Cost: £45,000
Front or rear facing: Both
These are becoming increasingly common and are an updated version of the older Gatso. There is no transmission from the box on the pole as it works by using inductive loops buried under the road surface. As the front wheel crosses the first loop, it triggers a clock. As the wheel crosses the second loop a second clock is started. Moments later that front wheel crosses another line and the first clock is stopped. The final loop stops the second clock. If the time between the two is below a certain limit, the camera is activated and a single, full colour image is taken. The three thin white lines painted on the road are there as a secondary check and can be used to double-check speed.
Name: Serco/Gatso
Cost: £30,000
Front or rear facing: Both
Cheap and very reliable. A radar beam is constantly on and measures the time it takes for a beam to reach the approaching or departing vehicle and then bounce back. If the time is below a certain limit, two pictures are taken. The distance between the two pictures is then measured according to the painted white lines on the road and a speed is deduced.
Name: SPECS
Cost: £300,000
Front or rear facing: Front normally
Hugely expensive, but very effective way of measuring average speed along a stretch of road. Uses numberplate recognition software to read a numberplate at the start of a section of road then again as you leave. If you are under the set time limit then two digital images are taken (one from the first camera and one from the second) and sent to the ticket office.
Name: Mobile camera vans
Cost: £30,000
Front or rear facing: Both
Scourge of motorists, these use a laser speed measuring device combined with digital video and can detect speed from a long way off. A laser speed reader is activated by the operator. As the trigger is pulled, video equipment records the vehicle and takes an image with all the information such as speed, date and time laid out on it.
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