Captain Gatso

[spindrift]

January last year, Captain Gatso firebombed a speed camera on the A217.

6 months after,


http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/...death+that+killed+three+pensioners/article.do


Three people killed by a speeding driver.

The anti-camera websites link to pictures of burning cameras and post "jokes" about killing cyclists.





.

 

[Pete]

January last year, Captain Gatso firebombed a speed camera on the A217.

I take it that this individual is not the late and not-universally-lamented Mr. Psmith in person, but evidently someone with close links to him?

Doubly scary for some of us, because that stretch of A217 is only a mile or two away from a section of the A217 which forms a significant part of Simon's FNRTTC route (Reigate Hill-Lonesome Lane section).

 

[andygates]

Has anyone raised this on the speedophile sites?

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

As usual both of them preserve their 'right' to take to the roads again after their bans (after retest etc...)

They've proven they cannot handle the responsibility of driving on public roads. So why are we scared of banning them for life?

As for the camera? They'd have slammed on the anchors, then floored it again 20 yards later - gives them a chance to show their penis size when it comes to 0-100mph acceleration times.
(Shame we don't put a hidden camera 50 yards down the road from each visible one).

Mention this on SS all you'd get is abuse or total ignorance. They're too obsessed with driving with their fist at 12 o'clock, stereo full blast, hounding the world with the farting trombone they stuck on the back of their 1.0 litre Saxo's exhaust.

 

[andygates]

No, someone ought to mention it. It's pretty compelling evidence that you cannot trust people to stick to a "safe speed" based on their skill and judgement.

 

[Tony]

Andy, anyone who mentions anything that punctures the cosy bubble of inSSanity over there gets banned ASAP.

 

[spindrift]

They operate "Open review" on safespeeding so anyone can challenge their opinion. If you do so, you get deleted and banned. It's a watertight system, fingers in ears and go "La la la la la la".

 

[Cab]

That sentence... Gosh, but it wasn't an accident that occurred here, it was the predictable consequence of their behaviour. Drive like that and people die, its a no brainer. Surely we need a legal system that treats the predictable killing of someone in this fashion as manslaughter, if not murder?

I'm not 100% clear on whether it is the same stretch of road where the speed cameras were burned and the accident occurred?

 

[Tony]

See my thread "Blameless" for the latest development.

 

[andygates]

That only covers the general issue, not this specific.

Does anyone live nearby who can scope out the area? Carefully of course, given the cretins speeding past...

 

[Pete]

Does anyone live nearby who can scope out the area? Carefully of course, given the cretins speeding past...

I think the Pikes* do. I know the area a bit to the south of there fairly well. Have to admit that - as a cyclist - the 217 is a 'road to avoid'.

*on ACF.

 

[freakhatz]

..we need a legal system that treats the predictable killing of someone in this fashion as manslaughter, if not murder?

I'm not 100% clear on whether it is the same stretch of road where the speed cameras were burned and the accident occurred?

Apparently so:

http://www.surrey-safecam.org/fe/default.asp?n1=52#help20agk

A safety camera was originally located on the A217 northbound approach to the Banstead crossroads. When the Surrey Safety Camera Partnership was formed in April 2005, the site was reviewed and it was decided that even better casualty reduction figures could be achieved by moving the camera close to the A217 junction of Burgh Wood near to the Banstead Infant, Junior and the Priory Schools. This was the site of a tragic collision last April resulting in three fatalities. The new camera was installed last October in the central reservation to maximise the visual deterrent to oncoming motorists and to allow enforcement in both the southbound and northbound directions.

The opportunity to continue reducing casualties at a site near a number of schools is now threatened by this crass act.
http://www.surrey-safecam.org/fe/default.asp?n1=52#help20agk

http://www.surrey-safecam.org/fe/default.asp?n1=52#help20agk

Judge Neil Stewart told them: "It is impossible to achieve a sentence which reflects the enormity of the consequences of what you did.

 

[spesh]

From what I remember of the Brighton Road between Burgh Heath and Sutton, I could never understand why the northenmost camera in the borough of Reigate & Banstead was just before the Banstead crossroads. With the benefit of hindsight following the incident in which the people pulling out of Burgh Road were killed, it would have made more sense to install a camera between the junction with Burgh Wood, and the Garratts Lane traffic lights. The A217 starts to drop downhill about 200 yards north of the latter juction, which limits the sight lines for anyone joining the A217 from Burgh Wood, so you want to concentrate the minds of motorists before that junction...

Actually, if Reigate & Banstead really wanted drivers to stick to 40mph all the way between the M25 and the Banstead Crossorads, they should have installed SPECS cameras instead...

 

[spesh]

I think the Pikes* do. I know the area a bit to the south of there fairly well. Have to admit that - as a cyclist - the 217 is a 'road to avoid'.

*on ACF.

I used to live near Banstead, and my personal recollection is that I didn't have any grief at the times I used to cycle on that road.

 

[Gandalf]

As I live in Sutton I cycle along that stretch quite often. The main and most consistent problem is speeding vehicles passing with centimetres to spare. They do this even when the outside lane of the dual carriageway is completely clear. The limit is 40 mph....you can guess the rest. It can be terrifying.

I saw 'Captain' Gatso being interviewed on television wearing a balaclava. When quizzed by the interviewer about his desire/obsession with breaking the law with regard to speed limits, he replied "well it's only a number".

I can't help, wondering if he's mentally disturbed in some way.