New crackdown on the speeders
Thursday 2nd February 2012, 3:00PM GMT.
The LASTEC camera can record the speed of and photograph any car that goes past
A MAJOR multi-agency effort to crack down on motorists who drive at excessive and dangerous speeds is under way.
Discussions are taking place between the States police and their honorary colleagues to look into the possibility of bringing back the LASTEC speed monitoring system.
This camera photographs the number plates of speeding vehicles in such large numbers that when it was previously used it generated so much paperwork for the police that it was withdrawn.
It also caused controversy because it records every motorist driving too fast – even those travelling at just a few miles over the speed limit.
However, Home Affairs Minister Ian Le Marquand and the Constable of St Helier, Simon Crowcroft, have said that if the LASTEC system is brought back it should be targeted only at those driving at excessive speeds and the worst offenders who drive in a dangerous way.
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raise the speed limit to 60mph on out off town roads
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No thanks, 40 is fine as it always has been!
Limits need to be enforced, with big fines and loss of licence for high speeds.
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Well it depends.
70mph along Victoria Avenue at 1am (on stretches in-between the junctions) is arguably safer than 40mph outside a school when the kids are coming out. In fact in the latter instance a competent driver with good road skills and awareness will probably potentiate their speed further to 20mph.
There is a difference between excess speed (exceeding the speed limit) and inappropriate speed (travelling too fast for the conditions and circumstances).
Given the foregoing, you can see situations where people will not be exceeding the speed limit, but still be driving at a dangerous speed for the conditions and circumstances.
The evidence is there: see the research by the IAM and the collated data in the UK by the DfT – speed “causes” about 7% of accidents, whereas inattention and poor driving skill cause 80%+.
It’s difficult for those in power though: improving driving skill and attention is very difficult. Painting more white lines on the road and putting up 30mph signs is very easy.
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i think your barmey mate! Driving at 70mph on our roads would be lethal. Most motorists do stick to the speed limit. But the few who don’t would see the 70mph and drive at 100mph. This is fact, the limit is currently 40mph and they drive at 60mph or more!
40 is perfect. I hate the new 30′s they’ve put in place but the smiley faces that remind you you’re speeding seem to do the job well.
Oh and for the record, all school zones are now a 20 during school dropping off and picking up times.
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Very good comment Dave. I fully agree. Too bad that most seems not to understand it.
The only person capable of properly evaluating safe speed is the DRIVER actually. NOT someone sitting in their office and making arbitrary decisions.
Saying so I am not saying that all drivers are perfectly capable of properly judging what is save speed. If they were there were no accidents.
Speed NEVER kills. It is always bad driving.
What harm can one cause driving 80mph on 5 miles road late evening when there is NO traffic ? Don’t jump on me – just honestly answer this question.
We do need speed limits, but white paint does not prevent accidents to happen. The last two accidents on Bagot/Longueville road – were the drivers drive within speed limit ? Would it changed anything if the speed limit there were 20mph ?
More low speed limits only means more decent drivers fined for excessive speed, and not more bad drivers fined for inappropriate speed. More low speed limits has nothing in common whit improving road safety.
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60mph on out of town roads? you mean the avenue… lets face it you’d have to be a bit bonkers to do 60mph pretty much anywhere else.
Stick with the speed limits like they are, the island is not exactly that large to require a higher speed limit.
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60mph on out of town roads?
Whats the point is racing from choke point to choke point. Race down the avenue and stop at the Bel Royal traffic jam.. More haste less speed.
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Are you mad Roger, The island needs to slow down not speed up, The crashes lately are proof of that. too many people are hurt or killed due to maniacs on the roads.
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Providing the limit is set at a sensible level then I have no objection, say 10% above the active limit but lets not make it a cash machine.
Of course it won’t target bad drivers who jump red lights, tailgate, don’t indicate, drive significantly slower than the speed limit and drive bloody great 4X4′s down narrow country lanes with no knowledge of where reverse gear is much less know how to engage it and back up.
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The policy, I believe, is to only prosecute those who speed at the limit plus 20% plus 1mph (e.g 25 in a 20, 37 in a 30 and so on)
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Great news… lets await all the moaners saying we dont have a problem, when we clearly do. I hope you catch all the idiots who speed and put our lives (and their own) at risk. Nice to hear that it will only target those who are driving at excessive speeds, not a few miles over.
I’d like to know what is done with the information…. are we sending out fines? or parish hall enquiries?
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Until you get caught and fined for 41 in a 40 eh runner?
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Did you read the post Speeder!!!!! Runner put “nice to hear that it will ONLY target those who are driving at excessive speeds, not a few miles over”. May be you should learn to read and if you are one of those who break the speed limit, perhaps engage your brakes and drive sensibly.
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errr.. read my post again, and read the article again, it wont target the few miles per hour over, it wil target the exssessive speeders.
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Errrrrr read my post at the bottom of this article, they WILL target a few miles per hour, they did last time.
Close friend of mine (rather than the usual Jersey rumours) got done a few miles per hour over.
The law is the law.
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im severly disabled and in a wheelchair and when im in jersey on holiday i find the motorists very polite they stop and let me cross the roads even if the traffic lights are against them please tar them all with the same brush
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I’ve a feeling you may have meant please don’t tar them with the same brush Mr Bowland.
I empathise with your plight and you are correct in saying Jersey drivers are very polite. Unfortunately that politeness can be incredibly dangerous when it doesn’t correspond with the rules of the road to which everyone is obliged to adhere, for the safety of all.
Stopping at a green light has potential to cause a pileup which could result in injury or death to both drivers and people like you. Likewise, the Jersey habit of stopping on a main road to allow someone to pull out despite a line of traffic being right behind you. Incredibly polite, and nice in a quaint way, but it is not good road sense and in the wrong cirucmstances can have horrible consequences.
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Ah yes, the blissfully unaware too polite drivers with no idea what’s behind them, who get a buzz out of being kind to the one car they let out at the expense of the queue backed up behind! Bless.
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It takes a few seconds to allow the filtering in of traffic. All drivers should be road aware and able to stop if someone in front of them stops! I’ve never had a problem with people being kind/curtious. A few seconds actually helps to keep the flow of traffic moving in all directions not just yours!
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They should try to get the racers in the North or East at night , not just the commuters on the esplanade around 5pm .
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Surely stopping people speeding when the roads are at their busiest is more important then stopping one or two cars at three in the morning when the roads are empty?
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St Clements Inner Road is used by boy racers all day and night and should be stopped
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Your comment makes no sense. You’re basically saying its OK to break the law because its 3am. Its wrong at any time of the day!
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And how do you speed when you have 50 cars in front of you ?
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Sit on the rear bumper of the car in front and refuse to get off. Do it and speed and this becomes even more dangerous.
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But those out of hours speeders are killing themselves and others!
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NAZI JERSEY !
Really it is, big brother watching you. All we hear about is speeders. With all the real issues we face its a wonder anything gets done.
Pathetic 30mph zones popping up everywhere is just a total folly.
Sure nail the crazy dangerous speeders, but rest assured they will target us all.
Jersey doesn’t seem so free anymore really. The control of the people is what they want and life becomes drudgery.
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Grow up and stop whining about something that is obviously needed to curb the huge amounts of idiots on our roads. You have nothing to fear if you are not breaking the law. I am fairly sure they will not nail people 2 or 3 mph over the limit as there has to be leeway to allow for accuracy of car speedos and I seem to remember it being 10% over the limit. Unfortunately we cannot live in a free society as human nature is such that not all people can be trusted to behave sensibly, hence laws.
If you want to see what having a relaxed attitude towards motoring offences does go and drive on the roads of Sri Lanka, Brazil or Vietnam for a few days and see how long you will keep spouting this rubbish for there.
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Been there done that Daft Fader, what a pathetic attempt at comparison.
Those countries are nothing like Jersey. I bet I was there more recently then you if you have actually ever been.
I agree with DV, there are far more important things to spend money on than so called speeding.
Yes there is and always will a problem with speeders. It is a world wide problem that has not been fixed by anyone, including the UK and France who out mobile or fixed cash machine, sorry speed cameras in.
The idiots who go around at 60mph will continue to get away with it as they will know where these checks are if the are not fixed. If they are fixed then a total waste of time.
When you get done doing 32 along the coast road (why the hell is this 30 I will never know) then you will bleat on here with a different name.
10%? Im afraid a close friend of mine got fined for 42 in a 40 under the LASTEC system when it was used here.
You probably shouldn’t try to belittle people in here with different opinions to yours until you get your facts right??
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Re-read your comment, it is fairly contradictory in it’s own right. My facts on driving in other countries are right because I have been to these countries working recently and travelled extensively in them by car. I am not comparing countries if you cared to read the post, I was giving an insight into what happens when traffic law is neglected. If you had spent time in any of these countries especially the cities such as Colombo, Vung Tau or Macae where I have driven you will learn the hard way what the lack of police presence on the roads gives you. If your friend was caught at 42 in a 40 he should have challenged it as it is impossible to have all car speedos reading the same exact speeds and that is why there is always a certain amount of leeway ie the 10% mentioned to take this into account. I have been done for speeding in Jersey and they got me bang to rights because I was not watching my speed. However instead of coming onto a site like this and moaning I thought about it and now watch my speed as much as possible. People need to take responsibility for their actions instead of complaining when they break the law and get caught.
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Its so awful but you’re still here right ? If you don’t like it off you go, otherwise have a little respect for Jersey. People speed they deserve to get fined – end of.
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Here here, agree 100%
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Hey-ho another money spinner for the States, still I suppose it beats standing out in the cold doing the job properly !!!
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Just one request – Please place one of these outside EVERY parish primary school, so those children who walk (or get walked) to school don’t have to dice with death as they walk along or cross the main roads. In my humble opnion all school roads should be 20 mph and strictly monitored, all offenders 5 mph limit – fined. Simple.
Nowhere is that far in Jersey that you have to speed at all to get anywhere.
I don’t care about who gets what revenue, I care about peoples lives.
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I absolutely agree with you there Kids’ Rock (nice name!) I’m so fed up with drivers who feel they can drive like a loon past schools of all places! I’m looking forward to walking my little one to school come Sept and I’d like to know we’re both going to be safe.
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Nowhere is that far in Jersey to justify having all the school traffic, they should all be walking or getting school bus. When I was a child ………
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All primary schools are 20 zones already. But we can’t change all the roads so that its a 20 from your doorstep all the way to the primary school!
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You dont need 20mph everywhere, you need to educated children on how to walk to school safely (not running accross roads without looking). You also need to educate parents that you dont need a bullet proof hummer to drop your 1 precious child at school. Most of the time not knowing how to actually drive the thing. Just drive down Wellington Hill in rush hour and you’ll see what I mean.
I cant remember ever getting driven to school. I walked to primary school everyday, and got the bus to secondary school (as it was a few miles away).
This is probably why we have so many youths in fatal crashes these days, they have not been taught from a young age to respect the road and the dangers of drving! I know i was, and my parents made sure of it. I have been driving for years, and have never been involved in any accidents or crashes. I drive within the speed limits, not because its the law but because its safe and as someone earlier pointed out, theres no where in jersey that far away.
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It’s high time that Home Affairs looked at a fixed penalty system for speeding offences. This could be offered as an alterantive to prosecution and if the fixed penalty is paid within a specified time, the offender would discharge their liability to prosecution.
Those who only go over the speed limit by a few m.p.h. should be sent on a ‘speed awareness’ course, to re educate them on the dangers of excessive speed. The offender would have to pay for the course as an alternative to prosecution.
Speed is often a contributory factor for road traffic collisions, but then so is poor driving.
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I would put poor driving ahead of speed BK. Didn’t you drive at high speed in your day …….safely of course …! can’t have one rule for one and not the other.
Speed, of itself, does not kill.
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M2GS – In my day it was M2JY and yes I did do a spell on Traffic, but I have to confess that I wasn’t a particularly good driver and ended up in C.I.D.
I have been caught speeding and fined and I know it’s a real pain in the buttocks, but I can’t complain as I was speeding and the law is the law.
Everyone tends to think its more important to sort out crime, murder, serious assaults etc. However usually far more people get killed on the road in one year, than through crime (with exception of the unfortunate incident in Midvale Road in 2011). Similarly more people are usually seriously injured through road traffic collisions than through assaults.
The police need to take an holistic approach and deal with everything with equal enthusiasm. One of the first things we were taught was the definition of a police officer, that was someone whose primary aims were (in order of priority) the protection of life and property, the preservation of good order and the prosecution of offenders against the Queen’s Peace.
Improving the behaviour of road users (motorists, cyclists and pedestrians), will help reduce the number of fatalities and injuries on Jersey’s roads. That includes not only speed reduction, but also improving the standard of driving too.
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If only it monitored people with fog lights on when the visibility is clear. There’s far too many of them in this island.
In fact for the overall size of the island the amount of people who clearly can’t drive safely and can’t understand the lights on their dashboard is a joke. No wonder you’re seeing bigger and bigger crashes especially over the last few days.
One does wonder when a massive multi car pile-up will occur on say the avenue at a busy time. Unfortunately it seems only a matter of time…
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I got stopped once for having my fog lights on, when it wasnt foggy! was told it was an offence! i wasnt just plain stupid though, i had come from st ouen where it was very foggy! just hadnt turned them off when i got to town. BUT i agree, so many people drive with fog lights on when its clear! some have even said it makes the car look more sporty with the little lights on!
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If Mr Crowcroft intends that the device should only be targeted at those driving at exssive speed, how are you going to know what the speed the vehicle is doing in the first place. Then, having decided the speed is excessive, would you have time to set the device up? Last one out turn off the lights.
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These will be semi-fixed installations, and will measure the speed of all vehicles.
What SC and ILM are suggesting is that people should only be reported if they are exceeding the limit by a significant amount.
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Oh, Gatzo’s then? Invented by a Finn to help plan the cornering of rally cars. Well, best of luck Mon V. Be prepared to recive snotty letters ascusing you of doing 98 mph in 1957 Land Rover, and having to waste two days in court pointing out on the pretty pictures the sports car hurtling past you at the time. That, and then a few months down the line finding that having been fitted at exorbitant cost, they have been switched of as the States can’t aford to operate them, I could go on.
The most efective round way are two blokes with a handheld Radar gun. Big Visible SLOW DOWN or pay!
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so they will photograph at 50 mph?.
doubtfull it will stop accidents.
i just plod about these days , so if you are stuck behind me , sorry .
i need to keep my licence to put food on the table
and could not agree with darth vader(6)
” jerseys not so free any more ”
to right the fun has gone , just keep on paying the treasurer of the states , one way or another.
when its said bringing lastec back.
back from where ? is it on loan, rented or to be purchased with more taxpayers cash?
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It’s not really like me to side with the police or any other law enforcement agency, but in this instance i’m totally with them. break the speed limit – pay the price. simple. just because people think it’s safe to speed doesn’t mean it is.
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Here here!
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DarthVader thinks that it is wrong to target speeders and that 30mph limits are folly. Well, the other day I saw a child trying to cross the road from the entrance to Belle Vue housing estate (a 30mph zone) whilst three 4x4s shot past at about 55 to 60 miles per hour. Well, I think they should be imprisoned not fined.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. As someone who does a lot of driving, everyday, I find that hardly anyone is bothered about the speeding laws anymore. It’s funny how almost everyone is a “decent law-abiding citizen” when it comes to the desire to make scathing, self-righteous comments about breakers of other laws (especially on this website); when it comes to speeding, however, it’s okay for 90% of Jersey drivers to routinely break the law. Well, for all you law-abiding citizens out there: the law is the law, is it not? It’s quite simple really, if you routinely break the speed limit, then you are NOT a law-abiding citizen.
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The ability of the human animal to judge the quantity of absolute velocity is poor I’m afraid, and perception of speed is greatly modified by other factors.
A loud vehicle will seem to be going faster.
Large vehicles that we do not like will seem to be going faster.
Our judgement of the speed of vehicles is about as accurate as the smiley signs.
But in principle I agree, the places we should be managing speed is where excess speed is most dangerous, such as outside schools, there is less of a case for managing speed on less hazardous stretches of road.
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Have you been on a specialist course to predict the speed of passing vehicles? I suspect that the vast majority of cars who are supposedly tearing around at 60mph were in reality doing 40mph, perhaps in a low gear.
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No, I haven’t been on a specialist course. I was driving behind them at precisely 30mph (according to my speedo) and they all disappeared into the distance like bats out of hell. I said about 55 – 60mph which was a rough estimate; but there’s no way they were doing 40. Anyway, there were kids actually trying to cross the road; in fact one child was stood on the island, in the middle, hoping that one of these “law-abiding citizens”, in their expensive cars, would slow down enough to let them cross. If they had been doing 30mph there would have been plenty of time for the kids to cross the road. As far as I’m concerned, this behaviour is no more acceptable than beating someone up outside of a pub, or cheating the benefits system (i.e. they are ALL crimes). The irony is that those ‘pillars of the community’ in their 4x4s and BMWs would be the first to condemn people guilty of other types of crimes: hypocrites as well as criminals!
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Lets hope its vandal proof…..
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Lets address the wider issues of road safety, Advanced Driver states some here’s one of mine.
The road at the junction of St. Clements coast road and the Rice Bowl restaurant, not sure if still Plat Douet. It’s closed one way due to roadworks, only buses may travel towards the coast road. I truned in from the coast road and nearly hit a bus, bad as that was I was worried while I waited for it to pass that someone would take the corner and hit me from behind. Thankfully they didn’t but I was amazed to see 4 cars directly behind the bus oncoming.
The road is closed to traffic from that direction and they were clearly being lazy trying to save 2 minutes. The 4th car containing an elderly lady was most surprised when I drove towards her, I think she found reverse for the first time in her life – POLICE THIS ROAD.
Every time I take the required detour turning right there is some lazy idiot driving straight on.
Should have drove into the bus, I’d like to see who was responsible if I had.
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Get a life
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Speeding isn’t the problem. Bad driving is.
If you are a good driver you will drive safely because you will adjust your speed to suit the prevailing conditions and environment. The emergency services do it all the time safely at speeds well in excess of 40mph.
If you are a crap driver you are more likely to crash and a crap driver at speed is worse.
My point is that a blanket targeting of speeders is not fair. It is perfectly safe to drive at 60 mph on the Five Mile Road, for instance, if there are no other cars about and the driver is competent. Doing that speed on on that road on a busy summer’s day on the other hand could be risky, but a good driver simply wouldn’t do it under those circumstances.
Unfortunately the police will probably report every driver for breaking the speed limit regardless of the circumstances. I disagree with that.
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if it comes in my 4 x4 will be doing 20mph on main roads and 10mph in green lanes with soothing music on volume 10………
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Advanced Driver the 10% excess rule has been applied by the police to speeding cases for as long as I can remember.
Agree about 4×4′s some of the driving can best be described as pathetic. I would have a different category for 4×4′s so that it would weed out the incompetent. I know quite a few wouldn’t pass muster and this would cut out the bad drivers, they could then use smaller easier to manage cars.
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Good idea
I drive a 4×4 and get fed up of the idiots that can’t drive them, make people take an extra test including:
1. how wide is your vehicle
2. how to reverse
3. how to fit it into a parking space
4. how to drive on the left of the white line
The test could be called ‘this is not a shopping trolley’
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And what about that that berk driving round in the Hummer….
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if I am been targeted because of a minor few idiots driving too fast then everybody can suffer
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Nice bit of extra income for the Parish`s
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No doubt it will be place in all the obvious places and will not address speeding in the rural areas and rat runs. We have to listen to vehicles travelling at excessive speeds constantly in our area, just waiting for the ‘bang’.
Introducing penalty points on licences leading to a ban for persistent offenders in addition to fines would make people think twice. Time a harder line was taken.
The French have it right by introducing traffic calming measures in their towns with planters and raised speed humps. I have noticed now the French all seem to abide by the speed limits and have learned from a hard line approach to speeders.
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the problem with this system is that it catches the generally careful motorist that is doing a safe 37mph in a 30mph zone, when they SHOULD BE TARGETING THE BOY RACERS!!!! who are causing 90% of the serious RTC’s……..will anything change, nope!
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It’s not just “boy racers” who drive dangerously; I’ve seen “mild-mannered, middle-aged accountants”, in their BMWs, and “sensible, thirty-something housewives”, in their 4x4s and People-Carriers, belting past La Moye School at speeds well in excess of 40mph at the height of child pick-up time. Everyone loves to blame the boy-racers. I seriously think that people don’t even realise they’re doing it half the time…
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So firstly you are saying its ok for someone to break the law if it is safe, most 30 zones are 30 for a reason due to exits from houses or estates.
Its funny how people always go back to blaming “boy racers”. Firstly i’d like to see where you get this figure of 90% from, and secondly im pretty sure if you look at a daily record of RTC’s on our roads you will see a lot more involving your average lazy Joe Jersey driver….
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am an ex jersey gal and only return once a year, the amount of cars now on the roads is simply overwhelming, isnt it time to streamline that create a public transport system that actually works (how dificult can that really be?) we stayed by the esplanade for a week and we had a birds eye view of the local kids happily using that part of st.helier for rally practice both cars and bikes.. if the police cant even police that there really isnt much hope for the rest of the island.. here in sweden you get caught you get fined heavily on the spot.. and afterthat you lose your license.. its pretty simple isnt it ?
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Sober, experienced driver on the avenue. Doing 65. No other cars or pedestrians obvious for a mile each way.
17 year old drunk doing 45 in a busy Halkett Place on a Saturday afternoon?
One is absolutely and completely safe. The other is definately dangerous.
Should a completely safe and sober driver attract a punishment which is actually meant for a person at the opposite end of the spectrum? Should he get punished at all?
Under our system both would be hammered by the police and court.
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Speeding is easy to target. Pulling out of junctions without looking, jumping red lights, using a phone behind the wheel, lack of indicator use etc etc etc are not as easily policed. This isn’t going to change I’m afraid.
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Quite right, but add sober experienced driver doing 65 to the mix and there is your serious problem. Sober experienced drivers doing 65 might think that they are ok, but they are not the only people on the road, cars or otherwise (despite what they may believe). There are too many junctions, traffic lights, hidden entrances, bicycles, (yes and not as good as you drivers) and people crossing roads all the time in Jersey for people to be driving at 65 mph. What’s the rush anyway? Are you really going to get anywhere much quicker in an island 9×5 with the roads that we have? It only takes one accident to ruin lives.
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the same as stopping on a roundabout to let people out,very polite but please dont do it. roundabouts are designed to keep traffic moving !
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I guess thats why most roundabouts in Jersey have zebra crossings at the entrances and exits which completely stop the flow of traffic (often dangerously as it is customary to mainly look right at a roundabout, not repeatedly have to keep checking left to see if some lemmings have decided to start having a conversation in the middle of your exit lane).
Whenever I drive in the UK I notice that it seems to be policy to keep pedestrian routes well clear of junctions large enough to require a roundabout. Or at least move them several car lengths from the roundabout to prevent this kind of chaos.
Nevermind, next time a pedestrian is injured near a roundabout they’ll probably come up with something new and original, like dropping the speed limit, that’ll fix it.
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And while they’re at it,have a go at the so called drivers who seem to have forgotten where the indicators are..,it seeems that this is a Jersey thing and i would like to know how many accidents this causes, probably more than people driving three mph more than the limit!
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If we were to look at the evidence, I would bet that most accidents in Jersey are caused by people not paying attention rather than driving in excess of the speed limit. If there is a camera watching you, you’re more likely to concentrate on the camera and your speedo rather than other traffic – just watch how people drive when a police car is next to them.
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I think they should use old people who hang around outside their houses.
They have very accurate built in speed detectors, well they think they have when they flag me down for alleged speeding when I drive past.
Only the other day along St Clements coast road, I was plodding along in my car at around 30mph and I got the big SLOW DOWN hand gesture from an OAP.
He clear knows exactly how fast I was going.
Perhaps these people should do some charity work or something meaningful with their spare time.
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HAD ENOUGHT HENRY I use that road every day travelling toward Georgetown, the other morning I was confronted by a bus stationary, adjacent, to the roadworks, the driver was standing up adjusting something above his head, after about 30seconds he moved off, why he had to make that adjustment at that spot I do not know, he was followed by 1 other vehicle. Certain drivers have a mentality that makes them think that they are excempt from any road sign, either temporary or permanent, this ignoring of road closed signs happens constantly, I am reminded of a court case that was brought about because the driver of a car chose to ignore the road closed sign in School Road Le Squez where construction of new buildings was taking place, fortunately an honary police officer was on duty to stop this vehicle, there had been a high number of drivers ignoring the signs at both ends of the road. I could give more examples of drivers ignoring road signs but I will stop now, and don@t get me started on red light jumpers.
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The driver was acquitted!
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Remember a couple of years ago the roadworks at the junction of David place/Stopford Rd.There was a “NO RIGHT TURN” sign for traffic coming from Val plaisant wanting to turn down Victoria st,they were supposed to turn down St Marks rd and come back round.It got so bad with people ignoring it blocking all the other traffic they put police on Victoria St to Pull the offenders over and book them.We are not just talking ignorant uneducated low lifes either there were a lot of Professional people, Beetroot red in he face at this blight on their important day!!
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The latest accident at Longueville road was in a 30mph zone – limits don’t change much do they?
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some of my suggestion from my own experience. note I’m 25 and love driving.
1. If under 25′s are learning how to drive, in order to be allowed to take an exam, make it a condition to have a certain amount of hours driven on the road. (and I don’t mean 10-15 hours..). the two crashes in the last week – driven by 17 year olds..
2. Part of exam – how do the lights work, when to use headlights etc. Seriously – some people don’t even know, how to switch between normal lights and healights! If they don’t know this, fail them – I was close to hitting a side wall quite a few times already thanks to some ‘blinding’ idiots…
3. If caught, fine the driver who can’t be arsed to use indicators. If it’s broken, give him a timed fine – either fix it within X days, or pay the full fine.
4. Keep an eye on the vans and trucks. so often they drive like crazy. example – driving up st saviour hill, on the bend, a van half way in my lane… Same on the Grouville hill from town towards G.Arsenal. If there was no side walk, I would have ended up under the truck, where he had plenty of space on his side!
5. Make wide and uninhabited roads 50mph, so who needs to go crazy, can go there and not in narrow roads with no sidewalks and people walking.
6. Speed limit shifts on rest of the main roads – 8am-6pm 30mph, 7pm-8am 35/40mph.
7. (this point has nothing to do with this issue, but anyway) organize school buses better, so that parents who have to drop off their kids don’t cause such a traffic jam. When I take a bus in the morning during school holiday, it takes 15-20 minutes. When the school is on, it takes at least 35-40 minutes (going from maufant to town)
8. Ban the 4×4′s. they are way too big for Jersey roads (for a few exceptions like Victoria Avenue or 5 mile road..)
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and one more thing. In order to renew the license after 10 years, retake the driving test.
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Some people need 4×4′s! I do for towing boats, jet skis, lugging tools, etc. I can reverse the thing 100m up the road though, and through a gap 4 inches wider than the vehicle itself, so I guess I’m allowed.
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Yet to see the police doing speed checks along the Inner road in St Clement!!they always seem to do it by FB fields but the police need to stand at the beginning of le Hocq lane the Inner road side from 8am till 9am in the morning & 9pm till 12pm at night
get them coming down that hill I know the speed limit has just changed from 40mph to 30mph going down the hill towards Le Rocquier but already I have been over taken on 3 occasions coming down that hill when going the speed limit 30mph!!!
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Jersey has no need for speed limits in excess of 40mph. As a small Island why do people continue to want to make it like the mainland? By reducing the speed limits to 30mph or lower where needed the chance of a pedestrian surviving being hit are considerable greater than at speeds above this. In my experience the problems are not caused by those obeying the speed limits but those who don’t. As for courtesy and driving regulations the two should be synonymous.However,there are examples where courtesy and common sense have failed and potentially can or could be dangerous. Is Jersey unique in this regard? No!
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Look it doesn’t matter how much you lower the limit people are still going to crash. Human error and jersey need to realise that.. 17yrs crash in england as well not only jersey.. its not a new thing..
Get real. people speed every day and there aren’t crashes every day.. people go the speed they think is safe.
Yes i think people who get caught doing stupid speeds should get done. but 10mph over? really.. cars have come along way since the laws were made. Get with the times !
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Typical – punish every one because a few have done over 60 on the Avenue. There is some talk that even some of these will have been the cops!!
Strange how the number is not presented as a percentage of total travellers – this proves its a tiny fraction of drivers.
This Island is a Police state.
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That’s it, Back to horse & cart, might as well ban all cars & bikes the way things are going. With all the moaners out there it wont be very long until we are down to a 20mph limit over the whole island. I agree that speeds should be limited near schools etc 100% but this is just getting silly now. I don’t think speed is the issue here, its the standard of driving in Jersey, its absolutely terrible. This is just a money spinner for the States!
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When i passed my test over 30-years ago, the examiner left me with some parting words which have stuck with me to this day. “congratulations you have passed, now you can go out and learn how to drive” and i have done so ever since. I cant say i obey the speed limits 100% but i do adjust my driving and speed to suit the conditions and i’m very aware of everything around me, where every entrance is and over the years the black spots and pinch points and blind spots. Speed is not the problem overall, its poor driving thats the issue to be delt with. History will confirm that more serious accidents have occured since the island wide 40mph was changed, cars stop much quicker than they did, so i consider the problem bad drivers!
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Sorry everyone, I think that this may be all my fault. I got clocked on the avenue by smiley at over 90mph. You can imagine my surprise, especially since I was riding a 50cc scooter that never seems to reach 40mph on my speedo.
Not the first time this has happened either. I was once clocked at nearly 70mph going round a bend at st Lawrence. Must be this crisp air providing the boost to my bike.
Either that or these machines haven’t been calibrated properly and the states are using innacurate data to fine us all with? Surely not, after all, defrauding the people of jersey would be a crime no?
Serious speeders who drive stupidly should be charged, but I would really like to see those cars who pull out in front me without looking, or those with such poor spacial awareness that they don’t even realise I have had to swerve to miss them even though I’m in my lane prosecuted first.
Where are the stats they show that most traffic accidents are caused by speed in jersey? I would really like to look over them.
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Here is an interesting one, happened not 2 days ago.
Was driving up Beaumont hill, 30 zone (I think, it gets so confusing these days best to stick to 30 tbh). Car in front of me (elderly driver) toddling along at 23-24mph, a large queue of cars building up behind wanting to go 30mph. No safe overtaking going up the hill really.
So, through the roundabout and past the Co op filling station into the 20 through St Peters village.
I slow to 20, old lady in front continues at 25mph approx(thats what the electronic sign said). Totally unaware of slowing everyone down behind her and then breaking the limit minutes later.
What should happen?
She is breaking the law so Parish hall enquiry and fine?
Or can she be “Let off” as she isn’t a boy racer going 60?
It seems according to lots on here, that if you are a few mph over its fine to speed and break the law.
The law is the law and there can be no grey areas, target all or none, then there would be less halo wearers in here who never speed and never have.
Where do we go from here?
Ohh I was only a few micrograms over the drink drive limit, surly its the 12 pinters you are looking for officer?
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Lets face it the only reason to do this is cash. They want more.
The whole speed limit dropping is just away of taxing normal people.
As proved by the last few fatal/serious crashes in this island. (all in 30 zones) people who are going to speed are still going to speed. Dropping the speed limit is an allegeded vote winning move by the idiots in the States who really have no grip on reality
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Loco – Some people need 4×4′s! I do for towing boats, jet skis, lugging tools, etc. I can reverse the thing 100m up the road though, and through a gap 4 inches wider than the vehicle itself, so I guess I’m allowed
I have no problem with people who have a legitimate need for 4X4′s and can drive them, it’s the other 99.9% usually women that drive me crazy. Try driving down any narrow lane and come across one, they invariably freeze in the middle of the road forcing me to back up 200 metres to a passing place when there is one 10 feet behind the woman.
Oh and what about some enforcement of the 6 foot 6 width restriction on Les Varines, I’ve seen everything from scaffold lorries to Island Bake vans using it as a shortcut forcing people to reverse.
The theme that comes across reading posts on this thread is a total lack of enforcement, it doesn’t matter what laws we have if they are not enforced. Only law abiding people obey and the rest ignore speed limits and do what they want. Do these idiot NIMBY’s protesting in St. Clement understand that even if they got their 20mph limit the serial speeders would ignore it.
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Some of the above commentators have highlighted that other issues contribute to accidents, or road traffic collisions as the police now refer to this type of occurrence.
The fact is, alongside poor driving (cycling), inconsiderate driving (cycling, careless driving (cycling), dangerous / reckless (cycling), speeding is a contibutory factor in collisions. It is an aspect of driving that is comparatively speaking, easy to detect. Careless / dangerous / reckless driving is detected if it is caught on camera or if someone witnesses an incident. But the police have to be out there to actually witness this. From what many folk say on this discussion board, the police are rarely out there to detect these type of offences.
Police resources are limited and so I can’t understand why the authorities haven’t introduced fixed speed cameras, that can be used remotely. In the U.K. the new systems are I believe all digital and the images of offences are just transmitted or whatever they call it nowadays down line. The images of offences could be dealt with by civilian personnel, releasing the police to deal with other more urgent issues.
A statutory notice would be sent to the registered keeper of the motor vehicle, requiring him / her to give information to identify the driver at the time of the speeding offence. The offender would then be notified by post that they’d been caught and they would either go to a Parish Hall Enquiry, or summonsed to Court.
Someone mentioned that the cops speed – well yes they do and they do other daft things too. They are just human and apt to do many things that everyone else does. I am a memeber of the National Association of Retired Police Officers and get information on developments in policing nowadays. I have learnt that many Police Forces in the U.K. are introducing, what are in effect, trackers in all their cars. That will enable the bosses to monitor the behaviour of their officers’ driving and hopefully improve standards. I guess we can eventually expect all drivers / riders and yes maybe cyclists too, to be monitored in this way. Big Brother really has arrived.
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Speeder you have highlighted a significant issue, there are many usually elder drivers who drive everywhere at 30 mph. They are speeding in the 20 zones and slowing down traffic and causing people to overtake in 40 zones, invariably they will flash and hoot if you dare overtake.
I was behing one this morning driving through Ex Sen Len’s cherished victory zone when we entered the free parish of Grouville whre I am permitted to drive at 40mph. idiot in front is oblivious and continues to drive at 29mph causing frustration and annoyance. I had no opportunity to safely overtake so was subjected to driving at 29 until I had the chance to turn off and resume sane speed.
Pull these morons over, give them an eye test, can they read the licence plate ahead, if they can’t even see the car pull their licence.
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Frustrated – A speed limit is exactly what it says on the tin, a limit – it doesn’t mean you have to drive to the limit.
Mind you, I agree with what you have said. It is annoying when you get stuck behind some motorist who is travelling at a painfully low speed. I hate to get stuck behind some doddery old so and so, doing well below the speed limit when there is no opportunity for an overtake. It is said this sort of driver rarely has a collision, but causes hundreds.
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Frustrated,
A couple of things :
1). Driving under the speed limit does not cause anyone to overtake. That happens out of choice.
2). Your frustration and annoyance are yours to deal with, not anyone else.
The last point that you make about ensuring that people are fit enough and capable enough to drive seems good common sense.
It always amazes me that people can be sensible one minute and then daft the next.
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The very idea that someone driving very slowly causes exasperation in other raod users is a flawed one.
One control’s one’s own emotions.
When one sees someone causing a road traffic offence, one’s anger is not caused by the person committing the offence.
So, you should not become annoyed if someone overtakes you at high speed or “cuts you up”. It is you who annoys yourself. Your annoyance is not caused by the actions of the other.
Your frustration and annoyance are yours to deal with, not anyone else.
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To ensure safety, a group of us will be sounding our horns throughout the newly restricted zones, just so that all pedestrians and children are aware of the killing-machine in the area. We can’t have them running out in front of us.
Also, we’ll be driving at a crawl – no more than 20mph at all times – can’t be too safe: you never know if your car will spin wildly out of control into a group of small children if you exceed 31mph.
Safety first!!!!
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Good points.
Sounding your horn in time to the music on the old ipod is a good way of entertaining yourself and the pedestrians whom you wish to avoid. I get many happy smiles and waves when I do this at a steady 15 mph in my 1904 Oldsmobile “curved dash” with iron-rimmed wheels and thrupp and maberley uprated trembler magneto coils.
They won’t be happy until the man with the red flag returns. 30 mph is safer than 40, we are told. So, in turn, 20 must be safer than 30. So we go to 10, which is safer than 20.
At the risk of giving them ideas, can I suggest that an island wide speed limit of
5 mph would be an ideal way of cutting accidents to almost zero?
Furthermore, the return of the man with the red flag would provide many thousands of jobs at this difficult time.
The new, low speed limit would also ensure healthy sales figures for the Honda Jazz “flat cap” model.
Here’s to a backwards future on Jersey’s roads. Parp parp!
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I with you, what a great idea, I will make special effort to drive around St Clements at the weekend daylight hours only of course!
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Our Police force proved that last time such a camera was authorised for use that they could not be trusted to operate it responsibly so what has changed?
We need to stop those boy racers driving at 50 plus, the mobile phone users on the wrong side of the road and the plane dangerous drivers who don’t Care about anybody else.
Far from improving road safety prosecuting hundreds of motorists for doing 25 on an empty road or 34 through the underpass at 7pm will not improve road safety will cause more accidents as people learn to focus more on their speedometers than on the road.
We need sensible speed limits combined with sensible policing and enforcement – the complete opposite to current States policy.
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Still wont stop Taxi drivers look on the avenue anytime of the day they never get fined.The only time they dont speed there is when they have notice of a check.
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I have been told this LASTEC speed monitoring system can tell your speed before you get in your car.
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Living in the middle of a 30 mph zone, we often hear cars accelerating away from the nearby yellow lone, or gunning it around a corner. There is a blue Subaru Impretza that often accelerates hard, his turbo wastegate hissing. But do the police patrol the area ? No ! Why not ? Well the cars in question are probably NOT speeding. However, as I sip my evening G & T, it is difficult not to tut tut and wish the police did something.
Much easier for the police to pick a straight piece of road, point the gun and collect the cash !
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So you admit that it’s not a safety issue at all, just a noise one?
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I guess a car wheelspinning sideways on opposite lock at 25 mph in a built up area is OK then, despite the fact that the car is encroaching on the opposite side of the road.
The bloke in the Subaru, being four wheel drive struggles to get the back end out, but someone else in a 3 Series BMW has little trouble !
As for the front wheel drive crowd, they just cut the corners.
But as you say, they are probably not speeding, and this, as ‘Eh’ has implied makes it very difficult for the Police to do anything, which was the point I was trying to make in the first place !
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If the cars are probably not speeding then it follows that the police are probably unable to do anything.
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MJOLNIR DE JERSEY I hope you saw my comments regarding trying to report a speeding 4×4 vehicle, on St Clements coast road, this vehicle was doing at least 60mph, most of the comments were negative apart from BLUE KNIGHT, my details were not taken by the police, should I have been required to give evidence etc, should someone else have reported the driver later on
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The police would have realised that your evidence, uncorroborated and a matter of opinion in an area which is known to be subject to wild over-estimation, was of no use whatsoever.
Rather than cause an uproar of laughter in the magistrate’s court, they probably simply humoured you. That was surely kinder than simply putting the phone down.
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How do you know he was “doing 60″? It might have been 40, 50 or 70.
I suppose you’re going to say
“I was doin’ forty gov’nor, not one mph more, honest gov and ee drove past me goin’ much faster so it muster been abaht sixty, gov’nore”.
Yes.
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BILL, yes I do recall this driver being aquitted, maybe I should have done the same and ignored the sign when I first came across it, instead of going back tha way I had come and done a large detour to get to School Road.I do not rember putting my comment regarding this on the speeding article
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You of all people know that an acquittal follows something being purportedly enforced when it is not enforceable. So yes, feel free to ignore signs that have no legal backing.
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If the police didn’t ask for your name and address then it’s not really surprising that they couldn’t cross-reference the first report with the subsequent one.
Even if they had done so, the person dealing with the call might not have wanted to disclose the fact of the first call in case you were not the same person as had called before.
In the absence of names, it would have been difficult for the controller to have confirmed that. For all he knew, you could have been the car driver or an accomplice.
In any event, the fact that a previous call had been logged might not have had any particular bearing upon what you were told when you called again on the second occasion.
You don’t know what had already happened- an officer might have looked into the matter. The station will not necessarily disclose historic reports and action nor, for understandable operational reasons, will it disclose future action.
There is also a possibility that the person whose behaviour came to your notice may have been under surveillance in respect of an ongoing investigation into another possible offence. In those circumstances, it would be understandable to find the police acting in a vague, cautious or other non-committal way with an unidentified member of the public.
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Slow drivers are one of the biggest dangers on the road and should be treated like speeders, a report says today.
Nearly a third of motorists have had a ‘near miss’ caused by someone travelling slowly.
These drivers create such frustration that six out of ten motorists feel stress rise and about half are tempted to ‘undertake’.
Stressful: Slow drivers cause six out of ten motorists into temptation to undertake
It has led to calls for a crackdown on slow drivers including the setting of minimum limits or even ‘slow speed’ cameras.
Transport Department figures show 143 accidents a year are caused directly by slow drivers.
The report from insurer Confused.com coincides with the Government’s deadline today for police and councils to publish prosecution and casualty data on speed cameras to see if they do save lives or just raise cash.
The report notes: ’In reaction to these slow drivers, almost half (45%) of motorists risk overtaking, thus increasing the chances of an accident’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2016721/Slow-drivers-dangerous-roads-cause-crashes.html#ixzz1lgi9MQoS
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Slow drivers don’t cause the accidents or frustration, it’s the other drivers’ faults for being so impatient.
Not everyone is in a rush. Why shouldn’t the elderly and infirm be able to drive at the speed they want? It’s their road too!
Would you rather they rode a motorised chair instead? A mobility scooter? That would hold you up even more. So what if it’s a normal car they drive, it’s performing the same function as a mobility scooter for them, so have some patience. Pull in somewhere and calm down, or take a different route if you can’t overtake.
Take a look around you next time you’re in crowded King Street – some of those people are having difficulty walking, let alone driving. And many of them do drive, too. Now, why would you expect them to whizz around like you want to?
Yes, it’s annoying that so many of the retired OAPs get up at the crack of dawn and clog up the roads while the rest of us are trying to get to work, but that’s life, it’s a free country, so give and take, and make allowances!
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Why can’t they pull in and let everyone else pass? I do if I feel like driving slowly.
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I do not have a problem with slow drivers however the give and take cuts both ways. so some tips to our senior freinds.
1 Don’t pull out at the last minute from a side turning and then drive at 20
2 Us the rear view mirror and if the line of traffic behind is more than 5 cars then pull over…after all you are not in a rush
3) the outside lane on the avenue is for overtaking not a mobile queue for 1st Tower or Rue Du Gallie
4) Finally do not hoot and flash if you are ovetaken, some of us are capable of controlling a car at speeds in excess of 20 mph
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And don’t forget to order indicators on your Honda Jazz. It helps other drivers to know where you are about to (slowly) go.
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Sorry but I’m not buying this “deal with your emotions if slow drivers frustrate you” crap. Slow drivers are driving at significantly less than the speed limit, most likely because their ability to drive and see where they are going is so limited they dare not drive any faster. They should be pulled over and given an eye test and banned if they fail it.
As for flashing and hooting any who dare overtake it shows how little they understand the highway code, you can safely and legally overtake someone driving at 20mph in a 40 zone, you are not committing a crime.
Is it true that until 1956 there was no driving test in jersey? if so some of these people ahve never passed a test and are blissfully unaware of the highway code.
Speeders and slow drivers are equally dangerous for opposite reasons. One group are wildy overconfident in their ability and that of their vehicle, the other have no confidence or ability to control a vehicle at anything beyond a crawl.
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