SPECS Cameras to be deployed on Motorways

Darren

A number of newspapers are reporting news that the Government plans to expand the use of SPECS average speed cameras and permit their use on motorways outside of road-works.

Although a lot of the headline claims and facts being reported are false, the deployment of SPECS in this manner is new. Previously SPECS cameras have only been deployed on motorways where long term road works have been underway.

Motoring groups have already commented on these plans and all agree that the wide spread use of average speed cameras in this way can only reduce safety rather than improve it. Travelling along a motorway where all three lanes are travelling at the same speed means you have no 'escape' option if an incident occurs and yet again is a move that forces the motorist to spend more time watching their speedometer and less time looking out of the window at the road ahead.

Post your thoughts and comment here.
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Darren Griffin

mikealder · Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 9:58 am Post subject:

These have already been deployed for a number of years on A roads such as the Eastern end of the Snake Pass between east Manchester and Shefield, there are a number of such installations across the country if you look at the PocketGPSWorld database.

As these cameras do require a degree of speed monitoring by the driver perhaps it is time to have a reminder POI file which would trigger a spoken warning every 30 seconds when driving through such an area. Suplementary to the main database which would still contain the camera locations, I started to look at creating such a file last night, it wouldn't take too long although it is a manual process.
The idea is to still use the Specs warnings but the single additional file could then trigger a 'Warning you are driving through a Specs Zone, check speed' this would sound every 30 seconds when driving at the legal speed limit for the zone concerned.
This would also enhance the warnings offered by the likes of the TomTom and Garmin systems using the database from this site as these don't currently offer any fancy specs specific warnings like I-Go does - Mike

nickjwhite · Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 10:08 am Post subject:

I amnot sure that this is that new. The M25 between Brentwood and the M11 has had 3 average speed cameras permanently installed for over a year now... on the anti-clockwise section. Of course, it has done absolutely nothing for safety on this section, but I'll lay you a pound to a speeding fine, that it has brought massive revenue to Essex police. I regularly use that section, and see cars ignoring it wholesale (or not understanding what 'average' means and braking violently at each camera).
Funnily enough, the M25 is one of those roads that actually benefits from the traffic doing what it needs to do (in my humble opinion). Sometimes that means a lot of people all doing a bit more than they should; if that whole line of cars is doing the same...it moves.
There is vastly more danger in cars seeing an average speed camera and hitting the brakes down to 50 (in a 70 limit) because either they do not actually know what the legal speed limit is, or they naively believe that they can be nicked for 10mph under it. I have nearly (only yesterday in fact) come a cropper with someone doing that. believe it or not, that 'knob' then did 90 as soon as he was passed the cameras. That works doesn't it? :o)

Jellyroll · Lifetime Member Joined: May 17, 2006 Posts: 57

It's nonsense like this that makes Cruise Control a must-have for me.

Darren · Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 10:19 am Post subject:

mikealder · Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 10:36 am Post subject:

M60 Clockwise near Stockport has a section of Specs at 50 MPH and is one installation I agree with due to the amount of crashes on the bad bend at speed in poor weather, it is obviously cheaper to install cameras than sort the poor road layout out - Mike

NickG · Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 11:01 am Post subject:

I don't see the merit in littering the motorways with speed averaging 'safety' cameras when motorways are already the safest type of road we have! They're not going to do anything about the 70% of fatal accidents which happen on rural roads. Why not put cameras on the rural roads where the accidents are actually occurring rather than on very safe motorway roads?

Darren · Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 11:08 am Post subject:

rtj70 · Regular Visitor Joined: Jun 18, 2005 Posts: 144

There are SPECS speed cameras on the M60 anti-clockwise near junction J27 (heading towards Stockport). These have been there a while and there are no roadworks.

NickG · Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 11:21 am Post subject:

With this in mind, I've taken the liberty of designing a new sticker which perhaps the members of this site can affix to lamp posts near cash cameras Smile

Darren · Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 11:25 am Post subject:

Nice work, I have a couple I picked up at a motor show that have the Gatso symbol on a mock sign with "Warning Cash machines Ahead" Smile

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Darren Griffin

BMS_Ian · Occasional Visitor Joined: Oct 12, 2005 Posts: 3

MikeB · Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 11:54 am Post subject:

Darren · Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 11:59 am Post subject:

Mike beat me to it. It's much more useful than cruise control on our congested roads and a real boon in long stretches of road works or SPECS zones.

On my wife's car once set you can accelerate/decelerate as normal but when you hit the selected speed limit it will not exceed it unless you push the accelerator fully to the floor, useful if you need it.
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Darren Griffin

Wazza_G · Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 1:38 pm Post subject:

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