Speeding in Portugal.

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The main cities and large towns are now using speed cameras on a regular basis, information can be found out where and when on local news websites usually, but not always.

This last weekend the GNR and Transit Police and the PSP issued over 14 thousand speeding penalties and it seems the Anglais on moto`s were a popular target!

There has been a change here regarding speeding and it seems the brain washing has ensued since Portugal became a part of some Euro task force in cracking down on speeding to save lives at the end of 2021.

I do not condone speeding in any way, but thought it may be useful for some who have been here previously and not encountered any trouble with regard to speeding....They are now taking it seriously!
 
Useful to know, thanks for the warning I didn’t notice too many speed cameras when I last visited 6 years ago I will try to remain vigilant when I visit next in a couple of weeks time, that said we will be avoiding big towns and cities for the most part.
 
Don’t know what it’s like in Portugal but I’ve noticed in several European countries, that the speed cameras can be very ‘discrete’.
Bit different from our big orange boxes.
 
Portugal used to have a great way of slowing you down through small villages....a speed sensor on approach, operated traffic lights. Approach too fast and it obviously turns red making it quicker to transit the village at a slower speed right the way thru.
 
That was fairly common in a lot of small Spanish towns when I lived there 15 years ago. No doubt there's even more around now
 
A good system - that really confused me and a mate the first year we encountered it in France. WFT? What the hell are these traffic lights doing here where there's no junction?? And why do they always turn red as we approach?? WTF??? Took us a while to click but we got there in the end. Always meant to have some T shirts made up for out 'Red Light Tour of Europe 1999'.
 
Don’t know what it’s like in Portugal but I’ve noticed in several European countries, that the speed cameras can be very ‘discrete’.
Bit different from our big orange boxes.

Similar in the Black Forest area of Germany, disguised in tree trunks, as rocks at the side of the road ! Just stick to the limits and they won’t bother you
 
Portugal used to have a great way of slowing you down through small villages....a speed sensor on approach, operated traffic lights. Approach too fast and it obviously turns red making it quicker to transit the village at a slower speed right the way thru.

They still have that very good system in place.
They seem to be concentrating on holiday periods and weekends on the main routes, as let`s face it, the traffic at normal times is very light and I cannot see the benefit really, saying that I am 35 minutes from the nearest large town and nowhere near a city, I am just going by the news reports and I see the same pattern here as what I saw in the UK and then many years later, France.
 
Just back, only "cameras" I saw were rusted out heaps, hardly saw a soul never mind a cop. although I wasn't ripping the arse out of it. If they are cracking down, then fair play, I would be pissed off if 1000's of bikers sped past my house daily with stupid cans etc.....
 
That was fairly common in a lot of small Spanish towns when I lived there 15 years ago.

Same in Italy.

Don’t know what it’s like in Portugal but I’ve noticed in several European countries, that the speed cameras can be very ‘discrete’.

I think the UK is the only one with yellow fluo speed cameras.
 
Problem with ever lowering speed limits is it becomes difficult to enjoy a ride if you never go beyond 50mph, only Alpine hairpins are "corners" at that speed on modern bikes, and you are riding a bike designed to operate and handle at much higher speeds than ever before - at speed limits lower than when a BSA Goldstar was a superbike. Even (large) adventure bikes cruise naturally at 70-80mph, modern superbikes can feel slow at a ton.

The targeting of bikes is probably more down to all the C***s who thrash around with race cans, bombing past cars inches away as if they are stuffing Bagnaia up the inside on the last corner and making as much noise as possible in towns and villages to impress the locals.

I get a lot of this being on the edge of town, every sunny Saturday / Sunday during summer, they make a load of noise even at 40mph (they never seem to manage to even stick to the 30mph speed limit even when kids are about) Then as they leave the town they have to go banging off the limiter as they head off into the country and I can hear them for f*****g miles, and just as the noise subsides the next one comes along.

So I really hate "bikers" too, if I was not one myself I would also be calling the authorities to ban them, fine them, arrest them, throw away the key.

Add to all that the "speeding kills" message, the most bullshit piece of propaganda and behavioral insights brainwashing crap ever, incorrect use of speed can kill, excessive speed can kill, stupid speed can kill....

...But well over 90% of accidents do not involve a speeding vehicle so 100% compliance won't change much, it has been proven driving too slowly causes drivers to lose attention - at best, at worst they get so bored they start watching YouTube and sending Whatsapp messages.

Still here we are, predominantly we are all old and have got here despite our reckless and suicidal behavior for 20,30,40 or more years, so I say carry on folks, keep an eye out for plod and cameras, keep it down in town, leave your baffles in, be courteous to other road users (yes, even the twats) ride to the conditions and your skill level rather than a random number on a sign and try not to get caught...

...If you do, just consider it a tourist tax, in the last 15 years me and the Mrs have picked up 5 tickets, about £300 in fines, less than £25 per year - bargain for all the fun we might of missed out on if we had worried too much about getting caught a few mph over the limit - and all of them were when cruising fairly slowly (just not slowly enough) on dull straight sections.

£20 a year to cruise at 70mph on deserted French roads is probably cheaper than the extra day or two we would need to tag onto the holiday if doing 50mph everywhere anyway.
 
Problem with ever lowering speed limits is it becomes difficult to enjoy a ride if you never go beyond 50mph, only Alpine hairpins are "corners" at that speed on modern bikes, and you are riding a bike designed to operate and handle at much higher speeds than ever before - at speed limits lower than when a BSA Goldstar was a superbike. Even (large) adventure bikes cruise naturally at 70-80mph, modern superbikes can feel slow at a ton.

The targeting of bikes is probably more down to all the C***s who thrash around with race cans, bombing past cars inches away as if they are stuffing Bagnaia up the inside on the last corner and making as much noise as possible in towns and villages to impress the locals.

I get a lot of this being on the edge of town, every sunny Saturday / Sunday during summer, they make a load of noise even at 40mph (they never seem to manage to even stick to the 30mph speed limit even when kids are about) Then as they leave the town they have to go banging off the limiter as they head off into the country and I can hear them for f*****g miles, and just as the noise subsides the next one comes along.

So I really hate "bikers" too, if I was not one myself I would also be calling the authorities to ban them, fine them, arrest them, throw away the key.

Add to all that the "speeding kills" message, the most bullshit piece of propaganda and behavioral insights brainwashing crap ever, incorrect use of speed can kill, excessive speed can kill, stupid speed can kill....

...But well over 90% of accidents do not involve a speeding vehicle so 100% compliance won't change much, it has been proven driving too slowly causes drivers to lose attention - at best, at worst they get so bored they start watching YouTube and sending Whatsapp messages.

Still here we are, predominantly we are all old and have got here despite our reckless and suicidal behavior for 20,30,40 or more years, so I say carry on folks, keep an eye out for plod and cameras, keep it down in town, leave your baffles in, be courteous to other road users (yes, even the twats) ride to the conditions and your skill level rather than a random number on a sign and try not to get caught...

...If you do, just consider it a tourist tax, in the last 15 years me and the Mrs have picked up 5 tickets, about £300 in fines, less than £25 per year - bargain for all the fun we might of missed out on if we had worried too much about getting caught a few mph over the limit - and all of them were when cruising fairly slowly (just not slowly enough) on dull straight sections.

£20 a year to cruise at 70mph on deserted French roads is probably cheaper than the extra day or two we would need to tag onto the holiday if doing 50mph everywhere anyway.

Please....Never come to Portugal.
 
Rasher: makes a lot of sense.

I’m currently in the black forest. Haven’t been here in at least 16/18 years.
It is obviously very controlled, but to be honest they have a sensible speed limit (100kmh) that lets you have fun around most of the bends (around or slightly over the limit) and seem to curb down on straight line racers :)

Most of the attention (signs, etc.) to bikers seems to make people understand not to be dicks (noise and speed) when entering towns. Seems to work.
I haven’t ever been the most righteous rider… but I think this is a sensible middle ground.

I see you live in Oxfordshire… slightly different approach there.
 
The creeping national speed limit reduction is pretty much complete in Oxfordshire, with 30, 40 and 50 limits everywhere. Mostly I ignore them, and ride at a speed appropriate for the road, which often means less than 30 in the villages but usually more than the limit elsewhere.

My bike isn’t noisy, I slow down for horses, hazards, even cyclists but I’m sure I’ll do 90 or so on every ride, somewhere. No one including me has died or been injured as a result of this for 25 years or more.

Speed doesn’t kill*, it’s a stupid and lazy phrase. Inattentiveness leads to accidents.

As for noise, get a grip. A noisy bike is gone in 30 seconds. Where live there are tractors and other loud farming devices, usually a small aeroplane doing stunts that you would usually pay to see and the old gimmer across the road with a vast array of powered gardening tools running for about 6 hours every day. Bikes are the least of it and most of those that complain are the same whiners that bought a house next to a pub (about 300 metres away) and then complain there’s a pub 300 metres away. Wankers.

*proof. I’ve been on Concorde at Mach 2 (or something) and I didn’t die.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The noise thing for 30 seconds is OK, except every 60 seconds another C*** with a race pipe comes past showing off how much f***** noise he can make.

The "Get a grip" comment is great, tell that to all the folks who have managed to campaign to the point bikes are being banned from many roads at weekends in various parts of Europe, standard bike noise limits have been mercilessly ratcheted down to the point standard bikes are almost silent now, and just being a petrol head puts us in the firing line for more discrimination even if we don't continue to needlessly piss people off.

Does anyone really "need" an illegal exhaust to have fun? I suppose the answer is yes, just as some people need to fiddle kiddies or murder someone to have a good time, but as with those extreme examples the vast majority of folk will not agree it is acceptable behavior and they have the numbers to really fuck with us if we piss them off - with yet more bans for us at weekends, lower bike noise limits, lower speed limits, higher Police presence etc.

I know I am pissing in the wind on a bike forum by not thinking it is cool to have a f***** loud bike and to make sure everyone knows it.
 
The noise thing for 30 seconds is OK, except every 60 seconds another C*** with a race pipe comes past showing off how much f***** noise he can make.

The "Get a grip" comment is great, tell that to all the folks who have managed to campaign to the point bikes are being banned from many roads at weekends in various parts of Europe…

I know I am pissing in the wind on a bike forum by not thinking it is cool to have a f***** loud bike and to make sure everyone knows it.

Rasher is spot on.

Even the local (biker friendly) hotels are now saying it. I guess the hotel owners fear that, if the local authorities clamp down by banning motorcycles completely at certain times or on certain days, it will affect their trade.

https://www.steineggerhof.com/de/aktiv-erleben/motorrad/motorradtouren.html

Laut ist definitiv out!
 


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