Free Traffic Legal Advice

…the mobile speed van parks at its approved site near the Linkfoot Lane junction

There's no such thing.  Without knowing their exact location at the relevant time there's an element of guesswork.

The foreshortening effect of the camera can distort distance.

A common setup procedure is to 'ping' the speed sign to confirm its distance from the operator.  Any capture less than that distance is still in the 30mph.  Whilst potentially a distasteful way of operating perhaps they caught you accelerating prior to the 40mph terminal sign?

Screenshot of the location is pointless - a GSV link would potentially enable us to perform a sanity check to determine whether the distance is consistent with the talivan being sited at the "approved" site.

Seems to be here.

I would dispute the assertion that there is no such thing as an "approved site", and replace it with the assertion that "approval" is essentially meaningless.

Well, yes.  NYP may well have sites listed but any such 'approval' is merely internal.

Their public-facing stats just list 'A170 Bondgate, Helmsley'.  I can't find anything more specific but the layby near Carlton Road (Which is just over 350m away from the 40mph terminal sign) looks like a prime spot.

There's potentially a secondary question around whether the 40mph terminal sign (if it is a close ping) is located in the correct position relative to the TRO.

An even bigger issue has just come to light regarding the locus (location) stated on the NIP.

The NIP states the location of the alleged offence as "Bondgate, Helmsley". However, I was actually on a completely different road name Link foot Ln at the time of the measurement (the A170 heading out towards Scarborough, past the terminal signs).

If the police have named the wrong street/location on the official Notice, does this constitute a "fatal flaw" in the prosecution's case? How strictly is the location requirement enforced in court for mobile speed van offences in North Yorkshire?


Thank you all for the swift and very detailed responses.

Here is the Google Street View link to the location of the 40 mph terminal signs (outbound):
https://maps.app.goo.gl/wAkaU8M9N1mGAnwMA

Regarding the van's position:
If the van was parked in the layby near Carlton Road, the distance from that layby to the 40 mph signs is indeed roughly 350-355 metres.

However, looking closely at the camera's field of view in the NIP photo, the vehicle is already positioned well into the left-hand bend (which curves past the 40 mph signs towards the open fields).

If the laser was fired at 347.9m, and the layby-to-sign distance is around 352m, that would mathematically put me about 4-5 metres before the sign. But visually, on the photo, the central splitter island and the 40 mph signs themselves are completely behind the camera's frame/view, and the car is already on the banking of the curve.

Could the foreshortening effect of a teleobiektyw lens distort the perspective so heavily that a car already on the physical bend appears to be at 347m, or is it possible the van was parked slightly further back than the Carlton Road layby (e.g., closer to Linkfoot Lane)?

I will try to upload the redacted image via an external hosting site shortly so you can judge the curve perspective yourself.

Regarding the TRO - how can I check if the physical signs match the legal boundary for this specific stretch of the A170?

An even bigger issue has just come to light <snip> if the police have named the wrong street/location on the official Notice, does this constitute a "fatal flaw" in the prosecution's case? How strictly is the location requirement enforced in court for mobile speed van offences in North Yorkshire?

No. The location is merely directory.

Could the foreshortening effect of a teleobiektyw lens distort the perspective so heavily that a car already on the physical bend appears to be at 347m, or is it possible the van was parked slightly further back than the Carlton Road layby (e.g., closer to Linkfoot Lane)?

It's possible - I can find any reference point on the supplied photo.

Regarding the TRO - how can I check if the physical signs match the legal boundary for this specific stretch of the A170?

Contact the highways team at the local council.