Speed-control radars blown up in France
A new speed control radar has been blown-up in Saint-Gervais in the French department of Val-d'Oise. This is the twelfth such radar that has been destroyed in the past year. Ten out these 12 bombings were claimed by a group named FNAR (Fraccion Nationaliste Armé Révolutionaire), although nobody has claimed this bombing yet.
As in Rotterdam and Barcelona, French authorities have installed the radars to reduce car accidents (France has one of Europe's highest accident rates) but also to lower pollution levels by forcing speed reduction. However, voices are being raised against the radars because some claim they are just one more source of income for authorities rather than a security or environmental measure. Still, it is one thing to believe that and quite another to blow up the little boxes.
[Source: Le Figaro (h/t to Dominique for the tip)]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dad 4:10PM (5/05/2008)
“some claim they are just one more source of income for authorities rather than a security or environmental measure”
And yes, they are correct.
Reply
Trev 4:44PM (5/05/2008)
its great that they are blowing them up, action like that is needed to defend rights sometimes, its not like anyone is getting hurt.
Reply
Wildgoosechase73 4:09PM (5/05/2008)
That's hillarious!!!!
Reply
Rick 8:04PM (5/05/2008)
I too agree, I'm glad they are standing up for some sense of what little freedom we have left and not accepting, blindly, every rediculous fine thrown at us.
Reply
Oli4000 5:58PM (5/05/2008)
These boxes, or Gatsometers as they are called here, are very common in the Netherlands. There's a road nearby where I live where you can find five gatsometers on a 6 mile stretch of road (on google maps: http://tinyurl.com/5by5o2).
They do seem to be a very effective way to make drivers slow down to at least the speed limit.
Reply
Umai Kakudo 6:32PM (5/05/2008)
Viva La Révolutionaire!
Show the money grubbing politicians where they can shove their speed cameras.
http://www.sense.bc.ca/research.htm
Reply
bluegreen 8:15PM (5/05/2008)
It is government greed when speed radars and cameras are installed but it is your inherent right-of-man to drive on government built roads? Hmmmm... somewhat strange train of logic don't you think? No one said you had to drive a car. Feel free to cycle, walk or ride a horse. Since you claim to be defenders of freedom in the libertarian sense, let's extend the libertarian analogy a little more. Roads should be privately owned instead of state provided infrastructure and those who use roads should pay whatever rate the owner deems fair. How does that sound?
Reply
Kevin Nugent 8:46PM (5/05/2008)
I wish they did that in America. In all serouness those speed cameras are serous revenue and it annoys the hell out of me when politicians put these up just to get more tickets. So to hear something that stand out against it is fantastic. For the record those speed cameras cost around 1200 dollars a peace so eventually they will stop putting them up if they keep getting destroyed
Reply
4.7onN20 9:22PM (5/05/2008)
Viva La Resistance! LOL
Reply
s10 9:29PM (5/05/2008)
Ok, so everybody seems to think Speed camera's are there just to get the government money... I hate these things too, but I rather have the speeders pay for that extra money the government needs or wants, instead of having another generic tax everybody has to pay to cover whatever needed.
Reply
AMcA 10:39PM (5/05/2008)
Vive la Revolution, indeed.
Every once in a great while, the French come through like champions.
Bless 'em.
Reply
jb 8:43AM (5/06/2008)
It would be a money-grabbing scheme if these cameras weren't ANNOUNCED before. And they are. In that case, it is a very effective way to slow traffic down. If you can't even get yourself to slow down to LEGAL speeds after being warned that there was a traffic camera in exactly 1 km then you should pay for it, big time.
Reply
Blog Ecolo Trader 6:34PM (5/10/2008)
Hi,
I'm a french and I leave in Nederlands and it's a scary movie to drive in the road now of this 2 countries but it save life and save oil and CO2 and money with the speed reduce !
Well it 's a good think !
http://futuristiktrader.daily-bourse.fr/sujets-d-actualite-renouvelable/se-deplacer-en-voiture-avion-bateau-ou-ballon/
See you soon and Happy People Only :-)
Reply