I guess I shouldn't be so naive - but it shocked me that last Sunday I took my now regular trip 10 miles or so down the A689 dual-carriageway that runs to my mothers in Hartlepool.
This section of the road almost exclusively runs though farming area apart from one small hamlet really, called Newton Bewley. The 1/4 mile stretch that is housed used to be subject to a 60 mph limit (if memory serves me right), while the rest of the road is 70.
Of course everyone used to ignore it as it was such a short section until I believe someone was injured on the road (near the only pub but I wont make any assumptions). Then a 50 mph limit was placed on the road and surprise, surprise with the advent of the wonderful money-collecting (sorry, speed) cameras, mobile units started appearing near the end of the 50 limit.....could of been at the start I suppose.
However - last Sunday - clocks had just gone back - when to take my mum shopping at 3pm, over cast but still light. I slowed down to 50 as I dare not really take a risk anymore after events this year
Needless to say - Mum's being mums we were being thrown out of Asda when the shop was shutting and I was due to go with my own family to a Halloween party.
So - 5:50pm, late as anything - shooting back along the dual-carriageway towards the 50 zone when gut instinct told me not to take a daft chance and slow down.
THERE AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AT 6PM - IN THE PITCH DARK - WAS A THINK! CAMERA VAN WITH A CAMERA ON A TRIPOD AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD !!!!!!!
Other motorists were obviously enraged as well as I was not the only one to start flashing and putting hazard lights on to warn on-coming traffic.
I have no respect for this 'policing' policy any more - even though I know the poor police have to do a hard job with dwindling resources - this is just plain wrong.
Frank