North Yorks East Yorks Police warning

[cb1000rsteve]

Just got this email off my old work colleague from Doncaster:-


Steve,

Just a heads up that East and North Yorkshire are sharing unmarked police cars patrolling several roads in the Wolds. You will know that N Yorks has been using its camera van for a couple of years now (they now got 3) and East Yorkshire have been using unmarked bikes but they are both now collaborating in the use of unmarked cars in these areas. The cars are fitted with laser speed guns and front and backwards facing cameras. They drive around all day and you get clocked either if you overtake them or if they pass you in the opposite direction. They then radio ahead to marked cars waiting at the next village. If you take a turn off and don’t turn up at the village you get the notice in the post instead and they use the car’s camera to get your plate. Either way, you’re nicked.

They are patrolling a lot of A and B roads plus a few minor link roads. The routes in N Yorks are on the police website but E Yorks are keeping quiet. I know they are doing the A614 and A166 though, plus most of the B roads. If you get off those onto the minor roads you’re pretty safe as they are concentrating where they are likely to make money - oops, sorry, I mean prevent speeding.

Got nicked on Saturday at 92 on an overtake by an unmarked BMW. First I knew about it is when I got pulled by marked cops in Foxholes village. Who looks at the speedo while in the middle of an overtake FFS? Anyway, court summons on the way as it’s too high for a FPN. This is going to be expensive :(

****.

Spread the word and watch out.

Got a 1990 GSXR750 Slingshot BTW. Bought in February and did a full resto on it. Only had it OTR a couple of months. It’s a bit nippy.

Andy

[Red Herring]

If the BMW was only doing 60 I'd be inclined to say 92 is a tad committed for an overtake on a single carriageway, but I guess there may be some considerations I'm not aware of. Police forces don't usually engage in such behaviour for no reason, it will be as the result of either statistics or complaints, both of which we can help avoid.

[cb1000rsteve]

To be fair to Andy (my mate) he isn't a road warrior. He buys old bikes from his youth and then refurbs them better than they left the factory. He hardly ever breaks speed limits and prefers to just cruise to the coast or classic meets. Yes he will accelerate hard to over take cars and then usually slows back to the limit.
The North Yorkshire police are making this area more like wales! Bikers not welcome

[Amadeus]

If the BMW was only doing 60 I'd be inclined to say 92 is a tad committed for an overtake on a single carriageway, but I guess there may be some considerations I'm not aware of. Police forces don't usually engage in such behaviour for no reason, it will be as the result of either statistics or complaints, both of which we can help avoid.

I friend of mine did a bike safe course and he overtook a car (on a fireblade) and got to mid 90's. Apparently copper mentioned it at the next stop and said that it's important to get in front of a slower vehicle and it was acceptable to him. Interesting view, quite surprising to me. I guess it's like all these things - get the right guy on the right day and you might just get told to calm down.
I must admit, I think I'd rather have a bad driver in front of me so that I can see what he's doing (I got rear ended on my bike by a car so maybe I'm unusual).

[Red Herring]

Like I said there are usually several things to consider and they are certainly not all being presented here. I've overtaken other traffic with a considerably greater speed differential than that so I know it can be done, but it does require a fair degree of commitment and confidence that you have read the situation correctly and covered all eventualities. On police courses we frequently have to slow down in order to overtake....

I did wonder when I originally posted if it might be seen as a bit of an unprovoked attack on Andy. It wasn't intended as such however I felt I had to write what I did in order to justify the second sentence which was my real message. Police forces these days don't have any spare cash and are generally looking to make cut backs, not increase their investment in anything, hence you have two forces pooling their resources. If you think they are engaging in this to make money you are much mistaken, unmarked bikes, cars and positive engagement cost a fortune compared to the return if you want to speak in business terms. They do it simply because they have to do something in response to complaints, or a clearly identified problem (RTC stats).

Ironically most bikers you speak to would rather have the surgical unmarked bike operated by a real human copper approach because they tend to be subjective and concentrate on the worse offenders, rather than a camera van that sits at the side of a straight bit of road containing a civilian operator who is more interested in numbers than circumstances.

[NTECUK]

I did a overtakeon a car in a nsl single and hit 68 and was informed that you exceed the limit by a "reasonable amount " to make it a safe manor. (Fire Bike).
What his take on was if you need to be more than 10% above then the overtak was not there.
You then fall in the due care territory.
As Overtaking is one of the manovers that is supposed to be a big contribute to motorcycle collision statistics it's probably why they feel they are justified in doing this.

[munkygunn182]

Noted - I serve a lot of sites down that way. Always in the van, but will pass it round the company.

[madcockney]

I only actually passed my test in 2010 and we were allowed to overtake over the speed limit, but only in certain situations. In other words if you come across a vehicle doing say 58 MPH on a NSL single carriage way road then you are not allowed to exceed the speed limit to overtake, but if you overtake a slower vehicle say doing 50 and as you overtake, therefore you are beside it or close to that, and the other vehicle accelerates then you are allowed to accelerate as this is the safer of options. This happened to me on my test on a dual carriageway on a hill and I reached just over 80 and once I had passed the hazard, pulled into the nearside lane and dropped to 70 or just below. I passed the test. On the other hand with RoSPA and IAM you are not allowed to ever exceed the speed limit either while being tutored or on test.

[Red Herring]

.... On the other hand with RoSPA and IAM you are not allowed to ever exceed the speed limit either while being tutored or on test.

I think you will find that most examiners can be quite sensible about these things, obviously none of them could write on an internet forum that they would condone speeding though. ;)

[yorkie_chris]

What a shower.

This is why I don't like going out on roads that draw a lot of tourist traffic. Or for that matter any traffic.