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Brussels speed cameras disguised as garbage bags
Belgium
10:10 29/08/2013
Drivers in Brussels may be surprised lately when they are flashed by speed cameras disguised as garbage bags. According to the Brussels-Capital Region/Ixelles police department, the guise has helped them catch nearly a third more speed demons, writes Het Nieuwsblad. The idea came to the police by accident when, on a rainy day, agents decided to protect the device by covering it with a plastic garbage bag. This resulted in a sudden increase in the number of violations, and some €65,000 in fines. Since then the disguise has been systematically applied, and the number of drivers flashed remains significantly higher than before, "an increase of 30 percent," confirms police commissioner Thierry Vandenhoute.
Comments
How many more would there be if there were no warning signs posted about speed cameras?
How many fewer speeders would there have been if there was a warning sign and the camera was painted bright yellow?
Disguised cameras are about revenue.
I was in Britain over the weekend, and whilst the amount of speed cameras there is excessive, at least they are generally before a junction, corner, traffic lights, black spot, etc. Here in Belgium the cameras are often on straight stretches of road where drivers are most likely to speed. It appears to be all about revenue, and not about safety.