Speeding ticket at edge of zone

desperatesituation

Hi

Today I received a notice of intended prosecution for doing 35mph in a 30 zone. The photos attached to the notice show a speed of approx 35mph registered from 262.2m away, showing my car at the edge of the zone changing from 40mph to 30mph, with the zone entry sign clearly in shot. I've attached the first photo to this post.

I'm certain I was doing 30 as I entered the zone, not least because I saw the van and made sure I was doing 30! There are no photos from further into the zone.

Can anyone advise whether this is disputable? Especially if you take the general ACPO guidance of a 10% + 2mph tolerance, which gives me 35mph right on the zone entry?

Thanks

desperatesituation

Not sure where the photo went but here it is.

Newbie_John

What you think you were doing and what you can prove you were doing are two different things.
Here we have a proof of you driving 35 in area with 30 limit. It doesn't say you were slowing down or you were speeding up - it says you did 35 where 30 was allowed. Even if you did 34,33,32,31 it's all over the limit.

But looking at the picture - are you in the zone? Outside of it? I can't really see where the sign starts.

MattMattMattUK

desperatesituation said:

Hi

Today I received a notice of intended prosecution for doing 35mph in a 30 zone. The photos attached to the notice show a speed of approx 35mph registered from 262.2m away, showing my car at the edge of the zone changing from 40mph to 30mph, with the zone entry sign clearly in shot. I've attached the first photo to this post.

I'm certain I was doing 30 as I entered the zone, not least because I saw the van and made sure I was doing 30! There are no photos from further into the zone.

The van will have been sited a known distance from the edge of the zone, they will know exactly where the edge of the zone was and so will have their distances correct, though you can ask for that information. 

desperatesituation said:

Can anyone advise whether this is disputable? 

You can dispute it, but you will almost certainly get nowhere.

desperatesituation said:

Especially if you take the general ACPO guidance of a 10% + 2mph tolerance, which gives me 35mph right on the zone entry?

Irrelevant, the law says that they can prosecute for 0.1mph over the limit, though they never would because calibration would have to be so precise that it is not worth it. You are supposed to slow before you pass the zone entry so that is not an excuse. If they clocked you at 35mph your speedo would have been showing 37-38mph. 

Personally I would just take the speed awareness course and chalk it up to experience. 

Ref44

The 10% + 2 is the point at which enforcement action generally starts, not the leeway!

Hoenir

desperatesituation said:

I'm certain I was doing 30 as I entered the zone, not least because I saw the van and made sure I was doing 30! 

The camera operators are constantly trained on the road. They've got you nailed before you are aware of them. 

desperatesituation

I forgot to mention, the zone entry plate is skewed away from the driver to the extent it's almost unreadable until you're right on it. I was slowing still 2m into the zone where the picture was taken. I take on board and agree with all the comments above and have 'fessed up to them' but I've still emailed a request for mitigating circumstances, even though it's very unlikely to have any effect. I have a condition which means I have very poor visual memory and rely on the zone entry plates to remind me where the zones start and stop so it's particularly annoying as I know I was slowing down to 30 as soon as I saw the sign.

desperatesituation

Ref44 said:

The 10% + 2 is the point at which enforcement action generally starts, not the leeway!

I do know this, thanks.

Nasqueron

Hoenir said:

desperatesituation said:

I'm certain I was doing 30 as I entered the zone, not least because I saw the van and made sure I was doing 30! 

The camera operators are constantly trained on the road. They've got you nailed before you are aware of them. 

Technically with waze/google maps I am aware of them first

Though as I'm normally at 60 in the inside lane where the cameras are out and about it doesn't bother me except for the loonies braking once they clock the van - if anything the alert helps you be mindful of possible need to slow because someone thinks they can avoid getting nailed!

desperatesituation

Nasqueron said:

Hoenir said:

desperatesituation said:

I'm certain I was doing 30 as I entered the zone, not least because I saw the van and made sure I was doing 30! 

The camera operators are constantly trained on the road. They've got you nailed before you are aware of them. 

Technically with waze/google maps I am aware of them first

Though as I'm normally at 60 in the inside lane where the cameras are out and about it doesn't bother me except for the loonies braking once they clock the van - if anything the alert helps you be mindful of possible need to slow because someone thinks they can avoid getting nailed!

I use Waze; there was no alert whatsoever, so I guess I was unlucky!

Grumpy_chap

desperatesituation said:

Hi

Today I received a notice of intended prosecution for doing 35mph in a 30 zone. The photos attached to the notice show a speed of approx 35mph registered from 262.2m away, showing my car at the edge of the zone changing from 40mph to 30mph, with the zone entry sign clearly in shot. I've attached the first photo to this post.

I'm certain I was doing 30 as I entered the zone, not least because I saw the van and made sure I was doing 30! There are no photos from further into the zone.

Can anyone advise whether this is disputable? Especially if you take the general ACPO guidance of a 10% + 2mph tolerance, which gives me 35mph right on the zone entry?

Thanks

There was another recent thread (which I can't locate now) where an individual had accelerated up towards national speed limit but was ahead of the sign so got caught at, IIRC, 65 in a 40.  The general comments were that this was wholly their fault and to take the minimal punishment route.

Essentially, if the speed limit is increasing, you should not start to increase your speed until past the sign.  If the speed limit is decreasing, you should slow down to be within the limit by the time you reach the sign.