[Travel] Speed camera switch on

[lost in london]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I simply regard the whole thing as a nonsense. The so-called 'Safety Partnerships' are unelected and responsible to no-one. The worst organisation of all is something called Brake, which has charitable status and sticks its oar whenever possible. It's worth remembering that the 70 mph speed limit was introduced in the '70's by Barbara Castle, then transport minister. Car design, handling, braking and accident survivability has improved no end since then, to say nothing of seat belts, although I also seem to remember that they were promoted on TV by Jimmy Savill. Time to raise the limits

I think you're wrong. No-one really needs to go faster than 70. It genuinely doesn't get you there noticeably quicker.

Motorways run far more smoothly at busy times when they drop the speed limit down to 50, it stops the pillocks who speed up, slow down over and over and cause all the emergency braking behind them and the concertina effect. I would imagine the same principle applies to the 70 mph limit - if you pushed it up to 80, you would get a greater spread of speeds on the motorway, leading to more accelerating and braking and more of the concertina effect as people brake behind.

The only way to solve it all is to bring in self-driving cars and let them drive themselves on motorways.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Like every speed restriction, it is a limit, not a requirement. You should always drive to the conditions upto whatever the limit is.

There are thousands of narrow / bendy rural roads in this country where even in the most perfect conditions imaginable, it would still never be safe to drive that stretch at 60mph. What sense is there for the legal limit on those stretches to be higher than it would ever be safe to drive them?

 

[Gordon Bennett]

Clearly the answer is to have a car that can beat the camera!!

 

[dazzer6666]

I think you're wrong. No-one really needs to go faster than 70. It genuinely doesn't get you there noticeably quicker.

Motorways run far more smoothly at busy times when they drop the speed limit down to 50, it stops the pillocks who speed up, slow down over and over and cause all the emergency braking behind them and the concertina effect. I would imagine the same principle applies to the 70 mph limit - if you pushed it up to 80, you would get a greater spread of speeds on the motorway, leading to more accelerating and braking and more of the concertina effect as people brake behind.

The only way to solve it all is to bring in self-driving cars and let them drive themselves on motorways.

Disagree - you're failing to take into account traffic volumes and variable speed limits, which should be part of the answer (now the signage is in place to support) - so raise to 80, but when it's busy, drop to 70, 60, 50 etc. The main Mways are monitored 24/7 anyway. On a 240 mile journey, the difference in journey time between 70 & 80mph is 30 mins on a clear road, so quite a difference is possible.

 

[Brovion]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I simply regard the whole thing as a nonsense. The so-called 'Safety Partnerships' are unelected and responsible to no-one. The worst organisation of all is something called Brake, which has charitable status and sticks its oar whenever possible. It's worth remembering that the 70 mph speed limit was introduced in the '70's by Barbara Castle, then transport minister. Car design, handling, braking and accident survivability has improved no end since then, to say nothing of seat belts, although I also seem to remember that they were promoted on TV by Jimmy Savill. Time to raise the limits

A pedant writes ... It was December 1965. Initially it was a 'temporary measure', but was made permanent in 1967. It was brought in after a string of accidents in fog. The authorities reckoned (rightly) that they were caused by people driving too fast for the conditions.

I think variable speed limits are the way to go. There are times when frankly 50 might be a bit fast, and other times (modern car, empty road, good conditions) when it could be 80. And therein lies the problem of course - anybody who even suggests that the limit could be raised in certain conditions will get howled down.

PS - For the likes of Stat Brother: I don't own a car, so I'm not saying this for my own self-interest.

 

[Simster]

Like every speed restriction, it is a limit, not a requirement. You should always drive to the conditions upto whatever the limit is.

I did a speed awareness course after being caught by a camera and one thing they quickly pointed out was that, interestingly, there are plenty of roads where the limit is nonsensical. Specifically, the "national speed limit" meant "drive as fast as you like" until the 1960s when it meant different speeds to different road types. But the result of that is that you still see tiny, bendy rural near-single lane tracks that have the national speed limit applied, and for cars that can mean 60mph! Only a fatality will then force the speed limit to be changed on that road, unfortunately, which means some of these roads are the scenes of fatalities waiting to happen.

The speed awareness course I went on was genuinely quite interesting. Granted I wouldn't have chosen to go on it, but so many people were not aware of what the national speed limit meant, or the exponential braking distances, or even the definition of a dual carriageway (I was guilty of that one!). Definitely a good scheme rather than blithely fining people in my view.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

The estate I live on is about to have 20mph limits, and even that can be too fast given the bends, the road widths, the double parking, the random dog or cat, and the roaming children and oap's.

 

[trueblue]

I regularly drive on the M25 well beyond midnight and all too often there will be miles of empty road reduced to as low as 40mph, seemingly in anticipation of queues for the roadworks ahead (roadworks that may or may not actually exist). Driving at 40mph in those circumstances feels downright dangerous with only the occasional lorry for company, tanking down behind you at 70mph and not expecting some idiot to be doing half that for no apparent reason.

I’m a very steady driver generally, quite happy with 65-70 even when the road’s empty, so I’d be pretty hacked off to get a ticket in those circumstances. We’ll see...

 

[drew]

There are thousands of narrow / bendy rural roads in this country where even in the most perfect conditions imaginable, it would still never be safe to drive that stretch at 60mph. What sense is there for the legal limit on those stretches to be higher than it would ever be safe to drive them?

 

[BLOCK F]

I think you're wrong. No-one really needs to go faster than 70. It genuinely doesn't get you there noticeably quicker.

Motorways run far more smoothly at busy times when they drop the speed limit down to 50, it stops the pillocks who speed up, slow down over and over and cause all the emergency braking behind them and the concertina effect. I would imagine the same principle applies to the 70 mph limit - if you pushed it up to 80, you would get a greater spread of speeds on the motorway, leading to more accelerating and braking and more of the concertina effect as people brake behind.

The only way to solve it all is to bring in self-driving cars and let them drive themselves on motorways.

Hmm, Lost in London, perhaps you rarely travel on motorways, hence your name!
Self drive cars? By the time these are common place and there are no more 'driven' vehicles around, I suspect most of us on here won't be around!

 

[The Oldman]

Speed Camera Van been at Ashcombe Roundabout A27 eastbound all morning.

 

[BensGrandad]

Noticed a speed camera van on the A27 going east just before the roundabout near Kingston turning in to the town and HMP.but the interesting point which may be missed is that the advisory signs of speed cameras was laying down on the middle grass verge unable to be seen until you actually pass it. I wonder if anybody caught would consider contesting it on those grounds, if it is possible.


ps Is that the same one reported in the above post.

 

[vegster]

Noticed a speed camera van on the A27 going east just before the roundabout near Kingston turning in to the town and HMP.but the interesting point which may be missed is that the advisory signs of speed cameras was laying down on the middle grass verge unable to be seen until you actually pass it. I wonder if anybody caught would consider contesting it on those grounds, if it is possible.


ps Is that the same one reported in the above post.

Not sure that it is fair that there should be clear warnings about speed cameras, if there is clear guidance on the speed limit then that should be enough. A friend was caught by a mobile speed camera and he was pissed off because it was obscured by the car in front as they came up a slight incline as the road curved round !

 

[The Oldman]

Noticed a speed camera van on the A27 going east just before the roundabout near Kingston turning in to the town and HMP.but the interesting point which may be missed is that the advisory signs of speed cameras was laying down on the middle grass verge unable to be seen until you actually pass it. I wonder if anybody caught would consider contesting it on those grounds, if it is possible.


ps Is that the same one reported in the above post.

Yes BG

 

[SUA Seagull]

The speed awareness course I went on was genuinely quite interesting. Granted I wouldn't have chosen to go on it, but so many people were not aware of what the national speed limit meant, or the exponential braking distances, or even the definition of a dual carriageway (I was guilty of that one!). Definitely a good scheme rather than blithely fining people in my view.

I agree, having attended a speed awareness course a couple of years ago (having been clocked on an M1 average speed camera at 68 in a 60 section, on the way home from a 2-0 win at Rotherham – so it was 3 points for the Albion and none on my licence!). The course was well run and interesting and I found it a good “refresher”, having passed my driving test in the mid-70s. I was also struck by how little time is actually gained by speeding. They used my Amex journey from the Midlands to Brighton as an example; 155 miles which I usually (cautiously) do in about 2:40, or an average speed of 58 mph. If I were to “put my foot down” and do 80 mph for 30 minutes of that journey I’d only arrive 11 minutes earlier but would greatly increase my chances of a speeding ticket. Far easier to leave a few minutes early than risk a ticket. Since I attended the course I am definitely more careful now in observing the speed limit.

 

[kjgood]

Quite agree with this, I drive on the M25 late at night now and again my last trip from Birmingham airport to Eastbourne arriving 03.30 a.m. in Eastbourne. Probably half of the M25 from the M40 around to the M23/A22 junctions was speed limited to either 40 or 50 MPH with the weather good, roads dry. Most of the time there was no other traffic in sight either in front or behind, no fog, no ice, no roadworks, it appears that whoever was controlling the matrix was either asleep, didnt know what they were doing or just wanted to P1ss drivers off.

If the highways agency or whoever is controlling the matrix adjusted the safe driving speed limits to reflect the weather, traffic flow or incidents in a sensible manner more people would take notice, as it is no-one does because the info most of the time is poor. For example do we need a huge incident sign and a 50 MPH speed limit for ten miles prior to a coming up to a broken down car on the hard shoulder?

Get the matrix info right, understand how much advanced info drivers need to reduce speed before an incident, roadworks or bad weather etc. it usually isnt ten miles before and after.

I regularly drive on the M25 well beyond midnight and all too often there will be miles of empty road reduced to as low as 40mph, seemingly in anticipation of queues for the roadworks ahead (roadworks that may or may not actually exist). Driving at 40mph in those circumstances feels downright dangerous with only the occasional lorry for company, tanking down behind you at 70mph and not expecting some idiot to be doing half that for no apparent reason.

I’m a very steady driver generally, quite happy with 65-70 even when the road’s empty, so I’d be pretty hacked off to get a ticket in those circumstances. We’ll see...

 

[Paul Reids Sock]

The interesting one for me is when you are in a 50 for roadworks but the overhead signs then come on and flash to 60 for congestion.

Never sure in that circumstance whether someone could contest a speeding fine as it clearly states the limit is variable.


Another one I saw the other day was a biker leaning behind him to cover his number plate with his hand whenever he went through a speed camera

 

[kjgood]

Now I'm on my soapbox regarding motorway speed limits, I also agree with some of the points raised here, but wish to add a couple of my own. As one of the more ''mature'' members of the forum I remember owning vehicles in the past that are now considered classics such as a Triumph Vietesse MK 1, Ford Cortina Mk 1, Ford Cortina Mk 2 1600E, and an old Norton Jubilee and Commando for the bikies amongst us. I also seem to remember somewhere in the back of my mind that the speed limit was brought in about 1970 ish due to the fuel crisis at the time but could be wrong.

Its fair to say that there was far less traffic on the roads in the late 60's early 70's so there were less things to bump into, but compared to vehicles on the road today the vehicles I owned then were absolute death traps. Try doing 70 MPH in a MK1 or 2 Ford Cortina (If they would reach 70 mph) its frightening, they didnt steer, hold the road or stop, tyre technology was still in its infancy and drum brakes!!!!!!!!!! no traction control, no braking aids, no collision warning, anti skid, airbags etc.

I dont have data but I know my current vehicle which is a saloon car will stop at least in half the distance my old Triumph did and that was a sports machine at the time. Its time in my view that the motorways are controlled more sensibly and at times 70 MPH should be able to be exceeded, they have been doing that on autobahns in Germany for years on selected stretches outside of areas where there are no intersections or other narrower or more dangerous locations, bridges etc.

I do believe though that people should drive at a speed safe for the conditions of the road, weather and traffic flow at the time, if that is less than 70 mph so be it, but the same stands if its safe to drive over 70 mph.

A pedant writes ... It was December 1965. Initially it was a 'temporary measure', but was made permanent in 1967. It was brought in after a string of accidents in fog. The authorities reckoned (rightly) that they were caused by people driving too fast for the conditions.

I think variable speed limits are the way to go. There are times when frankly 50 might be a bit fast, and other times (modern car, empty road, good conditions) when it could be 80. And therein lies the problem of course - anybody who even suggests that the limit could be raised in certain conditions will get howled down.

PS - For the likes of Stat Brother: I don't own a car, so I'm not saying this for my own self-interest.

 

[Brovion]

Now I'm on my soapbox regarding motorway speed limits, I also agree with some of the points raised here, but wish to add a couple of my own. As one of the more ''mature'' members of the forum I remember owning vehicles in the past that are now considered classics such as a Triumph Vietesse MK 1, Ford Cortina Mk 1, Ford Cortina Mk 2 1600E, and an old Norton Jubilee and Commando for the bikies amongst us. I also seem to remember somewhere in the back of my mind that the speed limit was brought in about 1970 ish due to the fuel crisis at the time but could be wrong.

Its fair to say that there was far less traffic on the roads in the late 60's early 70's so there were less things to bump into, but compared to vehicles on the road today the vehicles I owned then were absolute death traps. Try doing 70 MPH in a MK1 or 2 Ford Cortina (If they would reach 70 mph) its frightening, they didnt steer, hold the road or stop, tyre technology was still in its infancy and drum brakes!!!!!!!!!! no traction control, no braking aids, no collision warning, anti skid, airbags etc.

I dont have data but I know my current vehicle which is a saloon car will stop at least in half the distance my old Triumph did and that was a sports machine at the time. Its time in my view that the motorways are controlled more sensibly and at times 70 MPH should be able to be exceeded, they have been doing that on autobahns in Germany for years on selected stretches outside of areas where there are no intersections or other narrower or more dangerous locations, bridges etc.

I do believe though that people should drive at a speed safe for the conditions of the road, weather and traffic flow at the time, if that is less than 70 mph so be it, but the same stands if its safe to drive over 70 mph.

You raise some good points with regard to older vehicles. Not only were they much less safe than their modern counterparts (I believe road fatalities are now at about 25% of their 1967 levels, even with considerably more cars on the roads), but a lot of them couldn't get anywhere near 70! As far as my parents' Morris 1000 was concerned it may well have been 170 for all the chance they had of exceeding it.

 

[Taybha]

Perhaps the monies generated by this will go toward pothole repair !






Ok just Kidding folks .