Electronic Speed Warning Signs

Scottland · 13 Jul 2006 at 18:30

About 8 weeks ago the local authorities installed lots of these around the area, similar to these.

Is it possible for them to pull of statistics from them to find out how many times its detecting people over the limit?

I say this, as today I come home to find a (s)camera van about 400 yards down the road from the warning sign, it's never been here before so must be a new location. It's also been parked on the other side of the road the rest of the day.

Co-incidence? Or are they finding out where most people are speeding and then deploying these vans?

An attempt to proactively stop accidents related by speeding, or out to make a quick buck?

ShakenNstirred · 13 Jul 2006 at 19:17

don't know if they record or not, but i wouldn't be surprised.
what gets me is car drivers that never slowdown for the 2 wires that are put across rides to record speeding(to see if its worth putting a speed cam at that location), then there the first to moan about all the cams popping up every were.
so if you ever see the 2 wires across the road, slowdown if you are over the limit for that road.

Abraham · 13 Jul 2006 at 19:21

i presume they do record stats because they're known to be more effective than camera's at reducing the number of people over the limit, although i suppose that could have been measured a different way

Doonhamer · 13 Jul 2006 at 20:01

They have basically stopped using those around here because some of ours would show a happy or sad face depending on your speed and to many people were speeding up to get a sad face.

MrSix · 13 Jul 2006 at 20:04

^^ lol at that - what a useless and pathetic idea for a sign.

My favourite are the ones that actually read your speed, they have them at a uni near here and early hours of the morning when nobody is around i've heard that people try to get it to read XX (it's only a 2 digit one and can only go up to 99)

wozzizname · 13 Jul 2006 at 20:11

There's one around here in a 40 zone that triggers if you exceed 30.... :rolleyes:

oweneades · 13 Jul 2006 at 20:48

Scottland said:
Co-incidence? Or are they finding out where most people are speeding and then deploying these vans?

Pretty much tbh. Same happened here where I live (although to be fair I do live opposite a primary school) A speed check sign was put up and then the next day a mobile camera van was in the laybay opposite catching people.

TBH though the sign did nothing to help speeding, in fact it made it worse as boy racers (and blokes in V6 vectras) were just seeing how fast they could get there cars to go down the road. I think one guy clocked 80ish (and its a 20mph limit :eek:

)

teaboy5 · 13 Jul 2006 at 20:52

ShakenNstirred said:
don't know if they record or not, but i wouldn't be surprised.
what gets me is car drivers that never slowdown for the 2 wires that are put across rides to record speeding(to see if its worth putting a speed cam at that location), then there the first to moan about all the cams popping up every were.
so if you ever see the 2 wires across the road, slowdown if you are over the limit for that road.

These two wires are for speed bumps as for as i know. You see them here and the next thing you know you have speed bumps in place. But the good thing is it only takes one person to complain to the DOE before they are put in place and they dont go in. Might be different in england, as we dont really have speed cams here.

Duke · 13 Jul 2006 at 21:02

I thought the two cables across the road were for recording how busy a road is?

oweneades · 13 Jul 2006 at 21:04

Duke said:
I thought the two cables across the road were for recording how busy a road is?

Same here. I always thought they used them in villages and on certain town roads to see how congested the road gets and then in certain circumstances a bypass could be put on the table.

Sirrel Squirrel · 13 Jul 2006 at 21:13

Duke said:
I thought the two cables across the road were for recording how busy a road is?

I was thinking about this the other day because I though they did measure speed but then thought happens if an arctic or something with a long wheel base goes over it, so it could well be for monitoring traffic.

Noxis · 13 Jul 2006 at 22:14

ShakenNstirred said:
don't know if they record or not, but i wouldn't be surprised.
what gets me is car drivers that never slowdown for the 2 wires that are put across rides to record speeding(to see if its worth putting a speed cam at that location), then there the first to moan about all the cams popping up every were.
so if you ever see the 2 wires across the road, slowdown if you are over the limit for that road.

Err I am pretty sure they are for measuring traffic volume not car speed there matey

Arc · 13 Jul 2006 at 22:28

Theres a classic electronic speed warning sign round here. Its placed about 15 feet behind an 30mph sign (road is NSL going into a 30). It flashes up that its a 30 limit and slow down.

It triggers when your still well within the NSL area causing many drivers to simply slam on the anchors, which on a downhill stretch of road that aint the smoothest piece of tarmac around is never a good idea, cue lots of sliding cars.

Why they cant spend the time resurfacing the road or retraining some of the drivers who simply refuse to slow down for the 30mph limit I dont know

.

Trifid · 13 Jul 2006 at 22:37

Sirrel Squirrel said:
I was thinking about this the other day because I though they did measure speed but then thought happens if an arctic or something with a long wheel base goes over it, so it could well be for monitoring traffic.

Front wheels hit to front wheels will work.

I was about to point out that they did it at our local high school and 2 weeks later there were speedbumps there, but the speed bumps where after this point for the Zebra crossing.

To O/T they did they here along a 40 stretch of 50mph road and it did work for a while but now everyone caires on at 'normal' speed.

Gixer · 13 Jul 2006 at 22:39

Im pretty sure they are for measuring speed

Why would you need two wires to measure volume of traffic? there are two set at a set distance apart and using time and distance they work out your speed as you travel over them. So if you do see them it is advisable to slow down to the speed limit as otherwise you may find speed preventing measures appearing in that area.

Here is a news artical that mentions cables being put down on a road to monitor speed

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2005/05/09/newsstory7110086t0.asp

Im pretty sure they are for speeding primarily, but you cannot get convicted for anything by them they are purely for monitoring purposes only

Violent-J · 13 Jul 2006 at 22:40

Those things actually use radars? I thought it was just a flashing sign LOL

Everytime I've gone through one of those signs it's flashed so I must speed a lot more than I think.

Trifid · 13 Jul 2006 at 22:42

Violent-J said:
Those things actually use radars? I thought it was just a flashing sign LOL

Everytime I've gone through one of those signs it's flashed so I must speed a lot more than I think.

They are set bang on 1mph above the speed limit, where as cameras are 10% over.

Scottland · 13 Jul 2006 at 23:16

Trifid said:
They are set bang on 1mph above the speed limit, where as cameras are 10% over.

Is that always the case though? As the ones I brought up are set to 30. They will flash if I drive past with the speedo registering 30, yet GPS registering 27?

I actually think these flashing signs are as much good as speed camera's to get people to slow down. And at the end of the day, they're put up in accident black spots where speeding is causing horriffic accidents all the time. So even if people slow for the sign only, then there won't be anymore accidents will there?

Firestar_3x · 13 Jul 2006 at 23:59

Ones round my area will flash when your doing 40 in a 60.

Psycrow · 14 Jul 2006 at 01:28

Violent-J said:
Those things actually use radars? I thought it was just a flashing sign LOL

Everytime I've gone through one of those signs it's flashed so I must speed a lot more than I think.

First speed cameras and now these signs, are you part of some weird cult that just doesn't beleive radar exists?