GATSO
These are the most common camera in use in
the UK. They are rear-facing meaning that
they take their readings and photos AFTER
you
drive
past
them.
Some counties use Peek Traffic speed
camera's - these are similar to Gatsos but
made
by
a
different
company.
Please also log these as Gatso. On
motorways, particulary on the M25 you may
see Gatsos fitted into the overhead gantries again, log these as Gatsos.
TRUVELO
Similar to Gatsos but normally forward
facing - i.e. your picture is taken as you
approach. Truvelo's use infra red so they
won't blind you and therefore can be
impossible to tell if you have been caught well, unless you weren't speeding.
However, some Truvelo's are installed in a
'rear facing' orientation and take pictures
AFTER you pass. Do not assume therefore
that Truvelo's operate only in forward facing
mode.
MONITRON
NB: Monitron have since been bought by
RedSpeed but in order to distinguish them
from Redlight Cameras we are keeping their
old
name!
The newest type of speed camera is the
Monitron. This is essentially a digital gatso
that can double up as a red light camera too.
The camera is triggered by sensors in the
road as opposed to radar and, if placed near
traffic lights it can be set up to act as a speed
camera when the lights are green and a
redlight camera when they are on red. They
are smaller than a gatso and live on high
poles.
REDLIGHT
These cameras primarily catch those who
jump redlights. However, more recently they
can also double up as speed cameras too (you
may have noticed that the redlight cameras in
the database often have a speed associated
with them). They are fairly easy to
distinguish as they will be near a set of traffic
lights. These are rear facing so take you
picture after you have passed them. Newer
RedSpeed cameras look the same as
Monitrons - i.e. a small box on a tall pole but
act as both a redlight camera and a speed
camera.
SPECS (AVERAGE SPEED)
The latest craze for roadwork cameras (but
not limited to just roadworks) are Specs
cameras. These measure your average speed
over
a
set
distance.
Even though they may be temporary please
ensure they are logged as Specs.
MOBILE
Mobile cameras vary across the country but
the most common now are 'Safety Partnership
Vans' which park up at the roadside and
measure the speeds of passing drivers. They
can either be 'hidden' in the back of the van or
stood outside with the camera on a tripod.
Some areas are now seeing Motorbikes rather
than vans so they can be placed on smaller
roads too. Camera vans can also sometimes
'plug in' to a DS2 system - this comprises of
pads in the road and a post that a camera
plugs into. It does not work unless a camera
is attached. Even though mobile camera sites
are, in essence, temporary please ensure they
are recorded as Mobile.
TRAFFIC MASTER
We do not want these submitted, these are
shown here for information only.
Often mistaken for a form of speed camera,
the Traffic Master system takes the form of
blue camera-like devices normally either
situated on a blue pole by the road side or
fixed to a bridge across all lanes of traffic
You may also see green or grey cameras /
poles
too.
The purpose of the Traffic Master system is
to feed traffic information back to the control
centre to highlight slow moving traffic (i.e.
traffic jams), and then to relay this
information to its customers via various
multimedia products.
ANPR / TRAFFIC MONITORING
We do not want these submitted, these are
shown here for information only.
Often confused with SPECS, the main
difference is the missing SPECS logo built
into the mount and the missing yellow
colouring. These are simply traffic
monitoring cameras not speed cameras.
ANPR's are been confused for mobile camera
vans when in fact they do not check for
speed, they tend to check for untaxed
vehicles etc. The main difference is the
presence of multiple cameras - either pointing
out of the back of the van or on a bridge.
They are usually accompanied by a group of
police cars or motorbikes further up the road
to catch any non-taxed drivers straight away.
CAMERA SIGNS
We do not want these submitted, these are
shown here for information only.
These are only warning signs and not actual
cameras.
The ones that flash up the speed limit when
you are going too fast are just that, signs that
flash - they are not able to prosecute.
NEW CAMERA TYPES
New cameras are beginning to be put in place
and more information can be found here.
Note that only one of them appears to be a
Speed Camera (Street Seen) the rest appear to
be traffic monitoring.