satellite speed cameras
 

New speed cameras trap motorists from space - Telegraph

Time for the application of stealth technology.

That almost has to be a April Fools joke.

No satellite can stay over any part England. The only geo-synchronous orbit is over the equator and way out in space. That is great for a communications satellite but for a high resolution optical instrument it pretty much sucks. Low earth orbit satellites are zipping along at 18,000 MPH. The clouds in GB will obscure the ground except those few days of clear weather. Satellite time is EXPENSIVE!

I call BS on the entire article. It would cost millions per ticket to use satellites that way.

We don't need no stinkin satellite spies :D

We will have little black boxes in your car will process and record all your driving information ;)

When you go in for maintenance the dealer will be legally required to inform the local authorities of your past illegalities and they will have enough proof based on evidence in the little black box tucked away under the dashboard or in the trunk ;)

That is FAR more likely, and the driver pays for the black box to boot! No black boxes on my mid- 1980s cars. :)

Ever wonder what Toyota is actually recording?

Was in UK in Oct 09. Sitting in the hotel lobby, three guys nearby discussing electric vehicle contract. It was obvious these guys had money, at one point they were discussing their personal race teams. One guy said among other things he was a former MD for Opel.

Anyway, Opel guy was working with the British Gov to pass legislation and get one of his products installed. Basically a GPS/Cell Phone hybrid that could be retrofitted to any vehicle. His pitch to the gov was a a means to control traffic patterns, ease congestion and the one that got my attention, a way of catching and fining lorry drivers who were using the wrong roads.

The Brits are whacky.

I am afraid any "retro-fitted" government device added to my cars might have problems with reception, and getting 12 volts. It might get the occasional spike to 110 volts.

Here's where the rumor most likely started (half information is just as bad as wrong)

BBC News - New speed cameras in UK road tests

Please note that nowhere in the article does it claim the cameras are in space. They are using numberplate recognition technology and linking cameras (with the satellite link) at various locations to time cars from point to point.

Interesting the technology is being developed by a US company. ;)

Les

Wonder if a .50 cal would take it out?

I've often wondered what a .308 round would do to a traffic camera.

Maybe pwd72s will chime in on this one - I remember Paul mentioning a similar device proposed in Oregon. Its function was going to be milage tracking, so that the state could assess taxes based on that milage. To counter the "I'll just unplug it" crowd, it was going to be set up so that it had to be recognized at gas stations before authorizing a fill-up.

The referendum was defeated, but apparently the technology is available to make such a system work. I would imagine it would be equally feasible for speed cameras to query for a signal, and if none is received, snap a photo of cars that are not carrying an active device. Police cars could likely be set up with the same technology.

Aluminium foil...

This is one of those 4% moments where we both agree. ;)

Yes, a pilot program was run in Oregon, pretty much as Jeff mentions. The idea is NOT defeated...still very much alive, state bureaucrats are working on it, as far as I know. This supposedly as a way to collect gas taxes based on miles traveled.

The bureaucrats assure us these devices would never be used for surveillance purposes.

And yep...it was set up so if your car didn't have a functioning device, no gas...dunno how they planned to handle the problem of out of state cars...

How do you get gas for your riding lawn mower. My boat might suddenly need a lot of gas.

Exactly...all I could glean from our press was that there were a few "glitches" in the pilot program...400 cars. But generally, no car licensed in the state would be without one of these satellite devices...so even if you managed to get fuel somewhere, big brother could still monitor your driving.

Far as I know, this program is still in the development stage. It definitely was NOT killed.

There he is - thanks for clearing up my foggy rememberance of this. I thought it was defeated - or maybe my hope that it was turned into thinking it was.

The ramifications of satelite speed, milage, location, or whatever monitoring, for any purpose, are too frightening to even think about. You just know if (or when) anything like this ever becomes a reality, it will be touted as "for our safety" or some other such tripe.

Time to start paying attention, kids...

Be careful thinking this way. Many people do not realize that the photo camera is backed up with a live 24/7 video camera. First off it will take a photo of whoever is shooting at it, and if the bullet hits, they then have it for evidence to track down the rifle and its owner.

the mileage track pilot program is in testing in Ore. AFAIK

the hwy dept. is concerned b/c as hybrids and elec. cars proliferate, there will be less gas used per vehicle mile -- a LOT less eventually; since the hwys still need to be repaired, they are rightly concerned with how they will get the $$ it costs to maintain them

and yes, it's an obvious concern re privacy issues