Manky Monkey Motors

Just a small rant.
I had to go back to Oxford cos my mother has been in & out of hospital for months. I was a bit distractated and did not see a speed camera which zapped me.
When I got the summons it turned out I had been six miles over the speed limit, and they were offering me a three hour safety course instead of sixty quid fine and three points.
Sounds good but the course is £76 and thirty-odd for petrol from Cardiff. I don't want the points but I can't afford to cough up sixty quid before xmas. What a bummer.

:(

What a git, too much money for a course, better that the police spent more resources catching murderers, rapists, burgulars etc >:( >:(
Keith

Bad luck mate. Everyone speeds -I'm usually about 10 miles an hour over any given limit, but I accept there's no excuse for it & if I get nicked I deserve it. A safe driving course is a commendable way of dealing with the problem, but being effectively fined as well by having to pay for it is a bummer. Bloody annoying, but made worse cos you know it could've been avoided altogether.

Thing is I usually look out for camera's, as we have them every quarter mile in Cardiff city, but I had just been to the hospital, and my mum was in a poor state (she died two days later) and was not 100% alert.
I don't want to use that as an excuse, but I was hoping I would'nt get the points.
I asked in our solicitors and they said that If I decided to go to court with it I could not get legal aid and it would cost £300 plus. Screwed all ways, Eh?

i had the same thing earlier this year,got zapped on the way to my mothers in newcastle,i live in glasgow,and took the option of the course ,which was in tyne and wear.i phoned them up and they allowed me to set a different date,6 weeks later,as i wasnt local to the course area.
give them a call,its worth a try,they were very helpful.

Try a phone call first then maybe a letter, explaining the circumstances, and that you understand you were over the limit and why you were distracted, and ask if you can do the course locally.

You never know, they might take pity on you!  Worth a phone call anyway.

Thanks.
 I phoned Thames Valley and they said they have a zero tollerance policy, ie No excuses.
Phoned the firm running the courses and they said I have fourteen days from when I got the offer of a course,and that if I leave it till the last day to send back the application for the course to the pigs, by the time it gets to them it will be after xmas and into january.

Skip the country!  ;D

As good a reason as any considering everything else thats going on ;D :o

I guess we are real lucky in Telford, we only have around half a dozen speed cameras, none of them are on the fast roads. They tend to site them just going into the shopping areas. While i think about it we only have a dozen sets of traffic lights in the town to.
I don't know any bikers up here who've been caught by a camera but i know a few who've been caught in their cars.
Fast town Telford is.

Well I hate to gloat,but there are NONE in good ole County Durham,no static ones anyway

Only one camera in Basingstoke.

Very few round me too. None in the Village but a couple of static ones in Guildford and a couple of mobile ones that always sit in the same spot  ???.

We have dozens in Dorset!  and most seem to be in the area I live in!

We got loads in torbay. In the winter there's more speed cameras that tourists :o

Most of the tourists down there can't manage more than 30 anyway!  They need to ticketed for going too slow!

I did like what the Dutch did, They all got together and filled them up with builders expanding foam. People power at its best.

Hi Bobbi, yep the tourists are a pain, coming down here spending money, buying stuff, living in hotels and B and B's, cluttering up the place ;D ;D

I know keith, we get them here too, and I really don't begrudge them (except for the traffic!) cos we have this wonderful area to ourselves a large part of the year.

The only thing that 'gets me tripes up' is that we have the highest water bills in the country, and have to share our water,beaches etc with those who have lower bills!!!!!
Still need the emmets for their money though ;D

My sister came over from Canada recently. Only been gone a year or so but said she couldn't believe how congested the roads were here & how aggressively we drive. They said in the paper yesterday that traffic's almost doubled in the last 30 years. Most of it seems to be on the M3 when I'm commuting home each day.

Sometimes we ain't very polite, especially when we run in to, or narrowly avoid a proper wa@@er :o

I think the aggressiveness comes from the life we live.

I've been off work for a couple of months, and I've noticed how aggressive the other drivers are, all got to be in front, not got a second to spare!  And I was letting them go cos I was so laid-back.  But now I'm back at work I'm back in the ratrace too!

Think you're probably right there Bobbi

I was on the local bypass yesterday in really bad rain. I thought 50 was a sensible speed as you could'nt see more than 20 yards, but there were tossers passing me doing twice my speed.

When I'm out on my Postal delivery, as soon as it starts raining, within 5 minutes I hear the sirens from the local Fire Station heading for the motorway. There must be a crash on the M3 every time it rains.

hmm id like to say im also heavy footed but i try to drive to the prevailing conditions but alot of the driving on the rds these days is just utter crap,drivers dont use the lanes correctly on motorways "i now we all seen the middle laners" but they really do get up arse!!! ive seen me on the inside lane doing 90 only to use another 2 lanes to pass the Twat in the middle and then i return to the inside lane,on occasions ive seen the motorways being used in the right way with cars moving at fast speeds but all returning to inside lane or the nearest depending on lorries and it always moves quicker.

On the A38, rain so bad that the wipers,on fast setting could'nt cope at more than 40mph, very very dark day, lights on,6, yes six,cars beeping me,showing two fingers as they went past, tailgating each other, and flying past like I was standing still. 2 miles down the road six cars all bashed up. The front car had tail smashed in the last car had front smashed in, the other 4 damage to front and back. What did I do, you've probably guessed, beeped horn and stuck up 2 fingers. Probably childish but it was great, felt really superior. Serve the silly sods right.

Poetic justice.

Same with these multiple pile-ups. They happen every year and nobody takes a bit of notice.
Earlier this year I was going through the Grangetown tunnel in Cardiff. There are two tunnels, one going each way, with two lanes in each.
As I went into one, there was a 50 mph limit and a flashing sign above the second lane saying that it was closed.
Bimbling along I was passed by a big merc doing about seventy, followed by a smaller bmw.
What gets me is that there could have been a wagon or something in that closed lane, servicing the tunnel. Do these flashy car drivers think that signs don't apply to them?

I drive a flashy car  :'( I always obay signs especialy if one says a lane is closed I don't use that lane and if it's road works I slow down. Ok I cruise the motorways over the speed limit in good weather and light traffic, but if the weather conditions are bad I always drop to the same speed as the lorries. I also get peple staring at me etc but I don't care as I would like to keep my car not write it and others off.

Sorry Taz.
Not taring you with the same brush. It does seem that these a*seholes in their big Mercs/BM's/lexus think that the rules do not apply to them.

Don't worry I do know what you mean. I'm normaly swearing at them too.

Taz does actually own the road.  ;D
I've borrowed her super blingy, alloy wheeled & spoilered Beemer again for a couple of days while my car's being fixed.
Cruising home along the A3 tonight I passsed a glossy black 3 series BMW. Lowered, flashy alloys, dark tinted lights etc. He nodded & flashed his lights as I passed him on the dual carriageway. I pulled into the nearside lane & a few minutes later he passed . I flashed the lights in return as we checked each other out.
Yo! I'm down & cool with the Beemer Boys!  8) Wonder what they'll make of the Pop?!

mmmm wonder what speeds you were doing  ;)

Corgi are making a replica BMW, complete with flashing lights honking horn and.....
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aggressive driver :-[ :o :o

Dear Santa.................................................  ;D

Dear satan...... :o