New Police Speed Tracking Device!!!! A Plane!!

[jaskel]

Yep the coppers have decided they want to go back to the old VASCAR system...

Basically they paint white lines on the road every 500mtrs and a plane picks a car and follows it...times it from 1 white spot to the other and calculates it speed, if your speeding then he radios to a cop car and he nails you!


To be honest i think the government should invest in more police on the road instead of hiding them in the air!! the more highway cars u see on the road the less likley you are to speed!

They tried this about 20 years ago and it lasted 6 months as it was too expensive to run so lets see how it goes this time.


The current locations where the white lines on the road are:

M4 Motorway between Northern rd Penrith and Mamre rd St Marys

Hume highway between Douglas Park and Marulan

So if you see a plane in the air around those locations you know they are watching you!

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/new...-1225810375663

[kezzer]

I thought they were going to use helicopters, not planes?

[388cube_edxr8]

I'm going to paint a big middle finger on the roof of my car. I'm going to use the same stuff that they used to use on the image shifting tazos (remember them?) so that you can only see it looking straight down.

[jaskel]

lol go on, ill get a pic from my plane and email it to you ;)

they are using a Cessna 206 6 seater

[csv8]

The WA Police use this across Nullabor, they have done this since the 90"s.

[chrisfpv]

They are using planes to catch speeding motorists? A Plane? Are you serious?

[Airmon]

:

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11282254

[dom_105]

Not a brilliant use of police resources, I would have thought.

[Xr8-290]

: :togo: : :

[deesun]

OLD OLD news.

[aussie muscle]

Waste of money

[sk8xr8]

just curious, how much does it cost on average to run this operation and how much does this return in revinue? cost Vs. reward??

I dont see how it could be economically viable to justify the running costs of that, considering the following,

-Pilots arnt cheap
-Maintaining an aircraft
-Flight prep and ground control

All this and more costs mountains of cash, when putting this in front of police in cars with radars, how is this more cost effective?

Not a bright idea IMO....

[Airmon]

Come on, everyone has been complaining about the RTA and Police putting up revenue raising cameras and not doing anything useful.
Now nobody likes this because it doesn't generate enough revenue?

Its the same as having a copper with radar sitting there except now you don't know whether you're being timed or not. I think just the signs are enough to stop a few people for the time being.

[sk8xr8]

Originally Posted by Airmon

Come on, everyone has been complaining about the RTA and Police putting up revenue raising cameras and not doing anything useful.
Now nobody likes this because it doesn't generate enough revenue?

Its the same as having a copper with radar sitting there except now you don't know whether you're being timed or not. I think just the signs are enough to stop a few people for the time being.

No, dont get me wrong man, I dont agree with putting up a million cameras either, its the expenditure that im writing about, we all, or most of us, pay taxes, and this is what the most of us get our noses out of joint about, we ALL pay for these things, and now we're paying for a plane to patrol a stretch of road that is just as capable of being done by a car, when it comes down to it, I would rather see more police cars out there, they are capable of doing more than just identifying speeders, they can stop dangerous cars, carrying unsafe loads, people without seatbelts, people with no rego's on cars, someone in a plane at 1500 metres altitude cant do this and the expenditure wouldnt be any less than a car, bare in mind, this is intended to work in conjuntion with a car on the ground, so you already have a car being payed for to be there, so wouldnt it be more cost effective to just utilise a radar on/in the car instead of flying around with a stopwatch, this can only monitor one car at a time anyways...

[merlin]

I was driving on the M4 last week and down to Wollongong on the weekend and both freeways had the white painted lines.

However there were no warning signs stating what the lines are so I fail to see how it will prevent speeding? They are more a distraction if anything.

Also does the plane/copter radio to a car on the ground to intercept or do they just take a photo and you get it in the mail?

Personally I think its a colossal waste of money - plane + pilot + fuel all to book someone $80. Why not invest that money into more highway patrol cars?

[JC]

Originally Posted by merlin

I was driving on the M4 last week and down to Wollongong on the weekend and both freeways had the white painted lines.

However there were no warning signs stating what the lines are so I fail to see how it will prevent speeding? They are more a distraction if anything.

Also does the plane/copter radio to a car on the ground to intercept or do they just take a photo and you get it in the mail?

Personally I think its a colossal waste of money - plane + pilot + fuel all to book someone $80. Why not invest that money into more highway patrol cars?

The painted white lines, assuming that people know what they are for, are supposed to be the same as having a patrol car every 500m; ie a visual deterrant/reminder not to speed. It's a good idea. If they only put the plane up once a week and actually book people using it and a patrol car/cars, then people will get the message, and will then slow down on sections of highway to avoid being booked - painted white lines on the road are a lot cheaper than having manned patrol cars on the road.

Now, the above is only good if you rate the old argument that speed kills. Personally, I reckon fatigue is worse, so for me "safe speeding", or driving to the conditions within a reasonable limit (say 10%) of the posted limit is acceptable and helps with fatigue issues (by making the trip that little bit shorter). So, as long as the planes also allow a reasonable tolerance, then this should keep most motorists close to the speed limit, and those that go over, can be booked (at least when the planes are in the air).

Only issue is night time - will the planes be up there then?

[merlin]

Originally Posted by JC

Only issue is night time - will the planes be up there then?

Assuming they take your photo from the plane I doubt their camera's are sophisticated enough to go to that resolution at that distance at night (they would probably only have thermal imaging). Thus it would only work in daylight and clear weather and so you could probably spot the plane in these conditions if you were paying attention.

Then again as long as they have a 10% tolerance they won't be seeing any of my money - GPS speed display + cruise control is great on those two freeways.

[ebxr8240]

I can still see the short guy saying plane - plane - plane....

[flappist]

I suspect the procedure would be to radio ahead for an intercept.

It is a publicity stunt.

[fordOwner]

WA police also have used a plane on the old stetch of road that leads into Mandurah back in the 90's too.
I remember them flying over and timing your travel time between two big white lines painted on the road about 500m apart with a patrol car down the road waiting for his reports.
I think the sign is still up warning motorists of plane patrols, I cant remember the name of the road, I have not been to Mandurah in years.

[mik]

whats the max speed of a cesna?

[Lightning Strike XR6]

Easily quicker than any speed you could travel

[388cube_edxr8]

How is it that a flying washing machine with a tiny little engine and ~0% traction can outrun most road legal cars with much bigger engines?

Not that I deny your statement - I agree. Just curious.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by 388cube_edxr8

How is it that a flying washing machine with a tiny little engine and ~0% traction can outrun most road legal cars with much bigger engines?

Not that I deny your statement - I agree. Just curious.

I suppose traction isn't really an issue when you're up in the air...

[last fairlane]

This was used in Victoria back in the seventies
with the lines painted on the roads
when they had de restriction zones
which meant 75 MPH max
as long as you could prove you were not driving dangerously
the onus was on you you could speed
this was the time they introduced compulsory seat belts(circa 1972)
John

[DBourne]

Originally Posted by 388cube_edxr8

How is it that a flying washing machine with a tiny little engine and ~0% traction can outrun most road legal cars with much bigger engines?

Not that I deny your statement - I agree. Just curious.

Is that a pi$$ take or are you serious??

please god tell me its the first

[flappist]

Originally Posted by 388cube_edxr8

How is it that a flying washing machine with a tiny little engine and ~0% traction can outrun most road legal cars with much bigger engines?

Not that I deny your statement - I agree. Just curious.

A tiny little C152 will TAS at about 110kts which is just over 200km/h

The C206 they are using will TAS at over 140kts which is over 260km/h.

When I was doing circuits during my PA31 endorsement I went from 0 to 140kts while climbing to 1000ft, turned left and flew downwind at 160kts turned left and landed at 90kts then rolled to a halt all on a 1100m runway.

These are slugs, a Pilatus PC9 will overtake a 737.....

[blownv8au]

i can't see how it will work, plane radios to cop on the ground pull up the white falcon coming to you. How are they going to prove you were speeding, there won't have your rego all they will have is a make model and colour.i would be taking it to court where's their proof.

[Airmon]

They have the signs up on the Hume. I think its a good deterrent even if it only gets used a few times a month. As long as people think its being used.
You could turn a speed camera off for a week and the majority of people will still slow down for it.
I agree its probably too expensive, but I'll take it over having a speed camera every 500m. And a cop sitting with a radar isn't going to pick up fatigue any more then plane.

Originally Posted by 388cube_edxr8

How is it that a flying washing machine with a tiny little engine and ~0% traction can outrun most road legal cars with much bigger engines?

Not that I deny your statement - I agree. Just curious.

Witchcraft.

[fordOwner]

They'd have your vehicle on video tape from the plane and also keep taping you until the patrol car pulls you over to confirm your details.
If you took them to court they would produce the video of your car travelling between the lines with a stop watch clock in the corner of the screen and then ask you if you were pullled over in your car with your rego by constable so-n-so at the particular time.
good luck id say.
WA still has a plane in service and it is equiped with most of the gadgets their helicopter has.