He drove to work each day - there were four routes he knew - he would never pre-determine which route he was going to take until he was in his car and driving - then circumstance would dictate. Once his choice had been determined solely by his mood on that particular day - each route had it's own particular feature - a nice picturesque park here or a nice fast stretch of road there. Now though there was a new factor to be considered. At first they had loomed too large and obvious to be a serious consideration - clumsy on street corners - they were easily defeated . He'd slow down before reaching their web of detection and then scoff - treating them merely as speed bump irritants before continuuing in his usual manner . His usual manner was officially illegal but it was one of those great unspoken allowances that everyone accepted gratefully. After all he was a great driver, no points - had never hurt a soul or been involved in an accident - no - he took pride in his twenty years of driving and expected everyone else to do the same. Now though, things were beginning to get a little more serious - he noted with annoyance the new sleeker line in speed detection cameras that were beginning to appear in greater numbers, each placed with an increasing sublety of positional sense. Where once the aim of the game had been a visual threat equivalent to a war ship on the horizon - now they were shark - like in purpose - this was no longer just a threat - they were after him - they wanted him banned and off the road - fast. He slowed down to remind himself of the absurdity of life at 30mph - it just wasn't so pleasurable these days - he had a car manufactured for illegality - why didn't they just cap the maximum speed that these things were capable of rather than go to all this expense - ? It's not like they kept you informed of the changes - at first the whispering masses had passed on what little they knew, clawing together in their need for the knowledge that would defeat these monoliths on street corners, watching in sadness as one by one they fell from the roads - 'if they flash twice you're done for' 'they're linked to supercomputers' 'they don't always work' 'they're just a visual deterrant - there's nothing inside them' He knew better - things had changed - the game was no longer a game - they were out to reduce the number of motorists by as much as 50% he suspected - and of course no one would be told. Maybe the anti traffic and pollution lobbying and the recent violence was making it's mark after all. This was why these albatross of modern invention had gradually become sleeker in design - more in line with the sophistication of surveillance gear that had existed for the last decade - there had been no need for the earlier monolithic design other than to lull the motoring populace into false security - a false security of their driving mortality - the monoliths were after all the archetype of clumsy, ineffectual detection - the kind of design the chattering classes had long since associated with inferior sophistication - the kind of design you could win against - out-do. In fact everyone had accepted them - just another facet of modern life - to be ignored along with all the other crap. He however realised with sadness that you could't win - that the days of cut 'em up, burn 'em up - of road rage and the most thrilling road race were over - Each day he noted his favourite routes become increasingly riddled with deviously positioned cameras - one by one he discounted his favourite routes to work - each one a living testament to a time when he'd been free to participate in the world's largest race - where every car had been his opponent - standing between him and an unspecified finish line. Certainly there was less traffic these days - it was a game of marathon musical chairs where the remaining competitors drove conspiratorially like old - age pensioners. One of his routes remained detector free however. He would allow himself a nostalgic burn each morning before settling back down to 30 with a sigh - no - it just wasn't fun anymore - One day he went to his mail box to find a recorded delivery - it had been signed for by another conspirator - he never answered the door to the postman for precisely this reason - the letter inside was computerised - CAMERA DETECTED OFFENCES UNIT NOTICE OF PROSECUTION AND SUBSEQUENT BAN In accordance with section 1 - Road Traffic Offenders Act, notice is hereby given of the prosecution and subsequent ban as of today - 23/03/98 against the driver of motor vehicle registration FAT STAR for three consecutive offences to comply with a speed limit on the 19/20/21st March 1998 THESE ALLEGATIONS WERE SUPPORTED BY MEANS OF PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE - APPEAL NOT PERMISSABLE

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