Tuesday, February 9, 2010

The Gatso Guerrillas of Great Britain



Gatso is a brand of speed measurement equipment, speed cameras, red-light cameras and road-access control/enforcement equipment of various types manufactured by the Dutch company GATSOmeter BV. The company's history started with a device invented by champion rally driver Maurice Gatsonides. He used the device to record his speeds as he drove through various curves and other road configurations, so that he could review his line and speed so as to optimise his performance in future races. The company was later formed to market the devices as police speed enforcement tools and remains largely a family concern with two Gatsonides among the five directors.

The company's products, particularly the "Gatsometer 24", have achieved such a high level of market penetration in certain European countries that the term "Gatso" has become synonymous with "speed camera" across a significant proportion of Europe. Historically, the company has had less success marketing its products in the USA . . . However, Gatsometer BV now has an American subsidiary, in the form of GATSO-USA, which now markets the company's products direct and competes with the other speed/red-light camera companies active in the North American market. . .

Speed cameras often become victims of vandalism from disapproving motorists who see them as government money making schemes. Vandalism includes ramming with vehicles, or more commonly burning with petrol filled rubber tyres. There have been dozens of documented cases of speed cameras being disabled across the UK. -- Wikipedia


My thanks to the multi-talented and inimitable Eric S. for forwarding this.

Enjoy.

Mike
III

"WOLVERINES!"

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Paintball anyone???

Splattering the lense the cover must make viewing images hell....

New urban sport?

atexan said...

It's a shame our speed cameras are so high off the ground. A person could get hurt climbing up there to set one on fire.

GunRights4US said...

Maybe there's a tiny bit of hope remaining for Britain after all.

Anonymous said...

I admire most the work of folks with petrol-filled tires and/or angle grinders.

Frosty said...

Come now people, rubber tires and gas? How crude and environmentally unsound. The internet has many simple and effective thermite recipes. The earth will thank you.

Matt said...

No wonder they came to America. The vandalism in Britain is creating a lot of cash for them. Why not bring it over here to create more of it.

Oh, the ideas for camera destruction . . .

And I like the paintball idea. Just thinking . . .

Anonymous said...

Reminds me of the rock war.

If REVENUE Generated is less than or equal to the cost of installation and replacement, then they're losing money. heh heh heh.

Seems like there ought to be a Def Leppard song to go with all those Gatso's being melted down. Photograph? Pyromania? Armageddon It? Pour some napalm on me?

Rock on!
Eric
III

Mk. 106 said...

Ya know, every time I get to the point that I'm about ready to just write the Brits off as a lost cause, I see something like this, and it warms my heart....

Anonymous said...

Captain gatso lol
The msm used to run a few of these stories years ago when they first started but then they stopped, glad to see some folks wont go quietly still.

h (UK)

Dr.D said...

Does my heart good to see that at least a few Brits still have some Balls!

Dr.D

Anonymous said...

he he

warms the heart. Up Britiana

wlm

Anonymous said...

There sure is hope for Britain, as they're getting new sippy cups for their Moloko Drencrom and Synthemesc:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/shatterproof-pints-will-cut-bingedrink-violence-1889938.html

Pat H said...

Not as severe, but some of this has occurred in America, we need to get much more harsh.

Here's Santas Helpers blocking speed cameras
in Tempe, Arizona some time ago. I don't know if there's been any follow up, hope so.

Happy D said...

A little Marksmanship demo is appropriate for these things.