Remind me the purpose of speed cameras again?

Tom|Nbk · 1 Jun 2007 at 13:40

Tommy B said:
Is it to raise revenue, or "increase road safety by reducing the number of accidents?"

In general, I don't really have a problem with these, except on the motorway where it is completely unnecessary and contradictory to what they are meant to do. However, this is ridiculous.

I've only been driving for over a year, but I have never seen speed cameras on the actual junctions onto an A road. This afternoon, I was entering a 3 lane A road between Orpington and Lewisham, speed limit was 50mph, and there were speed cameras exactly about 5 metres after the junction. Lacking experience, for all I knew it could have been a motorway because it certainly looked like one! It was only the passenger who warned me that it wasn't anything like a motorway, even though there were still people doing between 80 and 90mph.

How the hell do they get away with this? You quite often have to slam your foot to the floor on junctions to get into a space, and having a god damn speed camera is not comforting, especially when the speed limit if 50mph! If anything this surely breaks concentration and aids to accidents?

God only knows how they get away with it!

And surely you'd notice the difference if youd been driving for a year between an A road and a Motorway, heck I've been driving for 7 month's and I sure do.

Tommy B · 1 Jun 2007 at 14:02

Well apart from the fact it says "A20" when you enter it, they are identical.

The_Dark_Side · 1 Jun 2007 at 19:06

Tommy B said:
Well apart from the fact it says "A20" when you enter it, they are identical.

to you they may be, but i assure you they are not.
there are more than a few features that distinguish a Mway from any other UK road.

Tommy B · 2 Jun 2007 at 00:27

Please, enlighten me.

[TW]Fox · 2 Jun 2007 at 00:30

Tommy B said:
Please, enlighten me.

Well for a start there is a minimum sliproad length for a Motorway, which virtually every dual carriageway falls foul of at least somewhere along its length. You also have a full size hard shoulder at the side of the road, yet it is only approx 2 feet on a dual carriageway. This is perhaps the most obvious difference.

Then, all the road signs on a dual carriageway are green, on a Motorway, they are blue. Motorways are also clearly signposted as Motorways on each and every sliproad. They also have matrix signs at set intervals, usually in the central reservation.

Much of this, especially the hard shoulder size, is very basic stuff and such that ANY driver should be able to more or less immediatly tell if they are on an A road or a Motorway without any issue.

Tommy B · 2 Jun 2007 at 00:36

You wouldn't need to know any of that anyway given the fact you know which road you're driving on. A Roads are meant to be NSL, but this one was 50mph and gave little warning. I had to do the same journey today although this time I took a TomTom with me and it went absolutely crazy and warned me about both the speed limit and the camera long before any signs did.

[TW]Fox · 2 Jun 2007 at 00:39

Tommy B said:
A Roads are meant to be NSL, but this one was 50mph and gave little warning.

Other than the 50mph repeater signs at a set interval, right?

Morba · 2 Jun 2007 at 00:43

Tommy B said:
A Roads are meant to be NSL

What are you on?
Where you get your license from, cereal packet?

A roads are meant to be NSL, haha

whitecrook · 2 Jun 2007 at 10:10

MMm, what about roads such as the A8 section of the M8 or the A74(M) are they motorway or A road? It's the fastest road in britain.

http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=836812007

edit : slightly more interesting link http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/6700609.stm

[TW]Fox · 2 Jun 2007 at 11:43

whitecrook said:
MMm, what about roads such as the A8 section of the M8 or the A74(M) are they motorway or A road? It's the fastest road in britain.

http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=836812007

edit : slightly more interesting link http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/6700609.stm

The A749(M) is a Motorway, hence the M in the title.

Tommy B · 2 Jun 2007 at 14:54

Just shows how little I know I guess.

I don't really give a **** though to be honest.

[TR]SweetSpotOz · 2 Jun 2007 at 15:03

Well stop your moaning then.

Tommy B · 2 Jun 2007 at 15:12

No, I care deeply about speed cameras, but not the fact that the speed limit on Road 1 is 10mph less than on road 2 etc

Morba · 2 Jun 2007 at 16:16

Tommy B said:
No, I care deeply about speed cameras, but not the fact that the speed limit on Road 1 is 10mph less than on road 2 etc

then you will continue to care deeply about cameras.

tbh, i think you shouldnt be on the road.

Tommy B · 2 Jun 2007 at 17:44

Morba said:
then you will continue to care deeply about cameras.

tbh, i think you shouldnt be on the road.

Yes, an impression built over the internet.

As it happens I've actually acted a taxi service for the local Hockey club for the past year when they have social events in the evenings and I am frequently complemented for my safe driving.

Do you also care to explain precisely why you don't think I should be on the road?

The_Dark_Side · 2 Jun 2007 at 17:45

Tommy B said:
No, I care deeply about speed cameras, but not the fact that the speed limit on Road 1 is 10mph less than on road 2 etc

if that's really your attitude then it probably won't be long before you lose your license.
whether you agree with cameras or not, or even agree with speed limits themselves, they're in place and they apply to all of us*.
heed them and keep your license, disregard them either on purpose or through ignorance and eventually you'll pick up points.

*unless of course you're a pc familiarising yourself with the car of course.

Morba · 2 Jun 2007 at 17:47

Tommy B said:
Yes, an impression built over the internet.

Do you also care to explain precisely why you don't think I should be on the road?

opinion based on what you post, quite simple to build an opinion based on what you post on here.

read your posts. that is reason enough for me to think you should not be on the road.

Tommy B · 2 Jun 2007 at 17:48

As far as I'm concerned. The speed limit is 60mph on dual carriageways (not that anyone ever does that) and 70mph on motorways. Correct me If I'm wrong. Apparently it is 70mph on dual carriageways as well but my driving instructor told me it was 60.

It can be a little confusing when I'm completely lost in an unknown place and I enter a three lane road initially thinking it's a motorway when suddenly I realise it's actually a 3 lane dual carriageway because of the various features described above.

Morba · 2 Jun 2007 at 17:50

Tommy B said:
It can be a little confusing when I'm completely lost in an unknown place and I enter a three lane road initially thinking it's a motorway when suddenly I realise it's actually a 3 lane dual carriageway because of the various features described above.

Then you do not pay enough attention to the roads or the signs on them. there would (should) have been signs saying what you were joining, let alone the colour of the signs being a huge indicator.

if you do not know a road, why speed on it? learn it first.

The_Dark_Side · 2 Jun 2007 at 17:51

Tommy B said:
As far as I'm concerned. The speed limit is 60mph on dual carriageways (not that anyone ever does that) and 70mph on motorways. Correct me If I'm wrong. Apparently it is 70mph on dual carriageways as well but my driving instructor told me it was 60.

the limit is 30 unless posted otherwise.