Fuerteventura Forum

Whilst driving westwards towards the last roundabout just as you pass the Salinas Golf Club, I noticed a car parked up (off) the side of the road. Checked my speed again and was doing 50kph ok, hence the long line of cars at the back of me :-[.
As I got closer two cops sitting inside, presumably checking for speeders.

The locations was cheeky, behind the sign and barriers that made identifying them that bit harder.  So watch out for a dark blue unmarked Volkswagen golf car.

Screen shot showing where I saw them!

(http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/KennyCarr_2008/Capture_zpsa7587b92.jpg)

Quote from: KWC on April 14, 2014, 15:13:53 PM
Whilst driving westwards towards the last roundabout just as you pass the Salinas Golf Club, I noticed a car parked up (off) the side of the road. Checked my speed again and was doing 50kph ok, hence the long line of cars at the back of me :-[.
As I got closer two cops sitting inside, presumably checking for speeders.

The locations was cheeky, behind the sign and barriers that made identifying them that bit harder.  So watch out for a dark blue unmarked Volkswagen golf car.

Screen shot showing where I saw them!

(http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii238/KennyCarr_2008/Capture_zpsa7587b92.jpg)

A few weeks ago they were parked opposite the Atlantico centre had a car with a sun shade in the windscreen with a square hole cut in it, behind was the camera, crafty :P

Unless someone's breaking the law and speeding then I don't think there's much to worry about.

They're always on that strip of road. They're after Tourists, as all the locals know they're there. It's 50 all the way to Salinas Golf Roundabout, but I've seen countless Hire Cars put their foot down once they've past Atlantico. There's a big yellow sign that says Recuerde ( remember ) 50, around town.

A pity they don't book the bus drivers and taxi drivers - they appear to be immune!

Same old same old, break the law, accept the consequences

PS they do Nick the locals, hundreds of them, they hit back by dumping large quantities of broken bottles where the Guadia park, action not words!

Not wise to take on the Spanish police at any time least of all on holiday. Leave the action man antics to the locals or at the very least you'll end up done for obstucting them in the course of their duties to go along with your grossly extortionate speeding fine.

stick to having a moan on here, it upsets some but its satisfying and is the less dangerous option.

The object of posting the Picture and warning, was for the benefit of Forum members going there on holiday and not knowing the score re-tactics they employ etc.

While driving on the wrong side of the road, in a strange country etc, it is very easy to forget your speed and slip over the limit by accident. I wholly agree one shouldn't speed and if you do! you have no one to blame but yourself.  That's why you see me with a line of cars behind me :D

But there's blatant speeding for the sake of it and I have seen some lunatics speeding along those roads, over taking just before a bend.

You do have to be on your toes when driving through towns over there due to their daft way of applying speed limits.  One minute your ok doing 70kmh, then down to 50, and within a few yards back up to 60kmh etc etc. 

Just a heads up to save anyone on here from falling foul of the law - inadvertently of course.  ;)

They are out to get us all

From Isle of Wight Radio website

Police officers from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary have joined a Europe-wide crackdown on speeding this week.
Starting today (Monday), forces across the continent will take part in a campaign to highlight the effect excessive or inappropriate speed can have on the safety of road users.

Speed checks will be carried out every day.

Hampshire's road safety sergeant, Rob Heard said:

"Officers will be carrying out speed checks across the county every day during the campaign, so it's a good reminder to people to keep to the limits.

"People also need to realise it's a limit and not a target so it may be more appropriate to travel at a lower speed depending on the road conditions for their own safety.

"This campaign is all about awareness.

"We want people not to go above the limits as it will help them stay safe on their journey.

Quote from: isleswing on April 15, 2014, 11:47:23 AM
They are out to get us all


"People also need to realise it's a limit and not a target so it may be more appropriate to travel at a lower speed depending on the road conditions for their own safety.

I wholeheartedly disagree with this statement, especially on motorways.
I was always taught to keep as close to the limit as safely as possible,  by doing so has many advantages but the biggest one is to avoid roadrage.... yeah really.
It always gets me when some drivers decide to travel 30mph along a sliproad onto a motorway, WHY!!! they even goto the trouble of building most of them into a downhill slope so even sluggish cars can reach a suitable speed to enter a motorway....grrrr

I realise I'm in for a lambasting from certain quarters but on a legal point notwithstanding the jurisdiction or state that a speed limit is defined as the maximum speed in the defined area not a target to be reached or a guideline, and Laws that govern it are set by the local conditions and local regulations. To suggest that Guardia Civil  are out to entrap poor unsuspecting Tourists or locals is as relevant as speed radar or Gatso's or unmarked patrol cars here in the UK the US or anywhere else.
The law is the Law and requires enforcement, and if you disagree with speed limits try telling that to someone who has lost someone close from Idiots who speed.

Quote from: nacnud on April 15, 2014, 14:03:47 PM
I realise I'm in for a lambasting from certain quarters but on a legal point notwithstanding the jurisdiction or state that a speed limit is defined as the maximum speed in the defined area not a target to be reached or a guideline, and Laws that govern it are set by the local conditions and local regulations. To suggest that Guardia Civil  are out to entrap poor unsuspecting Tourists or locals is as relevant as speed radar or Gatso's or unmarked patrol cars here in the UK the US or anywhere else.
The law is the Law and requires enforcement, and if you disagree with speed limits try telling that to someone who has lost someone close from Idiots who speed.

Not get any lambasting from me nacnud.

Anyone in their right minds will fail to disagree with your sentiments.

Driving too fast is a very bad thing, I totally agree.

The reason for my first post, was simply the irony of reading the news item on Euro wide speed week immediately after KWC's posting.

not too sure about the buses but i have to agree with the poster on the islands taxis. All the ones i've ever travelled in over the years, and thats quite a few both day and night,  appear to have no fear of disobeying the the speed restrictions. Seeing as the vast majority of holidaymakers to the island are of the more mature variety i'd also say theres a decided lack of boy racers waiting to take you on at the lights (if there were any). In fact i'd even go as far as to say in my opinion if anyone was going to kill anybody it would be a local or a cabbie not joe blogg's mrs poodling down to the supermarket from their holiday apartment. Tourists tend to be more careful than they even are at home as they are out of their environment and driving on the opposite side of the road.

Far be it from me to suggest cab drivers are immune from prosecution, and they may well get pulled up, but they aren't daft, and to risk a fine and i'm assuming eventual loss of lisence at the speeds they go,does make you wonder. I'd be interested to see the accident statistics for the island and the ratio between local and holidaymaker drivers responsible.

Taxi drivers are in constant radio contact with each other. They know exactly where the police are. If they're doing 50, you know there are police about.

That explains a lot.

Moral of the story...if at all possible stay in the slipstream of a taxi.

The problem with speed limits is that many seem to be chosen arbitrarily.  In the UK, for example, you can have a narrow road flanked with lots of homes, and with no pavements, and it's a 60mph limit.  Or you can have a wide dual carriageway with no development alongside, and it's a 40mph limit.  Motorists set their natural speed according to their surroundings.  We recently tried to get the 30mph limit in our village extended about a quarter of a mile further out, and the highways people refused point blank because they said the road "didn't look like a 30 limit" so nobody would obey it.

Picture from https://www.facebook.com/pages/Radares-Fuerteventura/506292639461895?fref=ts (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Radares-Fuerteventura/506292639461895?fref=ts)

i still call it entrapment, especially the hole in the sun screen, i think the speed trap's are so intense is because it's to top up the island coffer's and give the police something to do, when you look at it they have little else to do, thankfully we're not tenerife, g/canaria etc. so we get very little lager-lout situation's, don't get me wrong, there as to be some sort of speed control, as for putting your foot down abit, i don't have a problem with it, as long as it's done in the right place's, and i'm convinced that local bus's and taxi's are excempt,  :o just to end, please stop comparing fuerte to uk/ire law's, we all know what happen's there, having said that, the island's should take a leaf out of their book by putting up road sign's stating there's speed camara's in operation, as we know, we don't know if there is or not, but it work's, because we slow down anyway....just in case.  ::) 

Quote from: woe10 on April 16, 2014, 10:16:01 AM

New Radar Camera being tested by the Traffic Police. Hidden behind a barrier  :o

(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/835/tpel.jpg)

Picture from https://www.facebook.com/pages/Radares-Fuerteventura/506292639461895?fref=ts (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Radares-Fuerteventura/506292639461895?fref=ts)

Thanks for posting that Woe.  Where was it located?

Kenny

Bluefox, there are "some" warning signs, but surely signs defeat the object - no speeding = no income from speeding fines!!!

I can't see how it is entrapment, bluefox. No-one is encouraging you to break the law, and if you do you can hardly complain if you are caught and fined, however they do it.

in the UK the authorities have long since admitted to many hidden cameras being classed as entrapment and based on revenue income rather than road safety. The policy is now the gradual removal of these cameras located in positions which have no record of improving safety or accidents but still continue to drag in thousands of pounds in fines.
There lies the true crux of the matter...money or road safety?. If it wasn't about money they'd have more police patrolling the roads and less cameras.

Quote from: PHo on April 16, 2014, 11:41:24 AM
I can't see how it is entrapment, bluefox. No-one is encouraging you to break the law, and if you do you can hardly complain if you are caught and fined, however they do it.

+1

Please read to the end.


I am absolutely against hidden speed traps and penalties in the post, as I see them as nothing more than a money-raising exercise.

We are constantly being told by the authorities that speed kills, and nobody can argue against that, though I believe that properly looking where you're going, and noticing what's happening around you is actually a much bigger issue.

They always say that they are trying to educate people and punishing those who break the law.

When you see a speed trap, what are your thoughts?
"Oh I must be careful because speed is dangerous"
"They are doing a good job punishing those who break the law"
"I will drive more carefully"
"I hate those sneaky, under-endowed social inadequates who can't think of anything better to do"
"I must watch my speed" This is a tricky one - is it  "I must watch my speed for safety sake" or "I must watch my speed so I don't get caught"?

Or do you spend the rest of your journey obsessively wondering whether they got you and then you rear-end  someone because you were distracted?

With hidden cameras and posted fines there's simply anger at getting caught, not concern that your speed may have been dangerous.

If you see someone pulled over by the police, you're more careful for the rest of your journey. I know I am.

I believe the police could get the best of both worlds.

A roadside camera - possibly hidden - and 2 policemen. One pulling in the drivers they've caught, the other booking them. Always keeping one or two cars queuing, just to make the point.
Efficient, but also a very effective deterrent and, perhaps, educator. And moving to a new location every hour helps, too.

The public humiliation of getting stopped works on both that driver, and every other one who sees them.

I got pulled last year and probably one of the best things that ever happened to me as a driver, I have never driven recklessly but just got lazy I guess.
60 quid and 3 points was fine by me, I was doing 37 coming into a 30, held my hands up and apologised.
Now I am a better driver for it.
Whether you believe a camera should be hidden or whether is should be dressed in neon lights and a disco ball speeding is still speeding.
Break the law and accept what your given, no matter what country.

Can't accept that one BS

You may think you've learnt your lesson up till now, but whos to say there won't be a slip in concentration tomorrow or a month or years time?

Speed cameras in certain instances have been known to cause more problems than they cure. The last minute breaking by drivers realising a camera is approaching and then the speeding up once out of range. The taking the eye off the road to see if the camera has flashed behind you. I doubt theres anyone could claim they haven't done it at one time. Not only that anyone who drives through an area often enough knows where they are and can speed between them at will.

At least if its coppers they can be anywhere.

KWC, I don't know where they are located. Probably move them around.

There's more info on the Facebook group:  Radares Fuerteventura.  Just type it in the search box in Facebook. You'll need to use Google Translate if you don't speak the lingo  8)

Quote from: stedge on April 16, 2014, 13:56:34 PM

You may think you've learnt your lesson up till now, but whos to say there won't be a slip in concentration tomorrow or a month or years time?

Thats the crux of the matter -concentration.

Last year I was also done for speeding while entering a 30mph zone. Was I a serial speeder, was I driving recklessly etc, no I lost concentration due to a mate yapping away to me.  It was also in a strange town up North and the 30 mph sign while perfectly legal and clear in its location, was not where I Sub-consciously at least would have expected it to be located about a good half a mile before the town.
Coupled with the nattering, I failed to realise the above.  No excuses or moans from me, I was caught, paid up and drive like a perfect little driver I should be.  But for how long?
The point I am making is it is easy to lose concentration with all the distractions one has in life. Whether that is worry about jobs, loved ones, arguments etc etc, we are all capable of "speeding" or going just over the limit on occasion. 
Show me a man / women who hasn't!!!

I do/did and will unfortunately slip up again, that I have no doubt about! Sad to say.

has anyone driven a short journey and on reflection found it hard to remember actually doing the driving. No recollection whatsoever of the time between start and finish.  Driving on auto pilot. Its happened to me a couple of times over the years and friends have told me its happened to them. Mind so full of lifes complexities and problems you miss the 'now'. Either that or its old age .

Scarey

I know that one. And what happened to the slow blue van you followed on to that road? You haven't passed any turnings and you can see empty road for 500m ahead? Where did it go?

The surprise is not that there are so many accidents, but so few.

Quote from: stedge on April 16, 2014, 15:21:27 PM
has anyone driven a short journey and on reflection found it hard to remember actually doing the driving. No recollection whatsoever of the time between start and finish.  Driving on auto pilot. Its happened to me a couple of times over the years and friends have told me its happened to them. Mind so full of lifes complexities and problems you miss the 'now'. Either that or its old age .

Scarey

Hands up here I have to confess   :-[  Especially when driving to work on the same old road for decades.

But I am not as bad as this lunatic driving a public bus at 70 mph on a local Motorway: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/video-stunned-bus-passengers-film-3417808 (http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/video-stunned-bus-passengers-film-3417808)

For sure in the future I will no doubt slip up again, but if and when I do I will again accept it.
For nearly a year and a half though I have driven exactly to any limit at any given time so the rap on the knuckles did me good.

On a sidenote, without causing too much uproar, I have to be honest and say that on many occasions when driving into work on motorways around the area some of the worst cases for speeding + general bad driving, tailgating etc seem to be young women.... lost count of how many also driving whilst on their iphone texting or having a chat...

Ah yes, young women drivers. Play by their own peculiar rules. Not interested in improving their driving skills once through the test, it`s just a means to an end for them. No spatial awareness, no pride in their car, after all, it`s just another commodity, like the telly or the fridge. Often found driving down the centre of narrow lanes, cannot/will not move over, not in their curriculum . Pull out of a junction and shrug at the car they have just forced to brake hard to avoid a collision. I once watched one of those police patrol programs where they stopped a young girl. Her reaction was to burst into tears and get on her "mobby" to mummy.To get back to the main topic, there was once a life size cardboard cut out of a police patrol car, think it was on the M55? and very effective it was too. Didn`t stop the locals speeding of course but a lot of tourists use that route into Blackpool and it worked on them. Another ploy was a stuffed sheep positioned on the grass verge in Milnthorpe, looked for all the world as if it was about to wander into the road. That slowed people down as well. Prevention you see, not revenue generation.

Quote from: zedzedeleven on April 16, 2014, 23:19:53 PM
Ah yes, young women drivers. Play by their own peculiar rules. Not interested in improving their driving skills once through the test, it`s just a means to an end for them. No spatial awareness, no pride in their car, after all, it`s just another commodity, like the telly or the fridge. Often found driving down the centre of narrow lanes, cannot/will not move over, not in their curriculum . Pull out of a junction and shrug at the car they have just forced to brake hard to avoid a collision. I once watched one of those police patrol programs where they stopped a young girl. Her reaction was to burst into tears and get on her "mobby" to mummy.To get back to the main topic, there was once a life size cardboard cut out of a police patrol car, think it was on the M55? and very effective it was too. Didn`t stop the locals speeding of course but a lot of tourists use that route into Blackpool and it worked on them. Another ploy was a stuffed sheep positioned on the grass verge in Milnthorpe, looked for all the world as if it was about to wander into the road. That slowed people down as well. Prevention you see, not revenue generation.

I remember the Cardboard Cut Out Police Car on the North bound side of the M6 just after the junction with the M55, best was on occasions there was a police car parked behind it ready to set off after a speeding motorist.

This subject will run and run as every one has their own opinions on what is the correct speed limit for a particular stretch of road.  Why can't we have more of the variable speed limits dependent on the traffic conditions and time of day, 70mph on the M6 north at 23.00hrs when it is clear should possibly 90mph.

In my opinion another issue that causes speeding and accidents is slow drivers doing 30mph when the limit is 40 or 50, frustrating the drivers behind who then speed or overtake where they shouldn't.

Why is a hidden camera 'entrapment'?

If it's there to catch drug dealers or terrorists, is that also entrapment?

Some UK speed limits seem arbitrary until you know the policies that determine them. For example, a dual carriageway without a barrier on the central reservation will never be more than 50mph (although take away the reservation and it becomes 60mph). If it's lower than normal, it usually means that there was a fatal collision there within the last 8 years - but this doesn't have to be speed related, I know of one location where the collision was due to a heart attack.

I expect Spanish speed limits follow similar guidelines.

to be honest if you can't see the difference in importance and necessity of a hidden camera to catch drug offenders and terrorists and one designed to catch unwary motorists straying a few MPH over the limit in a position which does not improve road safety then all is lost anyway. pay up and shut up is how they want it and it seems for some of us thats good enough.

I call it entrapment (Ok - sneakily catching me is correct) and daylight robbery into the bargain. In that respect their speed cameras are the same as the majority in the UK. Not located in dangerous areas but positioned to generate the most income. Take a look around at the number of substandard vehicles - where is the enforcement for them. Speed Kills my ****. Lack of concentration kills. Mobile phones are probably the biggest culprit in accidents these days. Even hands free which are still legal. It isn't where your hands are that is the problem but where your brain is.

Just got a 300 Euro fine notification (71kph on the fv207) plus a 40 euro stinger from the hire car outfit for their efforts to look up my address.  I heard that it's unlikely to be chased up in the UK though so I'll probably ignore it.
What are they gonna do - arrest me at the airport next time.
Don't think so.
Eh...Anybody been hauled up on arrival.

'Entrapment' is where you are lured into doing something wrong, not when they sneakily catch you for doing it.  :(

As a highway engineer with 32 years experience I can assure you that all speed limits are set with full regard to safety and past accident records and not as a cash generating exercise. I can't understand the attitude of motorists who think that they have the right to break the law without fear of punishment. If you get caught for speeding, by whatever means, you were breaking the law. I bet that any of these moaners would have a different attitude if a member of their family was killed by a speeding motorist.

Quote from: Riverman on April 22, 2014, 22:34:32 PM
As a highway engineer with 32 years experience I can assure you that all speed limits are set with full regard to safety and past accident records and not as a cash generating exercise. I can't understand the attitude of motorists who think that they have the right to break the law without fear of punishment. If you get caught for speeding, by whatever means, you were breaking the law. I bet that any of these moaners would have a different attitude if a member of their family was killed by a speeding motorist./quote]

Yep thats why half the cameras are now redundant. Because none of them were cash generators.

Quote from: macb on April 20, 2014, 21:07:37 PM
I call it entrapment (Ok - sneakily catching me is correct) and daylight robbery into the bargain. In that respect their speed cameras are the same as the majority in the UK. Not located in dangerous areas but positioned to generate the most income. Take a look around at the number of substandard vehicles - where is the enforcement for them. Speed Kills my ****. Lack of concentration kills. Mobile phones are probably the biggest culprit in accidents these days. Even hands free which are still legal. It isn't where your hands are that is the problem but where your brain is.

Just got a 300 Euro fine notification (71kph on the fv207) plus a 40 euro stinger from the hire car outfit for their efforts to look up my address.  I heard that it's unlikely to be chased up in the UK though so I'll probably ignore it.
What are they gonna do - arrest me at the airport next time.
Don't think so.
Eh...Anybody been hauled up on arrival.

Is there a discount bonus for early payment? Mine was knocked down to about thirty five euros so I just paid it, not worth worrying about. If you did get stopped on entry (extremely unlikely) you wouldn`t be any worse off than you are now if it stays at three hundred euros. As regards the fee the hire car company charged you, well I guess that`s one company you won`t be using again !

There was a discount of 50% if paid immediately but I was on the island for a month and had got done on the first week. The discount therefore expired before I knew about it. It took me ages to work out where I had been speeding. Still only have a general idea. The car was hired to take a couple of older (and nervous) relatives around. I was driving sedately for most of the time and I didn't realise I had been speeding. Certainly was not playing boy racers but it must have been a countdown sign on approach to a roundabout I think. Anyway the photograph appeared to show the offence!
Goldcar had my CC details so their 40 Euros was debited out smartly. They don't miss a chance to get some extra cash but they did provide a new car at a cheap price initially - it's all in the small print I guess.

Still and all, forty euros is a bit steep for thirty seconds work looking up a booking on the computer. Cicar didn`t charge me owt but you could argue that their prices are so high they already charged just in case!  Next time I was over I asked the expats that I knew what their thoughts were. None of them said they would have paid, one said that the unpaid ticket would only come to light if you committed another offence and your name and address was entered into the computer database.

Do you get much grief off the old bill if driving a UK plate motor? Mine will be on UK plates till I can get it re registered but I don't want any interactions with the old bill....all insured and new mot, Florry waistcoats, triangles, bulb kits etc just in case of a pull. Can't be arsed with cops....

Quote from: Jock719 on April 23, 2014, 14:28:36 PM
Do you get much grief off the old bill if driving a UK plate motor? Mine will be on UK plates till I can get it re registered but I don't want any interactions with the old bill....all insured and new mot, Florry waistcoats, triangles, bulb kits etc just in case of a pull. Can't be arsed with cops....

Jock if you wear spectacles for driving, you must have a spare set with you in the car as a back up  :D 

Handy for spying the old bill hiding places ......

We didn't get any extra grief while our car was on French plates; in fact it helped break the ice somewhat, seeing as we had British passports and Spanish NIEs. But they do always look at absolutely everything even though they've stopped you at a routine checkpoint, so check lights, tyres etc regularly. I really don't think they target any particular group: tourists in hire cars, expats in foreign cars, non-Spanish residents, Canarians... we all get to fork out sooner or later :(. Still, it doesn't always hurt too much as hubby's fine for a missing document was a massive 10€, reduced to 5€ for fast payment. He was at the checkpoint for a long, long while, taking up the time of a Guardia Civil, so I can't see how they made a profit on that. Something for the "wall of fame" for us though ;D.

Has anyone warned Jensen Button? Or conversely, has anyone warned the policia?  ;D