 Poster: A snowHead
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...just a post before the season starts - there are new speed cameras on the E25 / E62 / A1 - on the run into Lausanne and beyond - posted this earlier in the year but thought it might be an idea to post again - quite a few people are still falling foul of them - and note the autoroute speed in CH is 120kph unless otherwise indicated - not the 130kph in France.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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But no agreement exists between UK and CH (or any other country) to enable fines to be levied on static camera evidence ifirc it is down to the UK's insistence of proof of who was driving at the time.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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If you speed past my house you run the risk of me sticking a scaffold pole through your windscreen, I don't care whether an agreement exists to enable fines to be recovered, the safety of my children is a little more important.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Colin B, I would never speed in Peterborough but if you put a scaffold pole near my windscreen you will be in a cell in the local nick before you can say safety camera partnership.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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My sentiment is that just because you are "outside the law" why should you risk the lives of the locals. Around here there are a lot of of eastern european plated cars who take just that attitude. A bit more responsibility should be shown. and if you wouldn't speed in Peterborough why would speeding in France/Switzerland be OK just because it's "safe" from prosecution!
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Colin B, I didn't say I would speed anywhere, particularly in CH where I hold a work permit 
However I totally agree with your point on other plated cars in East Anglia. Most of them seem to have gone home around here!
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and even 1kph over the limit is punished! I do think however that when driving abroad brits and others do tend to to take advantage of the fact that prosecution is far less likely. A German friend of mine drove around here in a De registered car knowing that he was never ever going to get done for speeding.
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Colin B, Have you seen many kids on that stretch of motorway???
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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In other cars on the road yes, I've driven a fair bit in Switzerland! Speed limits are set on roads around the world at limits that are considered safe on that road in that particular country. Ignoring that just because you think that as a foreigner you'll get away with it stinks tbh!
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Boredsurfing, ....understand indeed that re lack of reciprocal prosecution etc...the problem is not so much UK reg cars but when you hire a car in Geneva - I have known people have a lot of hassle with the hire companies and this is something well worth avoiding...I also agree with those who have suggested that deliberately flouting the law is a bad idea - a sort of reverse xenophobia - and if it happens to be a police car behind you when you're doing 140kph on a Swiss motorway, then something rather more formal than a ticking-off is likely. I think the advice stands - watch out for the new speed cameras....
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Beware in UK reg cars, even de registered cars have a history - If you really speed and wee wee off the swiss they WILL come looking for you - I now know 5 people who have ended up getting tickets in Switzerland in UK reg cars - one was arrested at passport control next time he few in - unpaid fines are fraud - fraud is very serious in Switzerland.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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You know it makes sense.
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valais2, The best I've seen is a friend who works on a semi-dip passport in Geneve, but chooses to live in France. He had a few parking and speeding tickets totted up against his name -The Swiss insisted he served a driving ban so he ended up moving into Switzerland to serve the driving ban as requested.
This is true! 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I quite believe all these tales as a mate was most disturbed to find two of the Met's finest on his doorstep one sunny Saturday with a ticket courtesy of Canton Bern. 800 francs to be paid or 3 days in a Swiss clink.
This is all revenue raising however. Ignoring the merits (reasonable and justifiable) of speed limits in towns, etc. The speed limit on UK motorways, for example, was set on the basis of what was "judged" to be safe for an average car of the time.
No science involved.
It's a bit like recommended alcohol limits. All finger in the air stuff.
Bit irritating to be charged based on a civil servant's under informed opinion, i would say...
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Poster: A snowHead
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I quite believe all these tales as a mate was most disturbed to find two of the Met's finest on his doorstep one sunny Saturday with a ticket courtesy of Canton Bern. 800 francs to be paid or 3 days in a Swiss clink.
This is all revenue raising however. Ignoring the merits (reasonable and justifiable) of speed limits in towns, etc. The speed limit on UK motorways, for example, was set on the basis of what was "judged" to be safe for an average car of the time.
No science involved.
It's a bit like recommended alcohol limits. All finger in the air stuff.
Bit irritating to be charged based on a civil servant's under informed opinion, i would say...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
If you speed past my house you run the risk of me sticking a scaffold pole through your windscreen, I don't care whether an agreement exists to enable fines to be recovered, the safety of my children is a little more important
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A somewhat disproportionate - if not disturbing - response. Wouldn't it just be better to either teach the kids the Green Cross Code or make them play in the back garden? 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Yeah let's lock all the kids out of harm's way so that Really Important Blokes In Cars can go as fast as they like. Oh and I'll make sure my OAP Mum is not in the way in her Clio when they appear up her backside at 95 on the motorway....
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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caughtanedge, Your OAP mum shouldn't be doing 95 on the motorway, they'll take away her licence ...
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Boredsurfing,
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| caughtanedge, Your OAP mum shouldn't be doing 95 on the motorway, they'll take away her licence ... |
caughtanedge, caughtanedge, Mum has admitted getting stuck in 3rd gear that day -She won't hold you up next time 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Colin B wrote: |
| If you speed past my house you run the risk of me sticking a scaffold pole through your windscreen, I don't care whether an agreement exists to enable fines to be recovered, the safety of my children is a little more important. |
yeah yeah, course you would
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valais2, thanks.
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| Colin B wrote: |
| If you speed past my house you run the risk of me sticking a scaffold pole through your windscreen, I don't care whether an agreement exists to enable fines to be recovered, the safety of my children is a little more important. |
The car 'speeding' past your house might contain a couple of plain clothes coppers on their way to an emergency. Your scaffold pole might cause their car to crash. You could suffer missing watching your children grow up from your prison cell. It could be for a long time.
I believe you should think this through a bit more.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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When was that, was it me, was I hacked? Think I'd been to the pub 
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Do the police in Switzerland, like those in France, dole out on the spot fines? take your passport, and give it back when they've got the dosh. They will wait patiently whilst you retrace your steps to find an ATM if necessary.......
Parts of that motorway have variable speed limits too, IIRC - not always 120 kph by any means.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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pam w, the time I was (rightly) stopped by the Police I got the fine in the post a few weeks later, but then I do have Swiss plates.
The stretch between Morges and Lausanne varies between 100 & 120 depending on the time of day and traffic flow. At certain times of the day they also allow you to drive in the hard shoulder (there are signs saying if you can)
There's been a lot of roadworks between Lausanne and Montreux these last couple of years, at times dropping to 60 through affected stretches with cameras to catch miscreants.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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For those who hire in Switzerland, I'd mention that the cameras are not so obvious as they (mostly) are in the UK - got flashed twice on major roads (i.e. dual carriageway) last easter, approx 10km over the official limit.... hire company stuck 40e onto _each_ of the fines I had to pay. 50% of the hire cost....
Will resolve to pay more attention to the car speedo next time, and less to the GPS.
good luck
h.
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cran
cran
Guest
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cran
cran
Guest
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worth noting that you will get fines from cameras if you are in a Swiss hire car.
If in a UK car you might get away with cameras, but not worth risking getting pulled over by traffic car in Swiss imo...
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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They are replacing many of the Gatso style cameras with number plate recognition systems that time you over a fixed distance and dont flash you. They have this system between Lausanne and Geneva now, and Aigle and Bex for instance. Many of the old camera boxes seem to be still in place, but presumably not active.
They look like this:
http://genevalunch.com/blog/2011/01/11/first-tunnel-anpr-speed-control-goes-into-effect-in-basel/
They are also using similar systems to catch people in foreign plated cars who owe outstanding fines. They match the plate with a list of outstanding fines and then have a squad car waiting down the road to pull over any miscreants next to the border. For anyone with a French registered car, they have a reciprocal agreement now with the Swiss so that they can bill direct to your French address (and vice-versa). Interestingly, it turned out that more Swiss were trying to duck paying their fines in France than the French in Switzerland. You can also be arrested for having a satnav with Swiss speed camera sites marked on it.
Ah, the joys of Swiss motoring...
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Poster: A snowHead
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Note that the speed limit changes for tunnels (on the motorway from 120 to 100 kph typically) and that there is usually a speed camera at the entrance and exit of every tunnel.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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For the sake of clarity as there is quite a bit of "old wives tales" here..
Fixed speed camera sites Flash flash
no fine no follow up as no agreement between any of the countries in europe and UK to folow up, unless you are ina hire car so they can get you via hire company and thru civil courts/credit card, but even then NO POINTS.
manned speed traps... flash flash
and oulled over either there or by a possibly friendly policeman, fine on the spot or if you have been very naughty, they may well confiscate/suspend drivers license whilst in their jurisdiction so be careful if you havent' a spare driver with you. If you have been very very naughty they will confiscate the vehicle and the driver may find out what a jailcell looks like from the inside!
Large fines ratchet up related to excess speed over allowed limit. you may get the vehicle back if the court decides it would cause undue hardship to crush it (eg if the driver was an employee for example in a company car).
Still NO POINTS.
Police patrol cars, marked and unmarked, see above.
Usually its a case of handing over cash, often they will take a credit card for running thru their merchant machine (yes yes they are adopting modern technology!)
If not a rather humiliating escorted drive to the nearest cash point.
I have no axe to grind about speeding, Roads design mean they have great speed capacity margin built in over and above posted limit, altho within limits of the topography of the locations they transit.
However, If you cant do the time dont do the crime, and "time" may include the human costs of breaking the speed limt as well as mere financial consequences.
One final thought, in France the Gendarmes ( ie Men with GUNS), do not p*ss about, so if your thing is being argumentative, be prepared for a very robust response indeed. They ARE the law, and what they say, is what the court will accept, unless you have uncontestable evidence to the contrary, eg video.....but then that would prove you were innocent, wouldn't it?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I'm not so sure this "no agreement to bill you later" holds. As far as I remember, it's EU wide (yes I know, Switzerland is not EU, but it still has few links, so it might be included into this) agreement now for year or so. And considering UK is part of EU (at least for now), I wouldn't be too surprised, if there would be something from your local court waiting in your post box 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Switzerland very definitely has an agreement to chase you in the UK. Although possibly only through car hire coys.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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the french take speeding more seriously that drink driving really, i think that only carries a 3 month ban 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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The police do come looking for you if you keep speeding. I got stopped because another english car (same colour, same make) kept "breaking the law". The policeman thought he had won the lottery when he saw me pull into a carpark.
He asked where i'd been etc, where i lived etc.
Luckily for me he knew where the car "lived/parked", and i had my permit to prove it wasn't me.
The best part was the policeman said the issue we have is our speed cameras don't automatically read UK plates, so if they get a one off they don't do anything, too much paperwork (even though the swiss luvvvvvvvvvvvvvv paperwork).
So here goes only speed when you need too, don't do it it built up areas, if your going to speed use english plates and or get a UK "Parking sensor fitted" (Radar jammer)
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FAQ
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but no points 
