Ripped off in the UK

[Trevor Legate]

I guess I should apologise on behalf of those thieving trolls who enjoy bringing disrepute onto this once proud country. Now that our Gummint has cut payments to all local councils, they develop their own methods of finding the 'lost' money - and the motorist is the softest target, as always. Of course, it's not about revenue at all but making life easier and better for the happy drivers (we believe that don't we?)

Another council developed a wonderful trick to deliberately confuse drivers by marking the road in such a way that they turned left off a roundabout to enter a 'bus only' road. A sane and sensible local resident decided to spend his day standing by the junction wearing a large placard warning drivers of the trap. Naturally he was arrested on some dreamt-up charge.....

It's not a lot better in Europe. In Germany they paint the roadside cameras a dull grey to make them less visible - yellow over here - but provided you're not going mad it's just a 15 euro fine. I've got a picture of me 'driving' a Cobra that was sent from the Office of Speeding Fines (whatever). It was a right-hand drive Cobra so I was the passenger. The fact I didn't have a steering wheel in my hands didn't bother the money collectors....