Question about mobile speed cams
 

I have come across a mobile speed cam this morning in London. Camera saftey van or so, blacked out windows at the back and sort of big barbecue outside at the front, but the sort that would only grill your licence...

For those leaving in London they are sneakily placed after the little hill just after the battersea dogs home around the Powerstation area. That is not the first time that I have seen them there.

I was just wondering where / how the speed was assessed and the picture taken? Is it taken from the blacked out windows at the back and the big BBQ is just for taking pictures of the offenders or is it all sorted by the BBQ?
Incidentally I did jump on the brakes as soon as I seen it but passed by it at around 35mph. Does this mean I will be sent to prison me Lord?

For the Londoners among us beware between Vauxhall and Westminster bridge as well as I have seen them around there quite a few times.

Cheers
p

Phillipe....it may not have been a speed camera van, it could have been an ANPR setup.
They often have a generator system to the side or in front of the van to power the systems inside.
If it was ANPR, great..they actually catch criminals using vehicles, you know, just like the traffic police used to do.
The cameras at the rear read your number plate & there is in intercept team further down the road.

How do you know all about ANPR`s then rushjob?

The DVLA vans around here usually have a sign up saying that. According to the Derbyshire safety camera web site the speed camera vans in this area are all clearly marked with dayglo stripes etc but today i saw a white high top van with fold down windows in the back doors and two camera type things clearly visible. There was no lettering anywhere on the van. The odd thing was that it was positioned just before a junction so i cant imagine anyone being able to speed there even if they wanted to.
Do they have APNR vans in addition to the speed camea vans then?

Rockhopper
The van you describe is an ANPR vehicle. These are not speed detection units but vehicles with on board camera systems that will read a number plate and should there be a "note/referance mark" asociated with that vehicle it will be stopped further down the road. The "mark" can be referenced from a local data base from within the vehicle or from a live link to the PNC via a mobile phone systen.

These vans have multiple uses and many of them can be linked together, although deployed remotley from each other, so as to detect and keep a trail of the movements of a known or wanted vehicle..

A cleaver bit of kit actually

The APNR vans they use in Cambs have the camera's very high up at the top of the rear door, and they don't have any dayglo markings. The 'Camera Safety Vehicles'(sic) do have dayglo markings but generaly look like council vans as they have orange roof lights and are striped yellow and black-not that they are trying to disguise them or anything............
The Norfolk van that got me last year was a plain white van-even though on their website they witter on about how all of their vehicles are clearly marked Blah blah, and it's all about road safety and not revenue, lie lie............:flame:
Oh and before you get the wrong end of this Rushjob I'm not having a go at you or any other traffic-I know you all hate the bloody things as well-bring back PROPER traffic policing I say.

John

I passed a marked-up van, with cameras mounted high up through the rear door in Camberley last week. There was a marked up police car with it as well. I had assumed it was a speed camera van and am now waiting for the NIP to drop through the letterbox.
Clutching at straws but could this be an ANPR van instead? Would that explain the police car with it?

Thanks guys - I got worried for a minute!!
Mind you, there was no cops to stop you later down the road though.

Urban, yep thats an APNR van, the accompanying police vehicle confirms it as they use them to stop any vehicle coming back from their search as untaxed, stolen etc. I don't think you will be getting a NIP.

John

I have to ask - what's ANPR???

Andrew