Lying Turds

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5286200.stm
The UK government is to invest another £21m in a space mission to build
a civil satellite navigation system

I bet I know just what New Labour want to use this system for on the
roads and it's **** all to do with helping you and me.

 

In uk.rec.motorcycles, Hog belched forth and ejected the following:

Here's some more good news for you from the same page:

"Powerful applications are expected on the roads; it will allow a
vehicle's precise movements to be tracked, presenting new possibilities
for road-user charging and tolling.

The precision and availability of the Galileo signal will allow charges
to be applied based on the distance travelled by a vehicle and other
parameters."

 

T'was the weekly liar... But IIRC someone from the BMf also tried the bike
and said it wasn't dangerous..

If the UK gov't *do* fit speed limiters, surely it'd only be to new
vehicles. And foreign vehicles wouldn't need them. So I'd be OK on account
of (a) being in foreign land and (b) running a 20 year old two stroke...

Dave

 

Nah. that was the IAM...

Until people start crashing into each other because they think reduced speed
= reduced accidents and they stop leaving a decent stopping distance(i.e.
they start driving like the French...)

So forgoing the extra 150cc of a proper sized two-stroke and only going for
a 350LC then? ))

Dave

 

Charges are already applied to motorists based on distance travelled and fuel
efficiency. It's also a lot cheaper to collect than this new fangled technology.

 

Well, given that it's a European initiative that's been on the cards for
at least 5 years that I've been aware of (and this really isn't my area)
I doubt its prime reason for existence is road tolling or surveillance
although no doubt these are part of the reasons for its existance (well,
at least the former.)

From memory this was kicked off by France some years back mainly to give
Europe independence from the US should the US decide to switch GPS off
or degrade the accuracy.

I must admit that in principle I support Galileo since I want Europe to
have an independent system.

Regarding the use of this system for surveillance I doubt it could do
anything that couldn't be achieved with existing technologies, after all
it's essentially no different to GPS. I'd get a thicker grade of
aluminium foil for the tin hat...

 

BSA Bantam