Fined £780 for speeding

[robinborton]

A helmsman was fined £780 for speeding on the river Ant on the Broads.
A bit over the top don't you think?My fixed penalty fine of £40 for speeding in my car looks a good deal.
I bet he was trying to avoid one of those rag and stick merchants that always gets in your way
Robin

 

[oldgit]

If he (and it will be a he)wants to have a whizz there is a great big North Sea fairly close.

 

[ccscott49]

Bloody hell! What did he do aswell as speeding, ram the patrol boat! You get fined less for biffing a copper!

 

[byron]

I would be interested to learn more, he must have really been doing something daft. If one is 'just' over the limit one can argue the Merchant Shipping Act which requires the Master of a Vessel to navigate a vessel at a speed consistent with maintaining steerage (my words) hence a craft which is say virtually unmanoeuvreable at say 4 knots and must do 5 to maintain steerage would have a very good case in Court.
Comments please

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[claymore]

I realise they've recovered Bluebird, but I didn't think they'd got her going again.

 

[kimhollamby]

Unlike a car a boat can do a great deal of damage with wash...perhaps the fine being levied is one that provides the Broads Authority with funds for remedial action? Certainly will be worth looking at this one.

Dutch police also levy heavy fines on inland waterways where big wash dragged and speed limits broken.

Associate Publisher ybw.com websites kim_hollamby@ipcmedia.com

 

[Guest]

Is that 10 quid for every Knot ?
If so , I wanna ride on your boat !......

 

[ari]

"Unlike a car a boat can do a great deal of damage with wash..."

err, you mean as a speeding car could only potentially kill people....?? You take your bank erosion seriously don't you!

 

[Mirelle]

No. Should have been more

Do you have the slightest idea of how much damage has been done to the Broads, and in particular by their wildlife, by speeding motor boats pulling up a huge wash?

The magistrates should have the power to confiscate the boat, as well as imposing fines.

Nasty selfish pig.

 

[ccscott49]

Re: No. Should have been more

Oh! Sorry Mirelle, I didn't know you knew all the details of this incident, I stand corrected.

 

[byron]

Re: No. Should have been more

Tsk! Tsk! Mirelle, we refrain from calling each other names in this forum as we are all grown-ups.

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[trev]

While I am definitely not in favour of excessive river speeds I cannot help thinking that more bank erosion is caused when the rivers are in spate than is caused by motor boat wash - take last winter - the Thames was un-navigable until past Easter, and every winter we seem to have weeks or months of fast flowing high level streams. Surely this does much more than motor boat wash - or am I missing something ?
I would like to know more details about this particular case - he must have been really giving it some welly to warrant a fine of those proportions.

Trev

 

[lyc]

In the Free Broads Authority Newsletter (issue 12) it says under prosecutions:-
River Ant - The helmsman of a private motor boat who was convicted of speeding past a hire cruiser near How Hill in August was fined a total of £780.*

River Bure - The helmsman of a speeding hire cruiser that was in collision with a moored boat at Belaugh was fined £170*

River Yare - The helmsman of a Light Sports Vessel (LSV) who towed a skier beyond the limit of the ski area from Postwich Reach to Thorpe was fined a total of £480*.
A fine of £230* was imposed on the helmsman of another LSV that was reported for skiing before the permitted time on Train Reach.

*including costs.

Commenting on the prosecutions Adrian Vernon Head Ranger (Navigation) said "Deliberate and blatant breaches of byelaws are taken very seriously. The incident on the River Ant was particularly bad as this is a narrow river where all boats should navigate with the utmost care. Speeding past other craft is dangerous and unacceptable."

 

[david_e]

Don't want the fine...don't do the crime. Simple.

 

[ChrisP]

Re: No. Should have been more

A couple of years ago a streach of the bank of the Thames was fenced off to stop the walkers and their dogs disturbing a pair of swans. Strangly the rushes and lillies grew back along this streach within a few weeks. Maybe its the walkers that do the damage to the banks that are repaired at the expence of the boaters.

By the way if you cant discuss a subject without resorting to childish name calling, try the play school site.

 

[byron]

The worst culprits for bank erosion are the Rowing Eights and their Chase Boats. Next time you see an Eight going at speed take a look at the pull/drag on the bank. Being a Riparian owner I take careful notice of these things. I agree too that the Thames in flood causes loads of erosion.

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[tcm]

Re: other speeding fines

It does sound rather a lot of loot. There must be quite few broads boats aren't actually worth 780 quid. That Jenson Button got fined 500 quid on the spot for doing 138mph on a frencg autoroute. I was fined 300 quid for 107 on a uk road (at night, empty road, didn't biff the copper, nor ram him). Or was he speeding as in "doing drugs?"

 

[zefender]

Re: Can\'t fine mother nature though NM

NM

 

[tcm]

Re: ah but

I have punished my garden with being left outside forever! AND I sent it to coventry cos i can't be bothered with it

 

[byron]

Re: Can\'t fine mother nature though NM

Can't fine the Rowers either for apart from them owning all the rivers and only tolerating Anglers and other Boaters they are actually exempted from speed limits. An Eight can do in excess of 14 knots too.

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