Motorists wrongly caught by unlawful speed camera
Date: 21 January 2008
Many motorists have been wrongly convicted of speeding because of a speed camera in Bangor that was set up unlawfully.
Speed cameras are the bane of many courier companies and owner drivers carrying loads, because they often unnecessarily prevent them travelling at what would be a safe speed.
The camera in Maesgeirchen in Bangor was set up when the speed limit was lowered from 40mph to 30mph, and more than 1,936 motorists received fixed penalty notices, the Daily Post reports.
However, the local council was forced to admit that it had not carried out the correct procedures when lowering the speed limit, and that it did so unlawfully.
Local shop owner Viv Williams was instrumental in bringing about the admission.
"I'd been on that road almost daily for 15 years and knew that there was something wrong, that no-one had been aware that the limit was changed," he said.
"I'm a man of principle and decided to fight. I organised public meetings and found a solicitor, Ray Woodward, who was eventually to prove that the signs were unlawful.
"Arrive Alive had their van there immediately, obviously trying to take advantage of the change. But in the end they were proved wrong."
Courier drivers carrying loads such as backloads could well have not been aware that the limit had changed, even though driving at 40mph was safe.
He said that other councils may not have done their work properly either, suggesting that courier drivers with loads in other parts of the country could have been wrongly penalised.
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