M
mikew
Guest
I was in Northampton today on business, and saw this in their local paper. Could hardly miss it given the "Attention grabbing" headline (below).
I've reproduced the entire article, and if you take the time to read it, you'll find some serious issues in it (there are also some of the "raised eyebrow" variety aswell, but most of you can sort shit from sugar).
so the article ...........
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18 February 2004
Cutting-edge technology will be used to catch bikers who have been logged racing at speeds of up to 139 mph in Northamptonshire.
The county?s police force is currently using the latest speed-detecting technology to carry out Britains? biggest ever survey of motorbike speeds.
Already the survey, codenamed Operation Biker, has recorded 900 bikes travelling at speeds between 80mph and 139mph, a speed which pushes a bike?s stopping distance up to a quarter-of-a-mile.
The force?s senior collison inspector, Pc John Spencer, told the (Northampton) Chronicle and Echo he was amazed when he heard a bike had travelled along the A509 near Wollaston at 139mph.
The number of people killed in motorbike accidents on Northamptonshires? roads increased from 90 in 2002 to 122 last year.
Pc Spencer said:? I?ve been absolutley astonished with the results we?ve come up with so far.
?The road where the bike was recorded doing 139mph was the same place another biker had died in an earlier crash, so I was amazed when I saw that.
?It?s twice the speed you can do on a motorway and at that speed the stopping distance would be about a quarter-of-a-mile. It?s ridiculous.
At the end of this month, the survey will be backed up by high-visibilty patrols on roads which Attract large numbers of bikers in an attempt to catch those flouting the speed laws.
Officers will target bikes which are being ridden irresponsibly and look for illegal number plates and unroadworthy machines.
The speed survey began last year and is set to continue until the end of 2004.
Officers using specially designed machines, which are laid in the road to measure motorbike speeds, hope the survey will build up the most detailed picture of bikers? driving habits ever produced.
It emerged two years ago that, as motorbikes do not have registraion plates on the front for safety reasons, the speeding roders were not being detected by front facing cameras.
Maximum speeds recorded on roads across the county which are popular with bikers:
139mph - A509 Wollaston
135mph ? A508 Yardley Gobion
122mph ? A361 Byfield
118mph ? B4525 Helmdon
114mph ? A422 Farthinghoe
112mph ? A4500 Earls Barton
109mph ? A428 West Haddon
105mph ? A361 Kilsby
101mph ? A605 Oundle
95mph - A45 Daventry
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Given the headline was as below, you can just imagine the reaction to this by the great uneducated peeps who read it......
I've reproduced the entire article, and if you take the time to read it, you'll find some serious issues in it (there are also some of the "raised eyebrow" variety aswell, but most of you can sort shit from sugar).
so the article ...........
***********************************************
18 February 2004
Cutting-edge technology will be used to catch bikers who have been logged racing at speeds of up to 139 mph in Northamptonshire.
The county?s police force is currently using the latest speed-detecting technology to carry out Britains? biggest ever survey of motorbike speeds.
Already the survey, codenamed Operation Biker, has recorded 900 bikes travelling at speeds between 80mph and 139mph, a speed which pushes a bike?s stopping distance up to a quarter-of-a-mile.
The force?s senior collison inspector, Pc John Spencer, told the (Northampton) Chronicle and Echo he was amazed when he heard a bike had travelled along the A509 near Wollaston at 139mph.
The number of people killed in motorbike accidents on Northamptonshires? roads increased from 90 in 2002 to 122 last year.
Pc Spencer said:? I?ve been absolutley astonished with the results we?ve come up with so far.
?The road where the bike was recorded doing 139mph was the same place another biker had died in an earlier crash, so I was amazed when I saw that.
?It?s twice the speed you can do on a motorway and at that speed the stopping distance would be about a quarter-of-a-mile. It?s ridiculous.
At the end of this month, the survey will be backed up by high-visibilty patrols on roads which Attract large numbers of bikers in an attempt to catch those flouting the speed laws.
Officers will target bikes which are being ridden irresponsibly and look for illegal number plates and unroadworthy machines.
The speed survey began last year and is set to continue until the end of 2004.
Officers using specially designed machines, which are laid in the road to measure motorbike speeds, hope the survey will build up the most detailed picture of bikers? driving habits ever produced.
It emerged two years ago that, as motorbikes do not have registraion plates on the front for safety reasons, the speeding roders were not being detected by front facing cameras.
Maximum speeds recorded on roads across the county which are popular with bikers:
139mph - A509 Wollaston
135mph ? A508 Yardley Gobion
122mph ? A361 Byfield
118mph ? B4525 Helmdon
114mph ? A422 Farthinghoe
112mph ? A4500 Earls Barton
109mph ? A428 West Haddon
105mph ? A361 Kilsby
101mph ? A605 Oundle
95mph - A45 Daventry
**************************************************
Given the headline was as below, you can just imagine the reaction to this by the great uneducated peeps who read it......