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Anyone fancy joining an anti-Cash Camera protest?

2K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  Skodapilot 
#1 ·
One of the Celica GT4 Owners club guys has started a planned protest for Aug1 2005.

He is looking for sensible drivers sick of cash cameras and innappropriatly reduced speed limits purely for revenue raising.

See below.

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The time has come to stand and be counted. Enough is enough!

I’m guessing that there are many people who are getting kinda fed up with the ridiculous amounts of gatso’s kicking about and laser vans etc. etc. etc who are operating under the veil of being for safety when actually they are there to generate revenue – pure and simple.

It’s seems that the humble motorist weather it be someone who has a performance car – or classic car, or just a bog standard car is being penalised due to the over zealous speed enforcement that occurs in this country.

We all enjoy driving and we are being taxed to pieces do to petrol tax, road tax and now the speeding tax. So I propose we protest about it. Cause a bit of a commotion. Get noticed. Prove a point. Kick Off!

Basically the argument is that the speed camera is now not being used as a safety, life saving device – but a revenue device for the government – instead of being used in areas where these installations (weather fixed of mobile) would reduce accidents – they are being more commonly used in areas where it’s dead easy to catch someone slightly straying over an unrealistically low speed limit . It’s not ok any more – driving used to be a pleasurable experience – now it’s ruined due to having to spend each and every moment checking you speedometer.

I’m proposing that on the 1st August we do something.


Namely a mass protest by narked motorists who are prepared to get on the road to make a stand AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Starting at Carlisle in the early hours as many of us as possible will drive down through the country – on mass – without breaking a single speed limit – or any law. But our route (which will be decided nearer the time – for obvious reasons) will cause a great deal of congestion and disruption – but hopefully we will be backed by the majority of the motoring public, who too feel aggrieved by how the roads are now policed.

I know there are many arguments about road safety and correct driving – I’m not proposing we should protest about any reasonable law – but a law that is broken by so many, so often, is surly a law that should be changed.


If you know of other people in other car clubs, or know of other car club forums where it would be a good idea to post a link to our revolution get on there and do it.

Let me know where else this is being posted so I can get stuck in and get this co-ordinated.

NOW IS TIME FOR A CHANGE!


VIVE LA REVOLUTION!!!!

email me john@themusiccellar.fsnet.co.uk

and I'll count you in and put you on a list so that you get all the developments!


Thanks folks,


Euphonium_John
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Thanks.
 
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#4 ·
Well now, if you own a Saab, or have owned one in the past, can you say, especially if it was a turbo, that you have never pushed the joy pedal just that little bit too far, because the weather/traffic/road conditions were fine, it was safe, but illegal, and could have cost you your license eventually?

Passive resistance is perfectly legal, and peaceful protest is a perfectly good method of legally lobbying for a change in law, or an approach to law enforcement that you don't agree with.

Don't think this is about all cameras being wrong, it isn't John wants cameras in places like outside schools, with variable limits in place dropping to 20MPH during dropoff and pickup, and arround lunchtime. It's about cameras being in the wrong places, and limits being lowered to accomadate the raising of revenue through those cameras.

It needs support if it is going to get any notice, and you don't have to do the full Carlisle to London, you can join and leave as you please to keep the numbers up. We want all types of drivers involved, because the most likely person to get zapped by a camera these days is a middle aged man in a moderatley well specced car, with lots of experience on the road on an unfamiliar dual carriageway or bypass, not the stereotypical boy racer, in rusting shed of a cheap hatchback, streetracing round his local town centre. The kids are too wise to the cameras these days.
 
#5 ·
Motorists who say that if we obey the law and the speed limits then we will not get fined are correct. They are also being hoodwinked.

Many speedlimits, especially in rural areas, have been lowered from 60mph to 50mph or even 40mph without, seemingly, any regard to the 85th percentile rule.

It does not appear to be about safety, it appears to be about revenue.

That said, whilst the Celica GT4 Owners club guy's motive is probably rational I can not help but interpret his text as a bit of a rant, a bit too emotional, and this detracts from the serious message that he is trying to convey.

The other problem that I have with this is that a mass (however big that is) go-slow or obey-limit drive is, then the only people that it is likely to inconvenience is precisely the people that they purport to represent; the motorist.

I think that this sort of "direct action" is flawed. I think that motorists groups need to coordinate and lobby on these issues. Association of British Drivers are fairly vocal on these issues and seem to convey their messages well (not that I agree with all of what they say). RAC and AA have foundations or something that supposedly lobby on motoring issues. I can not really see a mass drive having any real effect - apart from being a jolly day out for the participants.
 
#6 ·
John, he was a tuch emotional about it when he forst posted to the club forum. He has since listened to others, and calmed down a little but is still determined to go ahead. He s still looking for drivers who feel the same way about bad camera placing, even if it is just to help spread the word (like I'm doing initally). Eventually we will be looking for publicity and some celebrity involvement. I have already contacted Johnnie Walker at BBC radio 2, as he is well known amongst the biker community, and his feelings about cash cow cameras how been loudly voiced in the past.
 
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