Revisions to the Road Traffic Law from September will drastically change…The “30 km/h” regulation on daily roads will draw attention to the terrifying performance of the mobile Orbis.

The days of being overlooked if you are riding a bicycle are over. With the coming April 1 enforcement of the revised Road Traffic Law (Road Traffic Law), the “blue ticket” system for bicycles has become a well-known fact through daily news reports. What drivers should be wary of, however, is the “reduction of the legal speed limit on residential roads,” which will come into effect a little later, on September 1.

Until now, the legal speed limit on ordinary roads has been “60 km/h if there is no sign. However, after the new law comes into effect, the speed limit will be uniformly set at 30 kilometers per hour on so-called “daily roads” where there is no center line, even if there is no signage. In conjunction with this new regulation, there is concern about the existence of “mobile Orbis” vehicles, which are used to crack down on drivers on roads used for everyday purposes.

Arrest rate more than six times.

One of the key points of the revised law is the treatment of roads without speed signs. According to data from the National Police Agency, the legal speed limit of 60 km/h will continue to be maintained only on roads with a center line, white lines separating lanes, and a median strip.

The road is a familiar residential road, or a peaceful farm road that you travel on vacation. If you step on the gas pedal because there is no sign, you may immediately be in serious violation (equivalent to a red ticket), such as driving 30 kilometers over the limit. Behind the tightening of these regulations is the strong intention of the National Police Agency to reduce the risk of traffic accidents on roads used for daily life. Along with the “stricter 30-km speed limit,” the “mobile Orbis” has been attracting a lot of attention. Mobile Orbis is a portable enforcement device that automatically measures and photographs speed violations and records evidence, allowing the police to operate it at different locations. Unlike the conventional “rat-catching” system in which a police officer measures and stops a vehicle on the spot, the offending vehicle is automatically photographed and processed at a later date.

Mobile Orbis is a small device designed to operate on school and residential roads. Conventional “rat catchers” require a space (signing site) to issue a ticket, which is difficult to implement on residential streets. However, with the mobile Orbis, a space as small as two tatami mats is all that is needed for installation.

Mr. Katsumi Osuga, who operates “Orbis Guide,” a website for sharing information on the installation of automatic speeding tickets (ORBIS), said, “Mobile ORBIS can be installed in a space as small as two tatami mats. The mobile ORBIS has a simple structure with a measuring device and camera mounted on a tripod, and is a little over 1 meter high. It is small enough to be carried by a person, and can be set up on the side of the road if the width of the road is only about one meter. There is no need for a police officer to run out with a flag and stop a vehicle on the spot, as is the case with conventional enforcement. The system automatically takes a picture of the license plate number and driver’s face of the offending vehicle as it passes by, and calls the police station at a later date. There is a view that the mobile Orbis system may be strengthened following the recent amendment to the law.

The police will decide whether or not to enforce the law, so it is impossible to say for sure, but there is a possibility that they will be checked more strictly than before,” said Osuka.

The power of the mobile Orbis is tremendous. According to a report in the Yomiuri Shimbun, in 2009, when the Chiba Prefectural Police began full-scale operation of the mobile Orbis system, the number of arrests from January to April jumped 6.6 times over the same period last year to 1,440 cases, despite having only three units in operation.

By the time you realize it, it’s too late.

It has been said that the fixed type Orbis often seen on highways and arterial roads are generally triggered when speeds are greatly exceeded. However, the situation is different on roads because the speed limit of the mobile Orbis can be changed arbitrarily.

The speed limit on roads for daily use is 30 kilometers per hour. If you drive at 50 km/h on a road with a 30 km/h speed limit, you are 20 km over the limit. If you drive this fast, you will probably be photographed.

So, what exactly are the times and places where the cameras will be installed? According to Mr. Oosuga, the most important time to be cautious is during “morning and evening commuting hours to school.

The most important time to be on the roads is during the daytime, especially on the way to and from school,” he said. The police receive many requests from the PTA and neighborhood associations to crack down on cars that drive too fast and are dangerous around schools. In response to such requests, the police often focus their enforcement efforts on these areas.

There are also crackdowns on blind spots, he says.

In Chiba Prefecture, where I frequently conduct research, mobile ORBIS systems are being used to enforce the law even on narrow, dark roads at night,” he said. In Chiba, the mobile ORBIS is mainly operated on narrow roads, such as daily life roads, rather than on main roads.

At night, it is difficult to see the mobile ORBIS. Moreover, in residential areas, there are many obstacles, so even with the latest speeding detectors, the response is delayed, and by the time you notice it, it is too late. Needless to say, it is a general rule to drive slowly around schools and on roads where people live, regardless of whether there is an ORBIS or not. In addition, we must pay more attention to speed than ever before.

On the other hand, in addition to actual arrests, “show-and-tell” crackdowns are also being conducted. Signs are placed prominently along school routes, etc., to make drivers aware of the operation. Mr. Osu revealed, “In some cases, ‘dummies’ are introduced in addition to real machines.

Some police stations even make and install their own “dummy Orbis,” which looks exactly like an Orbis, using tin cans, lumber, and other materials. Mobile Orbis are very expensive, and each prefectural police department has a limited number of them. However, if the purpose of the system is to “show” the police that there is an Orbis and make them slow down, there is no need to use a real Orbis. I feel that the police will stop at nothing to prevent accidents from happening.

From September onward, all traffic on residential roads will be regulated at 30 km/h. Unless otherwise specified by a sign, the speed limit will remain at 30 km/h. Unless a sign indicates otherwise, drivers will receive a ticket if they drive 60 kilometers per hour, as they have done in the past. It is not enough to say, “I didn’t know. High-performance machines and dummies may be waiting for you right next to where you live. Drivers will be required to drive more carefully than ever before on the roads where they live.