Like I said, respect for the law appears to be on the wane. Although the word ‘hostility’ might be even more apposite:
They are the black knights of the road; balaclava-wearing highway hitmen out to burn, bomb, decapitate and dismember. But drivers need not fear, for it is speed cameras that this growing band of rebels are after.
Up and down the country, the tools used to keep roads safe are being ripped down, blown up and even shot apart as part of a campaign orchestrated by a gang of web-surfing outlaws. They threaten to become the most popular gang of criminals since Robin Hood and his Merry Men stalked the countryside.
Forsooth, methinks the commoners may be in need of folk-songs.
From the south coast to the Highlands no camera is safe. Known as Gatsometers, or Gatsos, they are being destroyed at a rate that has alarmed police forces. Particularly destructive cells are operating in north London, Essex and Wales – where they rage against machines deployed by renowned anti-speeding police chief Richard Brunstrom.
With each unit costing £24,000 to replace, a huge bill is being run up. But the rebels are unrepentant, claiming the cost is more than met by speeding drivers’ fines. Speed cameras, they argue, are not about keeping roads safe, but about raising revenue. The charred remains of their victims are often adorned with stickers or graffiti which declare cameras to be stealth tax inspectors.
Of course, we at Samizdata.net could not possibly condone these irresponsible actions by an anti-social minority. 
The Target for Tonight?
[My thanks to Dr.Chris Tame for posting this story to the Libertarian Alliance Forum.]
How long, I wonder, till the government panicks and introduces angle-grinder licensing? 😛
Where do I send a donation? What do they prefer: cash, checks or small cutting torches?
Seeds of a British anti-tax militia?
Are they doing the same as the Dutch – hanging a car tyre over the camera body, pouring petrol in, then lighting the blue touchpaper – ?
I get around the country quite a lot, but I have yet to see an incinerated Gatso, sadly. Maybe this report is too optimistic – so far…
It would appear to me that all hope is not lost on the British people being able to releive themselves of punitive governments.
The strong and able leadership displayed by Captian Gatso I hope will become a lesson to our future generations.
I get around the country quite a lot, but I have yet to see an incinerated Gatso, sadly.
So what are you waiting for? Necklace a Gatso . . . today!
I’ve often wondered if those little lasers they sell as pointers would damage a traffic cam. Those CCD’s are so sensitive to light and burn-in, and some of those pointers are sold to go on key-chains.
Just strikes me as a dangerous combination, is all…
I’ve allways wondered whether its possible to “jam” these cameras…
They use the radar doppler effect to work out the speed that the vehicle is travelling and trigger the camera.
Now it “should” be possible to overlay the phase shift with a stronger signal that will make the machine think you are travelling at any particular speed.
My plan is to work out how it works and video the camera taking a picture of a child on a tricycle cycling through at a “million miles an hour”.
No need to damage the states property, just kill their effectiveness.
Apparently there are still some very usefull lessons to be learned from our friends on the continent…..
http://www.tuftufclub.com/english/
And there are other questions The Home Office has failed to answer :-
Have the Gatsos been waterproof tested to 50 fathams ?
Is the exterior finish on the Gatsos enviromentally safe ?
Does the brillant light flash at night affect any of nature’s local inhabitants ?
How many Gatsos does it take to properly support a D9 Cat off the ground ?
How many “moonings” take place in a 24hr period?
Keep the fight up.
“They use the radar doppler effect to work out the speed that the vehicle is travelling and trigger the camera.”
No they don’t. They take two pictures – hence the double flash – and simply measure how far you’ve travelled over those tell-tale white calibration stripes on the road.
Jamming won’t get you anywhere.
They still use radar to determine whether to fire the camera in the first place. So it might be possible to fool them into thinking you’re going slower than you really are so the pictures aren’t taken.
Reminds me of a time in Washington DC when ranks and ranks of parking meters were being decapitated. Seems two groups were responsible: junkies looking for coins and free-parking zealots who opposed the tyrrany of the meter.
“They take two pictures – hence the double flash – and simply measure how far you’ve travelled over those tell-tale white calibration stripes on the road.”
Not that I would condone the destruction of State property, of course [eyecross], but wouldn’t it just be easier to paint out the white stripes with black paint?
Gatzo Zapper!
A Magnatron from a microwave oven mounted on a pole and held in front of the camera lense or radar apature would frizzle the electronics in a few seconds. Would need 800w inverter + magnatron, transformer & rectifer from an old microwave oven + battery. Battery needs to be a car battery able to supply about 65A for a few seconds.
Caution: Magnatron would be damaged if left on for more than about 15 seconds at a time. You would be damaged if you looked into it!. They run on about 2.5KV, you don’t need to go visit voltages this high, they come to you!.
Be safe.
Lots of pictures of burnt radarposts on http://www.tuftufclub.com
Enjoy
Can anyone tell me if this is true, I’ve heard that if a speed camera doesn’t have a sign on each side of the road showing you the speed limit then the camera is not legal and thay cannot issue speeding fines. This this true?
Spray the flashes on the speed cameras with high temperature paint lie what you would use on your car engine manifold, this stops any light for use at night so no no. plate is noticed,
also a normal claw hammer works wonders to thegrey strip on the front and sometimes sets the camera flashing until the film runs out
ive just been done by a mobile camra van and a gatso in 1 week bang goes my clean driving licence after 14 years clean driving can i join the club and burn burn burn
I always carry a large, readable sign. When I see the talivan, I pull over and alert fellow motorists to the uniformed c*nts.
i find a black dustbin liner works great for a while short term only as it gets removed when noticed but hey it just might help one driver eh
KILL A CAM TODAY BABY YEAAAAAAAAAAA
The gatsometer use’s a doppler shift radar which is low powered and is angled across the road!
once this detects anything passing through the radar traveling faster than the pre set speed it then
triggers the flash which is controled by a timer which can be altered it should flash 2 times at 0.5 second intervals! at the same time as the flash the camera takes the photos… it could either be digital using ccd camera or a film camera which uses an 800 roll film, 2 flashes, thats 400 offences! and then the 2 photos are measured by the lines on the road but……..
there is a bloke who has been caught by a gatso and he says the flash timing settings are wrong and as a result by the lines on the photos say he’s speeding but if the flash settings are off…..
say the 2nd flash flashes 1 second after the first flash the car will be further into the lines and further away from the camera………. speed cameras are just ticket machines…… and speed hasnt killed and never will….. peoples driving standards kill……….
and also padestrians kill they walk and run into the roads wether or not a car is exceeding the speedlimit they shouldnt be doing what they are thats stepping into the road!! they dont play on the train tracks its about time people kept off the f**king roads!!!!
instead of having good high speed roads there all f**ked up because little f**kers dont know the high way code! or just run in the roads and call claims direct and get money off you!!!!!!!!!!
read more at (Link)
Personally I find a pump action 12 Bore firing a solid 1 Oz. slug rips a Hole in a Gatso big enough to put a tennis ball through. Three or four shots (after checking the camera is live with your Bel550 finishes off the f****r.
Rent, bent and trashed scrap metal is all that’s left. The one on the A417 outside swindon on the way to Oxford about four years ago? That was… erm.. shot quite a few times at 2am. A full box of 12 cartridges.
Next trick is, I’m making a rifle to fire these slugs, then I can take out Gatsos from over 800 yards. That will be fun. In the fields dressed in black with the NVG’s on. Only problem is the damn noise, still from 800yds I can be back in the car and away ASAP (watch out for Pig Helicopters though..”Pork Choppers” find one of these and you’ll do time for criminal damage AND possession of an illegal firearm ;-(.
OR after the first hole a fairy liquid bottle full of petrol. Squirt the magic fluid into the hole and lob in your fag butt (light this AFTER you’ve applied the petrol and NOT to yourself)!.
Suggest you RUN LIKE HELL, the result is VERY loud!
WHY NOT SPILL A POT OF PAINT ON THE ROAD SURFACE AT THE POINT OF CALIBRATION. SURELY IF THE CALIBRATION MARKS ARE DEFECTIVE ON THE ROAD SURFACE A PROSECUTION CANNOT SUCCEED.
IF COUGHT WHAT OFFENCE HAVE YOU COMITTED?
I find Brainiacs thermite a reasonable option. Take one 4″ teracotter plant pot fill with your thermite set 2ft of magnesium fuse set phone cam for prosperity quickly place pot on top of main housing lite, will take but a few soconds for fuse to burn and about 10 seconds to burn completely through, completely destroyed nuff sed.
Had a close look at the overhead motorway average speed cams you no the yellow ones, well they are held down by four bolts about 32mm or there abouts, and nearly always next to woods, tie long length of rope on to pole as high as you can go then other around tree, undo two bollts facing the road tighten rope whilst loosening inside bolts, when it falls destroy cam so cant be used LOL