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Speeding Tickets Now Coming From Outer Space
Gizmodo ^ | 22 April 2010 | Brian Barrett

Posted on 04/22/2010 11:48:48 AM PDT by James C. Bennett

Speeding Tickets Now Coming From Outer Space

 

As though cameras on top of every traffic light weren't bad enough already: there's now a trial run of satellites that will catch you speeding, over a several-block range, from hundreds of miles up. Hope for clouds, I guess?

The SpeedSpike system is being tested at two locations in London, and works a little differently than your typical trap: cameras on the ground are assisted by satellites that are capable of calculating your average speed between two points. Which to me just means a lot of speeding, then going very, very slowly, then speeding, and so on:

The company said in its evidence that the cameras enabled "number plate capture in all weather conditions, 24 hours a day". It also referred to the system's "low cost" and ease of installation.

The system could be used for "main road enforcement for congestion reduction and speed enforcement", and could help to "eliminate rat-runs" and cut speeds outside schools, it added. It could also reduce the need for speed humps.

So much for hoping for clouds. Maybe a stray meteor, then? [Telegraph UK via Jalopnik]


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Technical
KEYWORDS: bigbrother; cultureofcorruption; donutwatch; napl; orwelliannightmare; policestate; revenuetickets; satellite; speedspike; speedtrap; spy; traffic
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To: a fool in paradise

This has pretty much been done on toll roads for decades albeit not with gps.......just a clock stamp on a toll ticket. Ya get from point A to B too fast ya get a ticket ! Was done on the indiana and will rogers toll roads in the 60’s at least.


21 posted on 04/22/2010 2:07:00 PM PDT by Squantos (Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet)
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To: James C. Bennett
I see that not one person has read the article yet.

This is nothing but speed cameras with their clocks synchronized by....

wait for it....

The Global Positioning System!

The GPS satellites are used only for a precise measurement of time, so that the average speed between two points can be calculated dividing the distance by the time interval that elapsed.

As a bonus, they could use the GPS positions of the two locations to measure the distance between them, but that would only be useful on a road that is straight as an arrow.

22 posted on 04/22/2010 2:54:00 PM PDT by justlurking (The only remedy for a bad guy with a gun is a good WOMAN (Sgt. Kimberly Munley) with a gun)
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To: Slings and Arrows

23 posted on 04/22/2010 3:27:04 PM PDT by Daffynition ( In the span of one man's lifetime, only the individual has any potential - not the collective.)
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To: catman67

“Establishes the technological groundwork for taxing you per mile driven!”

Yep - but first the VAT.

This comes after...figure 10 cents per mile, increasing by 5 cents per year, until we achieve our required goal in reducing greenhouse gasses.

Change.


24 posted on 04/22/2010 5:00:39 PM PDT by BobL
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To: mowowie

Dear James...

Never visit England.

=)


25 posted on 04/22/2010 5:24:05 PM PDT by Redcitizen (Armed sheep employ grazing fire.)
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To: a fool in paradise
I already pay by the mile via gasoline taxes and a tollroad that was initially promised to collect tolls for only 20 years (deadline came and went, current county judge over that resource says "I didn't make that promise, that was someone else besides" yadda yadda yadda.

But what about Those Less Fortunate whose cars don't get as good mileage as yours? That's unfair! Much better to surveille your every movement and tax you accordingly, with adjustments for exceeding your allowed carbon footprint, of course. It's for your own good, don't y'know. And the children... won't someone please think of the children?
26 posted on 04/22/2010 5:43:35 PM PDT by RightOnTheLeftCoast (Obama: running for re-election in '12 or running for Mahdi now? [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahdi])
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To: Daffynition
The Brits never quite got the hang of road signs.


27 posted on 04/22/2010 8:11:00 PM PDT by Slings and Arrows (FUBO! FUNP! FUHR! FUBS!)
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To: James C. Bennett

SkyNet???


28 posted on 04/23/2010 5:53:53 AM PDT by stevie_d_64 (I'm jus sayin')
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To: RightOnTheLeftCoast

You kid but we are going to see it go to more of a paybymile system. As people move to electric cars (not just hybrids) we are faced with either raising licensing fees into thousands for a car, taxing electric bills for roads, or paying tolls.

Politicians like toll roads, they are now working to sell them to private firms (sometimes outside America even) for short term funds to balance budgets.

They are also trying to turn existing freeways into tollroads.

Don’t expect to see much new development for high occupancy traffic with no tolls to be paid.


29 posted on 04/23/2010 8:54:51 AM PDT by a fool in paradise (The hysteria of Matthewsism and Andersonism has led to a Tea Party Scare that is unAmerican.)
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