When it comes to road traffic matters gone are the days when the onus is on law enforcement to prove your guilt, today all they need is a photo of you travelling at xx mph, but who knows what the road conditions or legal safe speed is from a photo, or how the road had been marked. Camera operators make mistakes too.

There was a case not so long ago of people travelling in excess of 50mph up a slip road to join a motorway, but when they reached the motorway it was 50mph for upcoming roadworks, everyone in the space of a day while the camera was there were caught despite no signs at the bottom of the slip road to indicate the legal speed.

The courts dropped all the cases of those people who complained, but those who did not and took the points and a fine unquestionably were never contacted and the mistake was never rectified.

looks like a fun stretch of road. But..... Long and straight...

How did you not see the van?!

munky30 wrote:looks like a fun stretch of road. But..... Long and straight...

How did you not see the van?!

perhaps he was driving the other way and theres a bend just behind the camera?

I allways thought that 30mph over the limit was an immediate ban? I must be wrong tho if Forty got caught doing an AVERAGE of 120 .

If the camera was hidden around a bend, its illegal. They have to be visible from at least 60 metres.

munky30 wrote:If the camera was hidden around a bend, its illegal. They have to be visible from at least 60 metres.

it would be great if were visible from 60 metres all the time. But they would catch far fewer people. scum

i have rarely seen a speed trap in a visible place- allways hidden by something. i havent been done yet though (touch wood)

There was a case in plymouth where they hid a van up on a bank to the right of the road, not visible from 60 metres. One person contested it, it got into the newspaper, all tickets issued by the van in that location were cancelled/refunded.

I know this road quite well. There is a stretch of 40mph near there, but most of it is 60 mph IIRC

Wicked road, on the old roman road, hence it's straightness.

Think the 40 section is just before it drops to 30 as you hit the village, heading towards Sherborne.

Whereabouts do you live mate, I'm in Yeovil!

Don't want to give you any false hope but i was caught in a similar situation a few years ago and managed to get a way scott-free.

I was prosecuted for doing 47mph in a 30 zone, however it transpired that the speed limit had been changed officially to 40mph although the new signs hadn't been installed. The charge was later dropped since the police were enforcing the wrong limit.

I was lucky, and in my own mind i would have expected to get prosecuted for doing 47 in a 40 anyway ... but apparently not!

munky30 wrote:There was a case in plymouth where they hid a van up on a bank to the right of the road, not visible from 60 metres. One person contested it, it got into the newspaper, all tickets issued by the van in that location were cancelled/refunded.

Embankment rd? there always hiding behind the petrol station
Sorry for thread jacking

thats the one, they hid up on the hill behind the station.

There was another camera on the A38 that someone contested, found out it hadnt been calibrated for aaaaages and they had to refund over 1000 tickets issued by it. The wife worked as a temp in the ticket office doing the refunds.

choppa7 wrote:Erm how did you not spot the camera van parked in the layby on the straighest section of road I've ever seen?

Its not as if it could've been hidden by bushes!

The camera must have snapped me quite far back as I started to slow down(towards 60) as soon as I saw there were vehicles in the layby.

Up to this point the layby is partially obscured from view by trees.

A motorbike pulled out fom behind the van blocking the markings on the doors.

In the picture the van was parked just in a bit from where my car is, I was travelling towards it.

I know this road quite well. There is a stretch of 40mph near there, but most of it is 60 mph IIRC

Wicked road, on the old roman road, hence it's straightness.

Think the 40 section is just before it drops to 30 as you hit the village, heading towards Sherborne.

Whereabouts do you live mate, I'm in Yeovil!

Yea the 40 stretch is about half a mile on from where I was clocked(would'nt dream of doing 70 there)

I'm 5 miles west of wincanton, just off the A303, I may have seen you round yeovil then, what colour is your motor?

Agree with most of the above helpfull comments, you need to PROVE you were correct in thinking it was a 60 (even if it wasn't), by proving the signs were wrong/inconsistant/non-existant/illegible/incorrectly spaced or applied and then present a clear and hnest account.

I'm working on it.

It always pays to say you are sorry, and that there was no excuse despite being late to see your sick mother etc. Might save you a bit of fine, and who knows, some points?

I will grovel as much as I can, but I'm not getting a serious fine/points without putting up a fight, if the ticket had said I was getting clocked doing 73mph in a 60 I wouldnt argue.

I heard of someone who allegedly got pulled for doing 70 in a 40, she told the police it was because she was tired and they let her go.. Which I think is a disgrace

i find it best to hold up my hands, say sorry and how stupid ive been and it was simple a foolish moment of madness and NOT give a bullsh1t excuse as theyve heard them all before and sometimes go harder on you if they think your taking them for fools.but 73 in a 40 isnt going to go down well i feel

The last signs before I got my picture taken.

dont show them pictures taken while driving!

That wont go down well at all.

liquid079 wrote:

The last signs before I got my picture taken.

If those were the last signs as you say, then there is something very odd going on here.
Those signs say the limit is 60!
Why are those signs there? What is the speed limit where you were when you took that picture?

were you in front or behind these signs when the actual speeding pic was taken? although at 74 you would still be speeding after the signs but a technicality let off might be possible.i tried to fight a ticket once that was issued saying i was doing 37 in a 40. obviously it meant to say i was doing 47 in a 30 but i didnt get off with it as although the officer had written the wrong speed down the actual offence code was correct

try the website pepidoo good advise on here

Sorry Don't mean to be confusing...

The speed limit where the above picy was taken is 40mph.

Where I got caught was about one and a half miles down the road.

There are no more signs relating to speed for about two and half miles, where it goes into the village of Longburton, and that is a 40mph!

Dan.

Oh and of course that picture was taken by my passenger.

liquid079 wrote:Sorry Don't mean to be confusing...

The speed limit where the above picy was taken is 40mph.

Where I got caught was about one and a half miles down the road.

There are no more signs relating to speed for about two and half miles, where it goes into the village of Longburton, and that is a 40mph!

Dan.

In that case there are two possibilities - Either you weren't clocked where you think you were, or you are right and they are wrong.
If they have made a mistake, you won't be the only one they've caught.