Challenging a speed camera ticket due to no "change of speed" sign

Ahh, I thought so....

I have just received my FOI answer from Dorset police for how many speeding tickets have been issued from that camera. Obviously it was not worth having it there for the poxy few dozen tickets it issued every year, so they dropped the speed limit (even though Crashmap reveals no serious accidents for years before the limit was reduced.....)
It's enough to make one a bit cynical

Year - Speeding tickets from the camera at A348 Ringwood Rd West Howe (a primary route dual carriageway).
(the speed limit reduced in 2023, no data was given for that year, one can only speculate how high it was !) :

2020 - 39
2021 - 55
2022 - 32
2024 - 11,594
2025 - 3054 (pro rata = 6665)

Total = 14,774

4,875 were to vehicles not registered in an BH postcode (which I would venture to suggest would be a significantly higher percentage than that of the BH registered vehicles passing that site)

So, according to some of the esteemed contributors to this forum, that's nearly 15,000 drivers who "do not deserve to have a driving licence", from one camera.
 
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SheffMan said:
Ahh, I thought so....

I have just received my FOI answer from Dorset police for how many speeding tickets have been issued from that camera. Obviously it was not worth having it there for the poxy few dozen tickets it issued every year, so they dropped the speed limit (even though Crashmap reveals no serious accidents for years before the limit was reduced.....)
It's enough to make one a bit cynical

Year - Speeding tickets from the camera at A348 Ringwood Rd West Howe (a primary route dual carriageway).
(the speed limit reduced in 2023, no data was given for that year, one can only speculate how high it was !) :

2020 - 39
2021 - 55
2022 - 32
2024 - 11,594
2025 - 3054 (pro rata = 6665)

Total = 14,774

4,875 were to vehicles not registered in an BH postcode (which I would venture to suggest would be a significantly higher percentage than that of the BH registered vehicles passing that site)

So, according to some of the esteemed contributors to this forum, that's nearly 15,000 drivers who "do not deserve to have a driving licence", from one camera.
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Could someone just check my back of the envelope calculation as to how much money that camera has generated since that speed limit was dropped to 30mph in March 23. I have estimated how many speeding tickets were issued for 2023 from March to Dec, and it wouldn't be less than 2024's figure, so that would be 9,000 at least. So, that's over 23,000 tickets at £100 or more (for the fine or the speed awareness cost) I reckon that camera has generated way over 2 Million pounds. Plus it has caused much anguish to all those drivers (it certainly wound me up) but almost certainly not saved any lives, and probably not even prevented any serious injuries either.
I am so shocked by that figure of £2 million I must have made an error some where !
 
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SheffMan said:
Could someone just check my back of the envelope calculation as to how much money that camera has generated since that speed limit was dropped to 30mph in March 23. I have estimated how many speeding tickets were issued for 2023 from March to Dec, and it wouldn't be less than 2024's figure, so that would be 9,000 at least. So, that's over 23,000 tickets at £100 or more (for the fine or the speed awareness cost) I reckon that camera has generated way over 2 Million pounds. Plus it has caused much anguish to all those drivers (it certainly wound me up) but almost certainly not saved any lives, and probably not even prevented any serious injuries either.
I am so shocked by that figure of £2 million I must have made an error some where !
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That's a lot of people who can't read.
 
chanjy said:
Get over it bud honestly just move on with your life!
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I agree but also disagree.
Too many people just accept stuff that really needs something doing about it, that's how they get away with it.
That limit should never have bene dropped from 40 to 30, it has almost certainly not saved any lives or serious injuries at all*. What it has done is pee off thousands of motorists, plus, purely coincidentally (obviously), raise about £2.5 million in fines and/or "fees".

* The fatalities were about 8 years before and (according to Crashmap) they were further west plus on the other side of the DC. Most significantly I could not see a speed camera on that side when I looked on Google Streetview. Maybe there is one there, perhaps a local could confirm either way, and how long it has been there ?
 
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So, you put in a FOI request on a speed camera because you exceeded the speed limit and got caught.

Then you point out how much revenue the camera has generated, without seeming to consider that if people just kept to the speed limit it would generate nothing.

How much money, in resources, time, and staffing did Dorset Police have to put into providing your answers to the FOI request?

Complain to your MP, as it's the Councils that set the speed limits, not the Police. The Police might not even get any revenue from the cameras.

You broke the law, and are trying to blame someone else for your behaviour.
 
Gepetto said:
So, you put in a FOI request on a speed camera because you exceeded the speed limit and got caught.

Then you point out how much revenue the camera has generated, without seeming to consider that if people just kept to the speed limit it would generate nothing.

How much money, in resources, time, and staffing did Dorset Police have to put into providing your answers to the FOI request?

Complain to your MP, as it's the Councils that set the speed limits, not the Police. The Police might not even get any revenue from the cameras.

You broke the law, and are trying to blame someone else for your behaviour.
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I think the fact that the number of people getting tickets went up from about 40 a year to 10,000 tells its own story.
It is important to remember this is a stretch of primary route DC, the main route through (or indeed "around" as there is no decent bypass) Bournemouth, and, possibly most importantly, there was no history of serious accidents at that location.
I am very far from being alone. Since the limit was dropped about 25,000 drivers have had over £100 extracted from them for no good reason whatsoever. It brings speed cameras, and indeed "road safety partnerships", into disrepute.
 
You're very hung up about the accident rate and completely ignoring other factors which determine speed limits, such as noise and air quality.
 
Brun said:
You're very hung up about the accident rate and completely ignoring other factors which determine speed limits, such as noise and air quality.
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Air quality in our cities has never been better, certainly since the industrial revolution, that's just a fact.
Despite that some people will say "just because it's never been better doesn't mean we shouldn't be trying to improve it even more". Those sort of people, who aren't taking into account the costs of their added regulations/restrictions are responsible for the Sheffield clean air zone, and are very unpopular up here.
As with most things it comes down to proportionality.
 
SheffMan said:
I think the fact that the number of people getting tickets went up from about 40 a year to 10,000 tells its own story.
It is important to remember this is a stretch of primary route DC, the main route through (or indeed "around" as there is no decent bypass) Bournemouth, and, possibly most importantly, there was no history of serious accidents at that location.
I am very far from being alone. Since the limit was dropped about 25,000 drivers have had over £100 extracted from them for no good reason whatsoever. It brings speed cameras, and indeed "road safety partnerships", into disrepute.
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So @200sols thinks this post is "funny" ?
I have never spoken to anyone about the results of that FOI without expressions of shock and cynicism, one or two even congratulated me for exposing it.
Yet 200sols thinks it's "funny".
It takes all sorts I suppose.
 
Can't make that work for me. Prior to the 'safety' camera going in, no accidents even with a higher limit, therefore placement has to be for 'speeding' concerns (AKA revenue generation). Road limit was reduced and the revenue rolls in. Only an automaton could think that those 'not complying' are 'incompetent'. It is everyone right to challenge any law if they feel an injustice has been done.

This kind of back door autocracy is widespread, and the OP gets my vote for exposing yet another corrupt council. Any mechanism that is self incriminating, without recourse to a fair trial is in my mine the top of a very slippery slope.

In order to place the camera the greedy authorities would have had to draw up an amendment to the TRO governing that stretch, and they would have to cite why they wanted wanted it there, safety being the prime concern. They would also have to do the same for the reduction in the limit. These documents are available at the council offices that prepared them. Members of the public are entitled to view them. For larger councils you will have to make an appointment (not easy), and you will likely be given 10 minutes with them. Some more forward thinking councils have them available on line (but not Bournemouth).

Overturning a TRO amendment is possible, and if found to be illegally obtained, all fines generated from it have to be returned. This has happen previously. As you can imagine, the council concerned were reluctant to return the money and they made it so that individuals had to claim it back, serval years afte3r the event and provide documents showing the 'transgression'. Oddly enough they were not keen to let the public know all of this.
 
SheffMan said:
So @200sols thinks this post is "funny" ?
I have never spoken to anyone about the results of that FOI without expressions of shock and cynicism, one or two even congratulated me for exposing it.
Yet 200sols thinks it's "funny".
It takes all sorts I suppose.
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Your inability to move on, your inability to accept your fault and just your general attitude is funny tbh.
 
Oh and just for ****s and giggles, StreetView has been updated to April 2025 for the road in question and there are in fact also two repeater signs with speed camera warning logos immediately before the camera now. No doubt added specifically to help people like the OP who were struggling, so not only did he miss the big signs on Canford Way when he entered the 30 zone, it looks like he also missed the ones right before the camera that he's been arguing should have been in place to stop people getting caught out. Proper comedy.

jokBsLf.jpeg


I've added some markers to help spot them.

(And they're visible in the March 2025 views from the side street too, so almost certainly not added immediately after the OP caught...)
 
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