FOI release

Trubelo Combi S Speedmeter.

We have a received a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for the following: With reference to the speed camera located on A52…

Details

We have a received a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for the following:
With reference to the speed camera located on A52 Butterwick, Lincolnshire.

‘I have been directed to your offices regarding an issue with the above, by Lincolnshire Police Headquarters.

The camera is visually the same as a Gatso type, coloured yellow, and faces Northbound along A52 at Butterwick. There are white lines on the road northwards of that camera as would be expected with a Gatso camera.

In February this year as I was driving Southbound past this camera, at nearly 5.40 pm in the dark with very little street lighting I received the full force of Gatso type flash gun straight into my eyes. I found I momentary “blinded” and clipped the edge of the road.

I find this extremely dangerous to fire flash guns in drivers faces, and particularly at night when the momentary blackness the driver would see could cause an accident, or worse.

Lincolnshire Police have informed me in writing that this camera is a “Truvelo type not a Gatso designed to take a front picture”.

This contradicts safety requirements concerning forward facing cameras, surely. I understood a lot of research had been carried out on forward facing cameras and they all should be non-intrusive or discrete picture taking methods - for example infra red.
Therefore please confirm in writing to me that forward facing roadside cameras in general and one located at Butterwick in particular, is lawful in sending out a full flash gun light into an oncoming driver’s face, and it is completely safe to do so.’

We released the following information on:

Published 25 April 2006