Appeal To The Traffic Police

[jaskin]

I also check overhead bridges whenever I cross one. It's just unhealthy.

[louis]

Originally Posted by jaskin

I also check overhead bridges whenever I cross one. It's just unhealthy.

wouldn't it be too late by then? do u get lasered before or after u pass their ambush point?

[AC Boy]

Originally Posted by louis

wouldn't it be too late by then? do u get lasered before or after u pass their ambush point?

Mr z4, they've a few different types of 'tan chiat' gagets. If you're talking abt the laser ones, they would've nabbed one within a range of 100 to 200 m out. Apart from this petiton, even class 95's GO & FD has condamned their acts openly on air, wondering whats their take on these negative feedbacks received. Sooner or later, they'll change name to Traffic Police Pte Ltd, sad, so sad...

[Ghostrider]

Originally Posted by AC Boy

Mr z4, they've a few different types of 'tan chiat' gagets. If you're talking abt the laser ones, they would've nabbed one within a range of 100 to 200 m out. Apart from this petiton, even class 95's GO & FD has condamned their acts openly on air, wondering whats their take on these negative feedbacks received. Sooner or later, they'll change name to Traffic Police Pte Ltd, sad, so sad...

Well...guess we gotta wait until some MP calls and F the commander upside down.....

[Arsony]

Guys,

I , especially, understand your plight. I work from 8am to 9pm every day and the only time I get a bit of excitement is when I drive to and from work. It is only during these times that I get a bit of thrill from some free spirited driving and the recent methods of enforcement from the TP has gotten my spirits down an all time low.

You see guys.... the problem here is not the law. I mean... anyone here wants to argue the fact that we need a form of speed limit and that we need to punish errant drivers including those that breach this limit? We all agree that such laws in some way is actually necessary.

The problem is method of enforcement. The problem is with delivery. I can understand why the majority of drivers are upset. The main problem is that the TP is not giving the public a proper impression of what they are doing. Generally, the public (including myself) have the impression that all this has nothing to do with improving road safety and that it is just an easy form of revenue. Now how do most people get this impression?

1) You get zapped by a camera, you dont even know about it until about a month later when you get this stupid letter asking you for money. Most of the time, you cant even remember what happened. How to seek for recourse?!?!
The photo also is not provided readily for you to see. I heard need to apply to view the photos and need to PAY some more! WTF!

2) Too much emphasis is placed on speeding. Sure, inability to control your vehicle at high speed can kill. BUT there are probably countless of other ways in which poor driving can kill. So why isn't there any steps to promote these other aspects of driving safety? The answer is simple... speed is a quantifiable value. eg. can you summon somebody for .....

a) lack of concentration?
b) changing lanes too hastily?
c) following too closely?
d) braking too late?
e) faillure to signal intention early enough?
f) failure to keep to his own lane?

The answer is yes. But these would require significant manpower... in this case ... employed , paid, police officers to manually scour the streets to ensure that the above does not happen. This equates to = too much money spent = lose money = summon obtained over cost incurred to enforce ratio not too good.

Contrastingly, catching speedsters is a much easier way to earn money. You just need to spend a little bit on a reliable laser camera, then spend even smaller amounts of money to pay two lowly paid, blue coloured, low life scums to sit next to your little toy , hidden in some shady area and once your scums start clicking away on that trigger...click..click..click...., your money will start rolling in! You'll make back your initial outlay in no time! Speed detecting is indeed the most quantifiable and easily repeatable value when it comes to road traffic offences.

3) Now... we are all highly reasonable people. When something is enforced , we want to know why. When the traffic police cites such big words like "Road Safety" , we want to associate their efforts , in some remote way perhaps, to the improvement of this so called Road Safety. People lose confidence in the traffic police when they cant find reasons behind the TP's taking extraordinary efforts like "hiding inside a temple with camera gun pointing out" manning a road which is to begin with not even a hazardous/ accident area?!?!? So where is the added value? Is it then just for the sake of collecting summons from unwary road users?

We have no problem with TP catching speedsters but at least must be done professionally and with some dignity. Like getting a nice and polite traffic police officer to actually catch some one breaching road safety red handed and coming up to them to stop them, then warn them or summon them. Now isn't that more humane and dignified??? I'm sure most drivers would agree with me here...

I feel that using arguments like we can get into an accident because we are constantly looking out for cameras is really honestly quite lame fellas. It does not hold water and in an open argument, it will be shot down easily. Reason being that, if you keep to the speed limit, which is by the way the law, you have no need to look out for speed cameras. Your focus would then be on the road ahead at all times like what you were all taught in driving school remember??? I'm just putting myself in the shoes of the TP and playing the Devil's Advocate here... so dont flame me.

Arsony
Topaz Blue NOT the devil...

[T6]

... and let's not forget there is a new Char Bor TP Boss who has to prove her worth at her new position...

[kenntona]

Let's do this one thing at a time. Now that someone has initiated the petition, all it takes is to drop your name in, assuming your thoughts on the issue is in line with the petition.

The rest of the issues, on the inefficiencies on the current systems or the myopia on the regulation of traffic rules, we could only wage war against any flaw in the implementation process. The justification for the rules and regulations is always sacred and holistic.

Remember - impassiveness or indifference breeds apathy. And apathy is the worse response to resignation.

It might matter if they do not change. But it matters more that we speak our hearts.

Else live your obedience with full submission.

[teinsports]

guys, although i REALLy hope that this petition will really knock some sense into the authorities, i tink it will just find itself in one of the TP's office bins or just logged into their PC w/o any actions being carried, then it will be simply handed over to their public affairs dept for some kind of defensive reasons why they r doing this & that, blah, blah, blah. THATS ALL!!! Sigh....

this issue is just like asking the AVA to ease & review their regulations on the no. of dogs & the size of dogs allowed in HDBs. Conclusion? Back to square one .....


sorry if im OOT.

[mingboy]

Feb 24, 2005
Drivers to be warned: Speed trap ahead
by Tanya Fong



THE traffic police, who have been slammed for being 'sneaky' and 'grossly unfair' in their recent clampdown on speeding motorists, yesterday sprang a surprise.

After receiving a barrage of feedback and some stinging brickbats in The Straits Times Forum pages, they agreed to ease up on the surprise element of their checks by listing on their website (www.spf.gov.sg) the roads where officers, armed with laser speed cameras, will be deployed.

Warning signs may also be put up on the roads to alert motorists ahead of speed traps.

In addition, officers will wear white uniforms during the day and don vests with yellow reflectors at night, to make them more visible on the roads.

Another concession: the police, together with the Land Transport Authority will consider reviewing the speed limits of roads which motorists say are 'too slow' on a monthly, instead of quarterly, basis.

The current quarterly review, to be completed by April 1, of more than 40 roads includes Upper Bukit Timah Road, Upper Serangoon Road, Thomsom Road and Tampines Avenue 10 - all stretches frequently cited by motorists as having too low a speed limit.

Said Traffic Police Commander Ng Guat Ting: 'We recognise the sentiments of the motoring public that speed enforcement can only be seen as reasonable if the speed limits are deemed reasonable by the motoring public too.'

But she made clear that while the traffic police will take a more open and transparent approach in enforcement and consider motorists' suggestions, overall road safety will not be compromised.

The Traffic Police also stood their ground on the accuracy of the laser speed cameras and the effectiveness of their speed traps.

Whether the officer is standing by the road or on an overhead bridge, the camera accurately captures images of speeding vehicles and clocks the speed in split-second intervals which are then scrutinised to make sure that an offence has been committed.

'The photographs and readings are clear and accurate enough to be tendered as evidence in court,' added Commander Ng.

Its use has already saved lives, she maintained. Since the cameras came into use in June last year, the number of fatalities caused by speeding has dropped, from 65 cases in 2003 to 52 last year.

In January this year, there were no accidents resulting in serious injury, compared with five in the same month last year, before the cameras came into use.

Commander Ng also said there was nothing random in the way officers decided where to deploy teams with the laser speed cameras. Accident-prone areas, school zones, and stretches of road frequently cited in complaints about excessive speeding, top the list.

Speeding remains a major problem on local roads, she added.

In 2003, 48,930 summonses were issued. Last year's tally, which will be out in March, will be 'significantly higher' because of stepped up enforcement and the accuracy of the new laser speed cameras.

Drivers are often a lot more than marginally over the limit too.

For two hours earlier this month, the traffic police clocked the speed of 800 vehicles along Upper Bukit Timah Road, which has a 50kmh limit. They found that 30 per cent of vehicles zoomed by at 80kmh and 10 per cent went above 90kmh. The highest speed clocked: 141kmh by a motorbike, and 124kmh by a car.

Director of police public affairs, Senior Assistant Commissioner Tan Puay Kern said: 'If we really want to catch people and hit quotas, we don't have to put up warning signs. People forget that our job is to save lives.'
IP Address:203.116.174.2

[kenntona]

Amen. Prayers answered.