SPECS3 Nears Approval - Average Speed Checks on Residential

Darren

Speed Check Services latest product, SPECS3 looks closer to reality with news that it has been recommended for Home Office Type Approval. Transport for London is one of the groups championing SPECS3 with claims that it is essential for the successful policing of new 20mph zones.

SPECS3 builds on the technology of the existing SPECS system which utilises Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. SPECS3 cameras act each as network 'nodes' which can communicate with a central station over public networks rather than the dedicated links required by SPECS. Because each camera operates as a node it can be linked to any other SPECS3 camera and so each camera can form a part of many other 'webs'.

SPECS3 can be configured to monitor multiple lanes and track vehicles which switch lanes between cameras, operate in forward AND rear facing modes with enforcement zones from 250m to 20km+ although it would appear that even SPECS3 nodes can only be used to enforce zones where the speed limit does not change.

It will be fully enforceable as soon as legal formalities and agreements are in place and the Home Office have signed the approval certificate.

A nother step too far, Orwellian big brother or a necessary evil to curb excess speed?
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Darren Griffin

MaFt · Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 1:26 pm Post subject:

i can see local councils lowering speeds of some 40mph roads that would otherwise be 'in the way' of a huge 30mph specs3 zone...

eejits...

MaFt

GerryC

Sean16v · Occasional Visitor Joined: May 15, 2006 Posts: 47

Portsmouth was the first city to go 20mph and a waste of time that is, no one takes any notice, and police don't have the time to enforce it. Where I live we have double sided parking young children living in the road plus oap's the road isn't wide enough to go more than 15-20 mph safely yet we still have to put up with mindless drivers that have to prove they don't have to stick to the limit and see how fast they can get from one end of the road to the other with total disregards to people who have to cross the road. If you get a vote on whether you want a 20mph limit where you live say no, Portsmouth is littered with 20mph signs on every road.

MichaelMann · Lifetime Member Joined: Sep 17, 2008 Posts: 16

Well, in my opinion these wil only be deployed to make money from 'criminals' who do 32 mph. If you want people to do 20 outside a school, which any normal person would anyway, put in a speed hump. Do anything more than 20 over one of those and you can wreck your suspension so nobady does. The downside of speed humps are two fold, emergency vehicles can't travel at speed and obviously they don't issue automatic £30 fines like cameras will.

mikealder · Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 9:54 pm Post subject:

If I just use the vehicle speedo it only starts to move at 20MPH so keeping below the 20MPH limit is a tad difficult unless using GPS, I wonder how many other cars are like this? - Mike

Sean16v · Occasional Visitor Joined: May 15, 2006 Posts: 47

To be honest if more motorists used common sense there would be no need for speed camera at all, drivers these days just seem to want to get where there going to without judging the surrounding or give a thought about anyone else whether on foot, motor cycle or on a pushbike, in my road drivers who speed don’t stop to think that some of us are driving our cars out of a garage now I have to walkout in the middle of the road just to make sure its ok for my wife to drive out as one moment it safe then because someone wants to drive well in excess of the 20mph limit its not. It does seem to me that motorist of today are risk takers and it’s the risk takers that will encourage companies to make money from them e.g speed cameras there’s a time and a place for speeding, no one a saint but around town is a no no in my book.

MickyFinn · Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 1:29 pm Post subject:

Seems to me its like closing the gate after the horse has bolted - it won't slow cars down just make the government more money from those that break these new limits.

Perhaps a better method would be a rising post or traffic light that makes you wait for 2 minutes if you exceeded the limit in the zone.

What use is a letter through the post a week later - you can't even remember where you were when you were fined!

Micky Rolling Eyes

Darren · Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 1:33 pm Post subject:

I guess you'll be forced to learn eventually or risk losing your licence. With the spread of these that could prove a very real possibility and very quickly.

Given the number of motorists I see speeding through M-Way SPECS it is clear that a lot of drivers still don't understand what they are!
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Darren Griffin

DJ_Chalky · Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 6:32 pm Post subject:

ikhlaq786 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 28, 2006 Posts: 36

Another stupid way to persecute the motorist. Sad

Sean16v · Occasional Visitor Joined: May 15, 2006 Posts: 47

DennisN · Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2009 11:30 pm Post subject:

andrewdwork · Lifetime Member Joined: Oct 08, 2008 Posts: 14

First of all, thanks for the lifetime subscription everyone. It is appreciated.

The technology exists to limit most modern cars engine speed.
My Renault Laguna 3 has a speed limiter button (which gets a lot of use after two camera incidents a couple of years ago) and it does just that. Many cars have cruise control and they work in the same manner, by adjusting the power from the engine to a pre-set speed (set by the driver).
There are number plate recognition cameras everywhere, and radio comms for every purpose.
Why not invest in a piece of gadgetry that tells a car that it must do no more than 20MPH in an area, or 30 or 40 or whatever?
The installation cost on the average car would be minimal compared to the cost of the toys now fitted as standard on most makes.
Certainly the cost of installing a local transmitter would be less than a SPECS camaera every 200 mtrs!
The technology already exists, and would prevent speeding full stop! No excuses needed, no-one could exceed the limit.
For those who say this is unsafe, as sometimes you need to get out of the way in a hurry to avoid an accident, a kick-down type switch could override the setting temporarially.
It is a bit like the idea of putting car tax on the fuel price - where everyone would have to pay to use the roads, and in proportion to their useage, it would make life far too simple.
Or maybe it would mean no lovely fine money, or am I being cynnical?

Darren · Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 10:42 am Post subject:

Just such a system was mentioned in a news item back in December here.
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Darren Griffin

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