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Joined: Jun 04, 2005 Posts: 19991 Location: West and Southwest London
Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 6:04 pm Post subject: Spanish sneakiness?
On my sound engineers' bulletin-board there is currently a discussion about speed cameras in Spain. One of the replies said:
Quote:
My son, who lives in Spain, tells me they also measure the time you take to travel between toll booths in Spain and work out your average speed. Dodgy!
Anyone heard of this?
Do we need to mark all the toll-booths as "pseudo-SPECS"??
Hi Andy_P. I have heard this one as well (for France also).
The speed limit on Spanish motorways is 120km/h. If you drive at 120km/h, it seems that everybody and his dog overtakes you, some at almost 50% faster, so personally, I do not believe that the Spanish are checking your average speed between toll-booths (yet! - unless everybody stops for yet another siesta further on down the road to let their average speed fall). I shall check with some of my neighbours to see what they believe and report back with a more informed reply.
Spanish Speed limits are tricky to comprehend. I was caught speeding on a dual carriageway for doing 105km/h. The maximum legal limit is 110km/h.
When i protested my innocence to the traffic cop who was demanding money on the spot with menaces (at least i didn't get any points by paying him direct), he stated that "although the speed limit is 110km/h, the hard shoulder at the point your speed was recorded at is less than 1.5m wide, so the maximum speed limit automatically drops to 100km/h and there is no requirement to provide a sign to advise of this reduction." They were stopping lots of locals and fining them as well so i just opened my wallet, contributed to their Xmas Fund and accepted this as yet another Spanish quirk.
Regards, AliOnHols. _________________ Garmin Nuvi 2599
Android with CamerAlert, OsmAnd+, Waze & TT Europe.
TomTom GO 730, GO 930, GO 940 & Rider2.
SatMap Active 10 & 20.
The spanish police Xmas fund works both ways. They normally charge 50% of the fine if you opt for the direct payment method which also means you don't get any points on your licence. I am not saying this is true for all police officers, I'm sure most are above board and will process the fine properly, but it is accepted that some aren't and don't. It also means that if there are any other defects with your car, insurance, MOT, etc. you'll generally get away with these as well because they don't want any kind of a paper trace.
I have thought a little deeper about the Toll-Booth speed check thing. You may be aware that there is a huge independence issue between Catalunya and the Central Government in Madrid. The majority of motorway toll booths in Spain are in Catalunya and the Catalans, who see it as a racial tax against them, resent this greatly. So if the toll booths were "converted" into average speed cameras as well, I think the Catalans would stage a huge protest that would bring the motor way system to a grinding halt. It would have been something I would be aware of.
I'll still ask the questions though and reply back. AliOnHols _________________ Garmin Nuvi 2599
Android with CamerAlert, OsmAnd+, Waze & TT Europe.
TomTom GO 730, GO 930, GO 940 & Rider2.
SatMap Active 10 & 20.
Joined: 11/07/2002 14:36:40 Posts: 23848 Location: Hampshire, UK
Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 7:29 pm Post subject:
The Gendarmes have been known to stop tourists at exit tolls and in the course of other checks they check your toll ticket. If the time between entry and exit shows speeding you'll get fined for it. _________________ Darren Griffin
Joined: Jun 04, 2005 Posts: 19991 Location: West and Southwest London
Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 9:17 pm Post subject:
Another soundman's reply...
Quote:
The French have always been able to check your speed between peages (toll booths), I've often seen the Gendarmerie waiting on the other side of the booth on many occasion! They tend to check more often when the it is raining as the speed limit goes down from 130KPH to 110KPH, catches lots of French commercial travellers, who like their UK counterpart, press pedal to metal in their Passat or Citroen C5!
The answer is to stop at the penultimate Air de Repos for a comfort break, drops your average down by quite a few KPH!
Non Peage (Free) Autoroutes are interesting as you have to watch out for the Gendarmerie on motorbikes. I have 'never' seen a Gendarmerie in car on speed patrol, there has to be a first time though! Batten-burg Jam Jars just don't exist!
Incidentally fixed speed cameras are indicated by big signs, BUT watch out for the local Gendarmerie hanging out at the entrance to a town/village as it is 50KPH (30MPH) through built up areas. They are VERY hot on this, and beware they don't wear flouresent jackets a la UK fuzz, and stay well hidden! So if you are bombing down some lovely French N road behind a French car, he WILL slow to a crawl through the village, and then hare off like a scalded cat after passing the end of village sign, a line through the name.
If you are caught speeding in a UK registered car, have 90 Euros handy, but you should get away without points!
Joined: Aug 22, 2007 Posts: 211 Location: Peterborough
Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 9:33 pm Post subject:
There is a recent ABD press release HERE about Spain's speed enforcement and it reads better than the UK attitude
Quote:- "What they have not done is to flood the country with speed cameras, nor does there seem to be a great emphasis on speed enforcement. Here in the UK road safety policy has concentrated almost solely on cameras and enforcement and people are still dying."
OK, I have just got back from our corner shop. At the counter I asked if the motorway (AutoPista) toll-booths are also used to check average speeds. All five people in the shop at the time said "NO". However, they did say that the police are carrying out random Radar checks on the motorways at the moment, that average speed cams are being used through roadworks and that LOTS of new speed cameras have been erected in Barcelona.
Looks like Spain realizes that the EU cash-cow is coming to an end and looking for alternative sources of revenue.
I shall continue to ask around and if somebody tells me differently, I'll report back.
Regards, AliOnHols.[/u] _________________ Garmin Nuvi 2599
Android with CamerAlert, OsmAnd+, Waze & TT Europe.
TomTom GO 730, GO 930, GO 940 & Rider2.
SatMap Active 10 & 20.
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