Hertfordshire driver fears fine after cyclist triggers speed camera

I know Scots Hill well, the pillocks race past you at 45 mph on the flat section at the top (still 30mph speed limit) then hammer the anchors down to 25mph just in time for the speed camera. Of course, as a cyclist you sail back past them, if the pillocks had stuck to the speed limit they wouldn't have not overtaken at all.

The driver comes across as a silly old fool!

Whether this gentleman is making a meal of this or not, shouldn't we as cyclists be following the same rules of the road as motor vehicles?

How can we have any moral high ground if we break speed limits, run red lights, etc? i realise that there is no legal sanction for cyclists speeding ('furious riding' aside!) but I feel that it it is right that we stay within the speed limits.

I think we have an obligation to follow the rules set out for cyclists. We're treated differently for a reason, we have far less mass than a car moving at the same speed and we are not obliged to have an accurate speedo so it would make if difficult to know to keep under the limit. We follow our rules, motorists follow theirs and everyone should be happy!

Some years ago, when I was younger, fitter and certainly faster (but probably not as wise), I managed to get an almighty rollicking off a West Mercia Traffic Cop for "cycling furiously" through a village with a 30 mph speed limit.

He chased after me in a Rover 827 (shows how long ago it was) pulled me over and said "Who the bloody hell do you think you are, Sean Kelly ?"

To which I quipped, "No sir, but I need to get home quick or I'll miss Blockbusters"

"You were cycling furiously, I could give you a ticket"

"Furiuous ? Now that you have made me stop, I'm bloody livid, not furious"

Sorry - I've gone all Barry Cryer.

But really, I did get a ticking off for doing 35 mph according to his Vascar or Gatso or whatever gun - so it must be possible to set off the other cameras.

I have just noticed that the eejit says "I was once a cyclist myself".

What's he saying - you are either a cyclist, or a motorist, but you cannot be both?

And it's not right that "we" motorists might be subject to an appearance before the bench because of something that "you" cyclists have done ?

I spend a lot if time in court, and listen to a lot of drivel, but I hope he gets summonsed and puts it in the paper. I can the see the local rag's headline now "Motorist with exemplary record's summons nightmare"

I will book the day off work and sit in the public gallery - should be entertaining ! Especilly the bit where he says the perpurtrator of this evil crime was "dressed like a racing cyclist".

(By the way, that's me off the suspects list with my 20 year old Peugeot and Halfords helmet).

I dispair.

Putting a camera at the bottom of a hill is probably one of the most tempting sites for any cyclist. Driver slows down, cyclist goes shooing past.. just the laws of physics really. Obvious what will happen.

everyone knows that local papers may occasionally just make things up, aye?

Obviously a "quiet news" day for the local paper.

Please excuse the ironic inaccuracy of the word inaccurate!

What's even better about this is, owing to most speedometres being 10% innaccurate and even the government realising that some people will occasionally push the right foot down slightly too hard. The normal equation for any prosecution for speeding is 10% +2mph for whatever limit it is. Therefore in a 30mph limit no prosecution is even considered for 35mph or under. Plus most county councils will then put an extra few mph on top of that before the dreaded blinding flash. Kent's for example ping at 38mph. (Don't ask how I know!)

All this means for any cyclist who arranges an action photo of themselves....Well done!!

The guy's complaint isn't exactly ripe since he hasn't gotten a ticket, and it seems that it would be pretty easy to get it dismissed if the camera shows a bicycle in the photo (particularly considering his driving record).

So, this boils down to a story about a guy who's complaining that it's unfair that bicycle speed is unrestricted while car speed is restricted. That's top notch journalism, for sure.

"Extra, extra, read all about it. A guy who looks like me robbed a bank, and I'm constantly looking over my shoulder in fear that I'll be arrested."

Only motor vehicles with a calibrated speedometer (MOT) are subject to speed limits. We can cycle furiously and be prosecuted tho.

I'm amazed the local paper ran this. I can't understand their agenda.

As has been said, it's the timed photos showing the distance covered that is used to determine speed and the car driver isn't at risk of prosecution if he was doing only 28 mph. The newspaper should have researched its facts before printing such provocative nonsense.

The speed limits for bikes argument is a non-starter too as cyclists can hardly ever break speed limits and if they do, they don't present a danger to other road users (low kinetic energy compared to a car weighing one tonne plus).

As for speed limits and 20 mph zones - government policy is that they should be self-enforcing – i.e. traffic calming and no GATSOs.

What an attention seeking sop!

INBFC ha ha brilliant.

Some people will do anything to get in the paper.

As noted above, the time for an NIP has expired already, the photos (there are two!) would show that the cyclist was moving faster than him and therefore it would be disregarded, and if he's worried about the cyclist slipping on oil he should get his car serviced.

My favourite line was his "I used to be a cyclist, so..." Is this a new equivalent to "I'm not racist, but..."? Incidentally I used to be a pedestrian. I'm sitting down at the moment.

"He could have slipped on some oil or if I'd had to brake suddenly he would end up coming over my car bonnet."

Not that IS a challenging w*nk...

Which, co-incidentally, is this 'news' story - a pile of it...

Pity the poor motorist who hasn't been CAUGHT in 37 years - I guarantee he'll have broken driving laws, albeit unintentionally, throughout this time, most likely speeding, RLJ-ing, illegal parking, dangerous or careless overtaking, mobile phone usage.

If he's got no letter by now then the time's up. The police have 14 days the get the letter to you, and that's by recorded post (not just first class) otherwise they've lost any ability to prosecute you.

Get NIP not by recorded post? Bin it and wait for the reminder and then ask them to prove they contacted you in 14 days. I learnt this after Bristol post ate my NIP (truthfully) and did some research when I got the reminder.

In all seriousness, those who are fast enough to trigger a speed camera, how do you know you have? Do have a helmet mirror or while doing 30+mph you have a look round Either way i’m not going to be setting anything off soon!

""He was dressed like a racing cyclist but I can’t believe someone is going round as fast as possible trying to set speed cameras off."

I dont know about you guys, but I go out most days with the sole intention of setting off speed cameras ..:) NOT!!!

I understand he's a p1ssed off about the possibility of perhaps receiving a ticket/fine ... but does he REALLY THINK cyclists go out trying to trigger Speed Cameras ...

Just wait until the daily mail readers hear about this. New fuel in the fire.

"Just anti-cyclist nonsense" really! are you sure?

surely the speed camera must have been positioned there because of the number of KSI accidents caused at the location by speeding cyclists?

Exceeding a certain speed is detected by radar which then triggers two accurately timed photographs which determine the speed via the calibrated lines on the road.

Its the two pictures that are used to determine the speed accurately, not the radar.

Just anti-cyclist nonsense.

Another defense for Mr Loophole: 'I wasn't speeding your Honour, it was the cyclist who set off the camera.'

Cyclists are exempt from the speed limit? I had no idea!