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Motorist proves that the camera can tell a lie
David Williams, Motoring Editor10.04.08
They say the camera never lies but one driver has successfully argued that, at least on one occasion, it did.
Jonathan Greatorex claimed that cropped images from a video distorted what had really happened when he allegedly ignored a Give Way sign.
His £100 fine was quashed and Mr Greatorex won £176 in costs against Lambeth council at an appeal.
Today, campaigners said the decision opened the floodgates for other drivers to appeal against penalties imposed at the junction and elsewhere.
Website designer Mr Greatorex, 37, received his penalty in the post together with a picture that appeared to show him cutting up an oncoming car that had right of way.
He remembered driving his Mini down Salters Hill, near Crystal Palace, but was sure that when he passed the pinchpoint he was driving carefully and had left room for the other vehicle.
His suspicions were confirmed when he saw other pictures presented in evidence by the council and decided to appeal to the London Parking and Traffic Appeals Service.
The independent adjudicator said Mr Greatorex made a "fair point as to the distorting effect of the zoom function" of the camera, which was mounted on a Smart car. This "distorted the picture so that the vehicles at the junction appear to be together".
Mr Greatorex, of Beulah Hill, said: "Most motorists would assume they had made a mistake and pay the fine but when I saw the other pictures it was obvious I did nothing wrong; I left the other driver loads of room.
"It wasn't until well after I passed the pinch-point that I encountered the other driver. He did not have to slow down and he and I had plenty of space. Somehow the first picture was cropped to make it look worse." The adjudicator also backed Mr Greatorex's claim that the signage did not give drivers enough time to react to the pinch-point. He awarded him costs because, he said, the driver had presented his evidence to Lambeth giving the council "good time" to consider its position and avoid the hearing.
Mr Greatorex said he was "absolutely delighted" with the decision. He added: "Lambeth has no excuse but to refund all the money collected at Salters Hill, which could well be £500,000."
Barrie Segal of Appealnow.com said: "Drivers caught here or anywhere in London should check camera evidence carefully. If they feel something is wrong they must appeal."
CCTV monitoring at the junction has been suspended since last July. A Lambeth spokesman said the pinch-point was introduced at the request of parents of pupils at a nearby school concerned about speeding drivers. He added: "We are currently making some changes to improve the junction and will continue to enforce there so long as there is a risk to pedestrians and other road-users.
"We absolutely refute any suggestions that images were deliberately manipulated."
Reader views (12)
I also receieved a ticket for this junction. I have written to them twice and been completely ignored. Councils bully motorists into paying these fines but have very little interest in fairness or traffic flows...just collecting revenue
- Chris Brown, Croydon
"A Lambeth spokesman said the pinch-point was introduced at the request of parents of pupils at a nearby school concerned about speeding drivers."
Err, so what? The spokesman appears to be justifying blatant fraud, and perversion of the course of justice by the council and its officers and employees, on the grounds that the parents wanted something done.
- Bert Postlethwaite, Watford U.K.
Well done Mr Greatorex. I saw you on TV the other week and I am especially pleased you won your case as I got a ticket last June for the same reason at the same point- I paid the fine and I am now going to be banging on Lambeths' door for a full refund.
Very well done to you and thanks for your time and effort as I am sure it will help everyone else get their money back.
- Luke Blake, London
Congratulations to Mr Greatorex. I believe its worth disputing any fine you receive. Last year Lambeth tried to fine me for exactly the same thing in exactly the same spot. Please read my letter that I sent to Lambeth and I'm pleased to say that my fine was quashed as well!
- Darren Carter, London
Many congratulations to Mr Greatorex who deserves a medal for exposing the sickening illegal corruption racket being run by nasty, bullying councils who seem to operate their draconian tax farming scams with complete impunity.
Although we really shouldn't have to waste our time contesting these horrendous penalties, it just shows that we need to start fighting back and winning - like this man.
On a wider level, something needs to be done because the parking extortion nightmare is causing so much misery and distress!
- Daniel Howard, London,UK
Lambeth 'absolutely refute' do they?
Maybe they need some lessons in basic English.
They certainly need some lessons in other matters - like honesty, openness and integrity. What a complete waste of ratepayers' money.
- Chuck Unsworth, London
I have contested parking tickets where I watched the attendant had not put the ticket on the car. In one instance the attendant even threw the ticket in the bushes. In another case I was caught on camera doing an illegal right turn. However, I revisited the site and took pictures showing the signs completely obscured by trees. In every case I had to go to Adjudication because the authorities will not back down. For them it is generally double or quits as it is very rare for the adjudicator to award costs. This is not about road safety it is about revenues from London drivers. London's prosperity relies on freedom of movement and encouraging businesses and people to stay here because it is a good place to live and work. I am a committed Londoner with my own business but feel constantly harassed and persecuted by the authorities eager to get my money because I am a generally law abiding citizen that is easily traceable through my registration number. It is getting to the point that I am seriously considering leaving London. If I do, how many others feel the same
- Craig, London UK
This proves that the camera does nothing for road safety and it is nothing but a money robbing scam for the tax Revenue.
- Joe Sardena, Swanley Kent
Lambeth had every opportunity to deal with this before going to a hearing and this case sums up the reason why we all increasingly dislike our lords and masters, and why we do not trust a word they tell us. If they are being honest in their point that they did not deliberately manipulate the images, they lose a lot of credibility in their argument by their dogged determination to squander taxpayers money in a game of poker with Mr Greatorex, refusing to admit early that they were in the wrong, failing to look at the evidence properly and forcing him to take time to deal with the matter and hoping he'd just pay it...
- Damian Hockney Am, London
Well done Mr G. It's quite obvious Lambeth has deliberately compressed the image, as they would stand no chance of collecting a fine using the undoctored one. I know this road well, and the sitting of this pinch point is stupid and dangerous.
- The Gene Genie, Croydon
This is not a question of 'cropping' or 'manipulation'.
There are two completely separate images and Lambeth chose the second image which appeared to show a 'cutting-up' incident. This is entirely bogus and if perpetrated by an individual would surely lead to an offence of blackmail or demanding money with menaces. Congratulations to Jonathon for exposing Lambeth as a bunch of extortionate crooks!
- Ron Walters, Croydon England
Cameras will never be a fair enforcement tool in situations where a driver has to make dynamic decisions in an evolving situation involving other vehicles. Anyone who knows the slightest thing about photography will understand that the use of a zoom lens distorts the perspective, making judgement of relative distances impossible.
- Bryan Armstrong, London
