Fake Speed Camera

hlxbravo

hlxbravo

hlxbravo

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Joined
6 May 2006
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Location
Rowley Regis, West Midlands
A major dual carriageway round my way has recently had two new speed cameras installed, the site of them is around a sweeping bend and i pass these every day on my way to work. I dont have a problem with them being there as such, as a young father was killed on this exact spot a couple of xmas's ago, due to speeding, I believe.

However it has come to light that these cameras are in fact fake, admitted by a local councillor and even the local police chief has criticised the council. Is this really allowed? I thought there were certain regulations regarding the siting of cameras.

Anyway, link to the local rag below.

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/2017/05/09/council-bosses-accused-of-speed-cam-scam/
 
Quite a sensible spot for a camera to be cited, really, its one of the worst roads for speeding in the Black Country and there have been a number of serious accidents at the crossroads with the Dudley Road.

The council is being a bit sly perhaps, but with the all of the fixed cameras all being switched off across the black country to save money there is no way they can get an actual camera fitted without fronting the full cost and running it themselves (there is no broader joint camera partnership to belong to) so its not cost effective for them to put a real camera in place. Fitting the dummy is a deterrent and a much cheaper option.

You could consider the newspaper somewhat irresponsible for reporting the fact in the way they have done though.
 
Cameras have all been turned off around here for the last 3 years or so IIRC, although there were whispers about installing average speed cameras down the Penn Rd as well.
 
So we have a thread where it's apparently wrong to flash other road users about a speed trap because they deserve to get caught, yet a council believes a visual warning (fake speed camera) to slow people down is the most effective method to slow down drivers. If a visual warning (flash) is wrong, a fake speed camera (visual warning) is also wrong and drivers should be able to speed there to be caught by a hidden camera van?
 
mattyg said:
Surely thats exactly the same if they were real
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Exactly. But the real ones have an added bonus of penalising those who ignore the camera and continue at a steady speed.

What needs to be worked on is driving standards. It should be made much much harder to obtain a driving license. People can barely drive without crashing into things at 1MPH and then go on a motorway. Speed has got nothing to do with how crap of a driver someone is.
 
asim18 said:
Great, so its only purpose is to make people slam their brakes on for 2 seconds and then speed right up again.

Therefore they've essentially just planted a hazard on the road.
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How inconvenient for people speeding, knowing they are speeding and fearing punishment :rolleyes:
 
Hotwired said:
How inconvenient for people speeding, knowing they are speeding and fearing punishment :rolleyes:
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??? Are you refuting something I said?

It's not inconvenient for people speeding, it's inconvenient for other people because theres a maniac on the road who is forced to slam the brakes and then speed right up again. The speeder is going to speed regardless, and the innocent safe driver will be limiting his speed regardless.

Because the speeder is going to be speeding regardless, it's just silly to force them to randomly slow down from time to time for a couple of seconds, or 0.01% of their speeding run. It doesn't really help matters, because the speeder is going to speed regardless. In reality, all that's happening is that it forces a hazardous event to take place, which is sudden braking.
 
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asim18 said:
Because the speeder is going to be speeding regardless, it's just silly to force them to randomly slow down from time to time for a couple of seconds, or 0.01% of their speeding run. It doesn't really help matters, because the speeder is going to speed regardless. In reality, all that's happening is that it forces a hazardous event to take place, which is sudden braking.
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If a speeder is speeding, the only way they are a risk to the car behind is if the car behind is also speeding and tailgating otherwise the braking distance would be more than enough to brake for the camera then get back up to speed for the following traffic to not be affected. So speeding here isn't the issue, it's tailgating. Could a real camera capture that?
 
I work in Sandwell Clarkey, you're not wrong, I spend loads of time on that road. Always loads of RTCs, and the free for all at the Birchley Island.
 
I can't stand driving down there, too many damn traffic lights and right turns blocking the right lane. My dad did have some cool stories of how they used to drag race on it back in the day though.
 
hyperseven said:
you wouldn't be slamming your brakes on unless you are already breaking the law :rolleyes:
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Exactly what I'm saying. They're already breaking the law and they will continue to do so after the speed camera - but that is not the even point. The point is that if it's a real camera at least it will catch out people who are unfamiliar with the area and don't brake in time. A dummy camera is simply a hazard on the road with no other purpose than to make speeders slow down for a 20 yards out of their entire journey. That is the reality of the dummy camera's presence is it not? It's what's happening. An honestly law abiding driver will be adhering to the speed limit regardless of the presence of that speed camera!

The only time I see considerably less people breaking the limit over longer distances is when there are loads of signs for "average speed check". The ones like that dummy one are a joke to serial-speeders who know their route. I've seen some crazy people go straight to 100mph just seconds after going through a speed camera at 42.
 
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MooMoo444 said:
You're almost condoning speeding just because you claim cameras make people brake. Honestly.
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Not "people". You make it sound as if innocent people are the ones braking lol. Its speeders who have to brake, and then speed up again 20 yards later. Why completely ignore the point and try to make it seem as if im condoning speeding?

If you read and comprehended the post, you would have realised i said average speed checks are more effective at controlling people who break speeding laws. So how can I be the one condoning speeding when I'm the one who recognises and supports the better and more effective method of controlling speed over longer distances far far greater than 20 measly feet???? Lmao.
 
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asim18 said:
What needs to be worked on is driving standards. It should be made much much harder to obtain a driving license. People can barely drive without crashing into things at 1MPH and then go on a motorway. Speed has got nothing to do with how crap of a driver someone is.
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I think that boat sailed a long time ago!

How do you reign in all the current bad drivers who already have a licence and are going to be on the roads from anywhere between 1 and 70 years from now.

Unfortunately fixed point speed cameras will never increase the safety of the road, and that was part of the reason in my old home town Swindon they actually switched off/dismantled the speed cameras about 5 years ago, as they noticed people were speeding up to the camera, braking, and then speeding up after the camera.

It would be impossible to do on most roads, but M, A and potentially B roads could have average speed cameras at the start/end/junctions of the road.
 
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