A Temporary Speed Camera Collects over £1,000,000

[TW]Fox · 22 Apr 2006 at 01:07

When did you last drive on a UK Motorway?

You don't have little 'bumps in a car which might dent another car'.

If somebody has a collision on a Motorway, then unless its in slow moving queuing traffic, it's usually pretty horrific. Thankfully it's exceptionally rare which is why our Motorway network is so safe.

Cars on our Motorways do not randomly drift onto the hard shoulder or into the central reservation barrier. On the whole, despite the general driving ability of people in the UK being naff, we can manage to drive in a near straight line without crashing.

So, roadworks or no roadworks, if the lane is the same size as it normally is there is not, IMHO, any more danger than there would normally be. Sure - if a car drifted across into the roadworks, somebody could get hurt. But if thats a valid reason for a 50mph speed limit then we'd better make the entire network a 50mph zone becuase a car could easily drift from one lane to another out of roadworks - only they'd collide with another car instead...

But like I said, narrow lanes or complex roadlayouts such as Contraflows and yes, I fully support and understand the reasoning behind reduced speed limits.

andi · 22 Apr 2006 at 01:07

[TW]Fox said:
And had she not been in roadworks at the time, she'd have drifted across into another lane and crashed that way, perhaps taking out other cars. Should we therefore enforce a 50mph speed limit on all Motorways just incase?

No, because there's no one standing around on the motorway to hit normally.

[TW]Fox · 22 Apr 2006 at 01:09

andi said:
No, because there's no one standing around on the motorway to hit normally.

Nope, but there ARE other cars to hit, and hitting other cars at 70mph is generally not a good idea. It's certainly not inherently safer than hitting people in roadworks - whichever you hit, somebody is going to get seriously hurt.

So, if you think 50mph speed limits on roadworks with regular sized lanes are justified becuase you may drift into the roadworks (How often does this happen, seriously?) then I cannot see how you cannot also support 50mph elsewhere, the potential to 'drift into another lane' still exists, it's just you've got something different to hit..

Some people are missing the point here.

In what way is doing 60mph along a narrow, winding country lane with pedestrians walking at the side with no pavement somehow 'safer' than driving at 70mph through roadworks with regular sized lanes?

Becuase only one of those is illegal.

JayMax · 22 Apr 2006 at 01:09

Fox, speaking from experience, you'd be amazed at the amount of RTA's that occur on roadworks if you'd spent any time working on them. From minor bumper collisions, to people in the barriers, to deaths.
Motorists in general are baboons.

MoNkeE · 22 Apr 2006 at 01:16

JayMax said:
Fox, speaking from experience, you'd be amazed at the amount of RTA's that occur on roadworks if you'd spent any time working on them. From minor bumper collisions, to people in the barriers, to deaths.
Motorists in general are baboons.

Agreed - I get the impression he's not speaking from experience here. All motorway accidents are not "horrific". I can go into work, sit infront of our accident database (naturally, all accidents that occur on our part of the network are recorded) and tell you how many fatalities occur compared to how many with injuries/damage to crown property/vehicles.

Also, you're keep making it out as if road works only occurs on the carriageway?

-RaZ

Mr Joshua · 22 Apr 2006 at 01:17

I always abide by the limit through roadworks, it makes me laugh when you see some 60mph driver passing everything through the roadworks only to be passed once they've ended.

[TW]Fox · 22 Apr 2006 at 01:23

MoNkeE said:
Also, you're keep making it out as if road works only occurs on the carriageway?

Nope, I'm just saying they are the only ones I disagree with. Everyone crawls past empty roadworks at 50mph becuase 40 feet from the cones there are a few blokes digging up the embankment.

I keep saying I've no issue with speed limits at major roadworks with narrow lanes and/or contraflows.

I think a bit of context is needed - it's purely my opinion. Saying garbage like people who think like me shouldn't be on the road is slightly OTT. It would be justified if I said 'I dont personally agree with the speed limits so ignore them', but I don't. I adhere to them, I just dislike them and personally think they are pointless. Whats the problem with that? It does nobody any harm.

MoNkeE · 22 Apr 2006 at 01:54

All I'm trying to do is help you understand why it's used

It's not done as a source of income - it's requested by the MAC (for example my company) and approved by the Highways Agency. I'm sure there'll be boring ol' statistics etc to back up why they're required.

-RaZ

The_Dark_Side · 22 Apr 2006 at 02:08

dmpoole said:
A temporary speed camera got £1,088,000 and gave 50,000 points to 18,000 speeding motorists in a year and six months on the M62 near Leeds.

this sends out a very clear message.
that message is that in the Leeds area there are 18 thousand drivers that are either too ignorant/uneducated/unobservant to have noticed the limit and the camera signs, or they're so arrogant they feel it doesn't apply to them.
one of the guys they interviewed hit the nail on the head, "if you don't want to be caught, don't speed and we can pack up and go home"

stoofa · 22 Apr 2006 at 03:53

Bottom line:

A speed camera alone makes absolutely £0 in fines.
It can only make any kind of money with the help of you - the driver.
So, if a camera makes £1,000,000 then you've got nobody to blame but the driver.

jim5000 · 22 Apr 2006 at 04:45

I know loads of people who hate speed cameras, and there are always people on TV moaning about them, 'they're just another tax' etc...

The thing that I can't understand is, you don't get a ticket if you don’t speed!!! They even paint the things florescent yellow, have signs warning you about them all over the place, and only half are turned on at a time!!!

ALD · 22 Apr 2006 at 07:39

So, if you think 50mph speed limits on roadworks with regular sized lanes are justified becuase you may drift into the roadworks (How often does this happen, seriously?)

It happens a lot more than you would believe. When you have only got a few seconds to run for your life 20 mph can make all the difference. You also get the muppets who get confussed and end up driving down the closed lane. Or the ones who stop in the live lane and try and ask you for directions. :confused:

mrgubby · 22 Apr 2006 at 09:03

Road works need enforced speed restrictions for the safety of the workforce AND the public .

But I fail to see how getting a fined through the post 3 weeks later saves lives. You need to STOP the idiots speeding not slap their wrists later.

The_Dark_Side · 22 Apr 2006 at 09:30

jim5000 said:
I know loads of people who hate speed cameras, and there are always people on TV moaning about them, 'they're just another tax' etc...

The thing that I can't understand is, you don't get a ticket if you don’t speed!!! They even paint the things florescent yellow, have signs warning you about them all over the place, and only half are turned on at a time!!!

i want this post framed.

Arc · 22 Apr 2006 at 10:32

[TW]Fox said:
So, if you think 50mph speed limits on roadworks with regular sized lanes are justified becuase you may drift into the roadworks (How often does this happen, seriously?)

Your assuming cars are just drifting between lanes, a lot more can happen.

Assume some one breaks down and blocks one lane, a car has a tyre blow out and looses control, someone gets confused and stops on the carriageway, a piece of equipment at the roadworks makes it way onto the carriageway etc etc ......

The lower speed limit is there so that should any unforseen event happen, then you should have the time to react without hitting another car or the workforce at the side of the road. It reduces the risk and makes it safer for everyone.

If driving standards were high enough people would naturally slow down at roadworks due to the higher risk levels but they dont, so we need temporary limits.

SexyGreyFox · 22 Apr 2006 at 11:03

I didn't have an agenda when I originally posted this, I just thought people might be interested.
However, I'm interested to know whether the speed camera is in the optimum place for catching speeders?
Here In Stoke we're having some major roadworks done on the A500 over/under two large roundabouts.
We also have a speed camera that has caught 1000's of speeding motorists but the difference is that the camera is catching people who have left the roadworks.
Basically the roadworks finish, you can see the 50 mph signs 400 yards ahead, put your foot down and the mobile camera gets you.
This has caused so many arguments that the cameras should be put either in the roadworks or approaching the roadworks but its getting the frustrated driver who wants to put his foot down when he sees daylight.
(I wonder if SPIE has been done here because he has to go through it everyday?)

Heres an overhead pic, the yellow is the roadworks and the mobile camera is above -

Mad old tory · 22 Apr 2006 at 11:14

No problem with the camera in roadworks, but that camera after them is a bit cheeky. Seems to be longer and longer after roadworks now that they end the 50zone

MoNkeE · 22 Apr 2006 at 11:29

Well I suppose it depends where its two reference points are as well. A camera coming up to roadworks or as you enter is a bad idea - whilst people may adjust their speed late, it's still better than not at all, and I'd rather someone go a few yards over the speed limit (and slowing down) without a ticket than someone speeding through.

-RaZ

NathanE · 22 Apr 2006 at 11:56

Thing is, the amount of 'damage' that 50mph does to the human body is not going to be much less than what 70mph does... So really, what is the point? 30mph is the known threshold where survival rates greatly increase...

MoNkeE · 22 Apr 2006 at 13:41

Not been reading? We're not on about the collision - we're on about the increase in thinking/braking distance. Someone may come off some road works onto the live motorway - at 70mph, the driver may see it, slam the breaks on, still hit it and cause a major accident. At 50mph, they've got more time in which to respond, and less time needed to brake.

-RaZ