Is SPECs a bluff?

There's a funny one at the moment on the M62 or M1 (I go beween Ceshire upto Teeside, I forget where the hell I'm talking about specifically) but there's Yellow signs with "50mph" and SPECs, there's no red lights or any work going and everyones doing 90.

I guess they're turned off? As the legal requirement for a speed sign is White cicle with red ring? if not i can see some points coming my way :p
 
Lucero said:
Because the council don't own the yellow SPECs cameras, the contracted firm do, therefore, the council would see no money from it.
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The cameras are owned by the safety camera pratnership for the area in question (of which the council may be a member) but as of the end of the hypothecation scheme in 2006 the money from fines goes directly to central government.

s0ck said:
I wish the ones on the M4 were. Unless they do fake flashes too :)
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The flash you are seeing is simply due to your lights reflecting off the lens of the camera and into your eyes, same as when you are overtaking in the dark their rear view mirror will flash at you at a certain point.
 
al123 I was working there today :) To be fair though I didn't look at all of them as there is around, 14 masts but of the 5 or 6 I saw on the side of the road towards lakeside none had any power or data although that could be wireless. If ya think about it you can't do ground works with underground cables, as it is road widening that would pose a bit of a problem ;) that's why all the lights that shine up on them have surface cables running to them :)
 
Vigoro said:
I know some on the A34 where they are moving the bridge near oxford work, my aunt got caught going through them too fast and recieved a nice fine through the post a few weeks later :p
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Those were annoying when I used to use that road in August/September.

The unused ones with a little sign saying they aren't in use, I was panicking a bit the 1st time I saw one outside the cones.

:eek: "WTF are you doing all the way out here!"



[TW]Fox;15436858 said:
SPECS cameras do not flash.
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[pedant]Yes they do, you just can't see the flash with your inferior human eyesight.[/pedant]
 
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Err, if you're suggesting the SPECS have an infrared flash, then why would the infrared light be lit permanently.

Also I remember somewhere along the M40/M42 there are a load of SPECS camera, with signs clearly stating that they were not in use - why do this if they were all fakes?
 
I respect the limits in the work zones when the happy chappys are working away as they do a dangerous job working right next to the roads or somtimes having to run accross to lay cones. So therefore i think they are a good idea.

there their for a reason in the motorways, other places i am not so sure about.
 
Scuzi said:
I frequently see people doing well over 70mph through the SPECS covered 50 section at J2-3 of the M3. Either there's a lot of idiots out there or there's a lot of people who are confident the cameras are not active. I'm not going to risk it though.
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I can't comment on the M3. However, in my experience, it would be nigh on impossible for people to be doing "well over 70mph" for the simple reason that everyone is doing about 50mph (or 40mph if appropriate) and using all available lanes.

I don't care whether they are active or not; they do seem to work and are much more sensible than GATSOs :)
 
MikeHiow said:
Err, if you're suggesting the SPECS have an infrared flash, then why would the infrared light be lit permanently.

Also I remember somewhere along the M40/M42 there are a load of SPECS camera, with signs clearly stating that they were not in use - why do this if they were all fakes?
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The "not in use signs" are there when SPECS is installed on part-time roadworks, rolling roadworks (ie. where they plan to resurface 5 miles of road but in 1 mile long sections) or where the cameras are put up before the roadworks have actually started.

These signs are necessary because many people will slow down to 50 as soon as they see a SPECS camera, an understandable response because for many people SPECS are only ever seen in 50mph roadworks, and because people with Road angels and the like will be getting constant warnings of a SPECS enforced 50 zone.

Strife212 said:
They only work if you stay in the same lane.
http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/16/uk-drivers-change-lanes-to-outsmart-specs-speeding-cameras/
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Lowe said:
I was under the impression that used to be the case a few years back, however they are now type approved for multiple lanes.
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Correct, there was never a technical issue, just one of type approval, which has now been resolved.
Anyone who wants a citation is free to go and look up the type approvals, they're freely available. If you can't find them, then email your local camera partnership with an FOI request for said type approval. It's free and will give them more work to do despite a fixed budget.
 
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stockhausen said:
I can't comment on the M3. However, in my experience, it would be nigh on impossible for people to be doing "well over 70mph" for the simple reason that everyone is doing about 50mph (or 40mph if appropriate) and using all available lanes.
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Not at 4 in the morning or 11 at night.
 
Lucero said:
Because the council don't own the yellow SPECs cameras, the contracted firm do, therefore, the council would see no money from it.
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So why do they want to spend money putting up big yellow poles, only to attach non functional camera's which will net them no profit?

That makes no sense whatsoever.
 
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