Traffic cops from the mainland have spent the weekend carrying out enforcement checks across the Isle of Wight, but the action attracted some negative reactions near Blackgang today (Sunday).
Officers from Hampshire Constabulary’s Roads Policing Unit have been out and about with speed guns in a bid to catch motorists on selected high speed routes.
4 Police motorcyclists have been working with local officers to look at both speeding and the anti social use of vehicles, which has included targeting motorcyclists on Military Road, Main Road in Shalfleet and Station Road in Wootton.
Earlier today a checkpoint was established at Blackgang to stop and inspect motorcycles for things such as loud exhausts and blacked out visors.
It didn’t take long for the word to spread through social media, but 1 local resident took things a step further by erecting cardboard notices on sign posts either side of the checkpoint, warning ‘Police ahead’.
With hi tech small cameras, Police now should just use hidden cameras on many roads to catch speeding or dangerous driving.
As you can buy a dash cam for a few pounds, the Police should be able to buy decent mobile cameras for a hundred or so, and would pay for themselves in a day here.
Speeding motorists should lose their licence for a year minimum and be fined £100 for each mph over the limit.
Watch the accidents drop then.
Wow, someone needs to get laid
Yeh, there’s always at least one!
Yes I agree they should come north road in Shanklin bikes cars all use it as a race track and driving through red lights
Mr Perry Hill, you my communist friend are what we, back in Nam, would refer to as a Muppet. I do question your perspective on filming the whole general public ,including minors, on “hi-tech small” “hidden cameras”. Perhaps you’re eluding to your nefarious past times…
Get a grip
The person who put these signs up is not thinking clearly.
The speed checks are there to identify speeders who are breaking the law. They are more likely to kill or severely injure themselves or someone else because they are not prepared to abide by the law.
A speeding conviction may make them think again and be more responsible if their licence is at risk
I have nothing against bikers per se but I have no respect for people who speed whatever vehicle they use. Sensible bikers are likely to live longer and less likely to kill someone else.
I am a car enthusiast but would not speed on a public road
Take your bike for a track day if you want to ride at high speed.
I hope this person is caught and dealt with or better still hand themselves in , as there is bound to be dashcam footage of this.
Great. We need more of this type of policing on the island. Motorbikes and cars with loud exhausts are getting beyond a joke. Funny the louder the exhaust the better these idiots think their rides sound. WRONG! And before others start slating my opinion, loud bikes and cars are getting louder. They are an antisocial nuisance and need controlling. Yes and other crimes are important but this type of policing conducted today is by the Roads Policing Unit before people say what about burglary, muggings etc etc
I drive an Electric Tesla. Its faster than most cars and is Very Quiet.
Some how I don’t think it was a local resident that put these signs up, you’ll probably find that most local residents complain about speeding and welcome a police presence to make their road safer.
We here in Freshwater would welcome the Police checking on the very noisy motorbikes continually going round the streets here.
They are more of a nuisance here than out in the country, but we very rarely ever see the Police here, except for the occasional ‘drive through’..
I endorse these points about Freshwater and the area. There are people who have no regard for safety and antisocial behaviour.
Could we use speed guns for a deterrent?
School Green Road is unbearable in the summer when these illegal exhausts are used at speed
If catching burglars and social scum, was as lucrative as catching speeding motorists, The police force could almost be self funding.
So… speeding motorists aren’t social scum? I beg to disagree. Not sure why so many on here think it’s wrong to try and catch speeders. Maybe my view that the Island is fast turning into scumbag central is correct… Sadly. 🙁
At last, always, always everytime you drive along the military road you will see a motorcyclist “being cool” by overtaking on bends, pulling wheelies or even zig-zagging from one side of the road to the other. Well done the police and about time too.
Ton up boys have always used the Military Road. Stay safe . Stay away from them.
I did wonder why that box I had delivered today had two sides missing? Seriously though, the idiot who put these signs up is the type who has no respect for highway authority, our roads or our local community safety.
That’s the problem in a nutshell.
This was a justified operation with a sensible aim but was undermined by the poor choices made by some police and local authorities which lead to equally poor choices by a member of the public.
The police have spent years using speed guns as a revenue stream, frequently locating them in positions where they target those who inadvertently speed with no intention to do so rather than those who deliberately set out to break the law.
Tactics used by some other authorities such as capitalising on deliberately misleading signage or inappropriate limits have brought the whole thing into disrepute and undermined the credibility of the police as a whole.
Whilst it is never acceptable or safe to drive/ride at inappropriate speeds, if the police use tactics that result in them being seen as little more than modern day highwaymen then signs like the ones above are inevitable.
Proportionate and appropriate enforcement helps the community and saves lives but only if it is seen to be so.
It’s not the motorcycles they need to control its the bad car drivers in the 2 ton cars with no regard for safety, no indication of where there going not using mirrors and driving to fast in 30mph limits let alone nation speed limits
I propose that the IOW should hold an annual Motorcycle Road Race, Increase revenue and support motorcycling.
You would need to improve the quality of the roads, they are potentially dangerous for any form of racing currently, the days of the Military Road being a decent road are long gone, this will never be the new Isle of Man without millions being invested.
Police handing out £50 fines for tinted visors…
But yet peoe driving a 40 tonne truck+trailer can wear blacked out sunglasses… Makes perfect sense
Why do they not put in variable speed cameras like they use on the motorways the military road has always been used as a race track car drivers are just as bad don’t just target motorbikes
Go to a town on the island instead of going to military road, which is even more dangerous when cars drive like idiots not just speeding just driving with out due care and attention, mirror signal manoeuvre please. would like to see if car drivers could actually pass a motorcycle test let alone a car test let’s not just pick on motorbikes
Went through one of these traps in shanklin church road yesterday. So obvious they just catch the ones inadvertently going 32 mph not the idiots that use our roads as racetracks and I believe that sign was put up by one of the bikers themselves possibly not local. They need to be in unmarked vans and not always be in the same spots. Most drivers on the island know the usual places they tend to be and look out for them.
There’s plenty of places they could catch these dangerous speed lovers if they listened to most law abiding drivers here.
I have 2 motorbikes and I ride both and I also own/drive a car, both bikes are fitted with factory fitted exhaust systems, I do not race around and I stick to the speed limits, my biggest frustration is when I ride down Forest road at 40mph (speed limit) and car drivers are right up behind me, itching to overtake, there are motorcyclists here who think they are at the Isle of man TT races and do ride far to fast, but I do see more cars than bikes racing around speeding and driving without consideration for other road users, there are alot more car drivers than bikers racing around causing accidents.
I think that Military road should be free of all speed limits where else can i enjoy my sports car.
People don’t have to use Military road so leave it for the rest of us to enjoy.