Ok, so I saw one of these vans the other day. Can't find a picture online, so will try my best to describe it:

- A ford transit-sized van
- a large black satellite on the roof
- Police camera signs on the back
- 2 tripods out the back with what looked like camera's on, pointing across both the lanes of a dual carriageway at approx 45 degree angle.

Never seen one before. Anyone else seen one? Are they speed camera's, or just ANPR vans?

 

Seen the same van in bradford on three occasions, two of the occasions the PM was visiting the area so maybe it was just coincidence. No idea what it does, assumed it was more checking cars/plates for anti terror reasons rather than speeding thus the satelite but i could be wrong. The ones i have seen also havent had the usual escort of high vis cars. Anyone else seen them?

 

usually, whenever I have seen a long distance camera van, they have to be looking down a long, straight road, so they can catch people. this van was parked on the central reservation of a dual carriageway, just before a roundabout, and it was kind of a windy road leading up to the van (I actually saw the van out of the corner of my eye at approximately the 2 o'clock position before the road swerved to the right so that the van was in front of me). would be nice to know that they're not speed camera vans...

 

There the new generation of everything van. Speed. Anpr. Drivers with no seat belt. Phone users. Everything which is why they'll be parked there.

 

hmmm, so out of interest, what would be the possible range of the speed camera part of it? would it just be where those black-tripod-camera-thingy's are pointing? or do they have other camera's which can catch you from much further away?

 

Yeh, sounds like the New Super Detector vans as birchy201 says, they will get you for anything.
Seen them and the technology they use is unreal, the way it detects people on a mobile etc.

however, that part of the system i feel could be flawed from what i have seen, if u were scratching ur head ear etc, as u go past the computer detects your hand beside your head and a ticket will be issued.

 

The camera does everything on them was my understanding. Don't think the range on them has improved much over the current hand held lasers just that they take photo's now after a laser calibration. Can't be more helpful than that I'm afraid. Apart from the cameras are external as it does both directions from one point.

 

ah ok, so if it seems like the only camera's they have are the external ones on tripods that point across the road, then I am mildly relieved. When I saw the van, I might or might not have been a bit above the speed limit as I was just cruising at the same speed as the traffic, but as I saw the van I kind of instinctively jumped on the brakes to make sure I wasn't speeding, and was definitely under the speed limit by the time I went past the direction the tripods were pointing. fingers crossed, would like to keep my clean licence!!

thanks for the info chaps