Can anyone tell me...(Is there a new type of camera...)

Wazza_G

Is there a new type of camera in the Taunton area?

I've seen a set of 4 on a all black gantry on the A358 Illminster Bypass - Taunton link road, two facing Illminster bound traffic & two facing Taunton bound traffic.

They're located on the Taunton side of the junction of the A358 & A378 to Langport on Mattocks Tree Hill in the central reservation.

I've also noticed some mounted to the side of a couple of sets of lights on Priorswood Road & a bit further along at the junction of Manor Road where there's another set of lights.

Does anyone know what they are? Are they a form of SPECs, ANPR or are they just traffic flow ones?

Your help would be appreciated.

Andy_P · Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 8:52 pm Post subject:

Do they look anything like this?

Or any of the ones on the bottom of the submission page
here?

Wazza_G · Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 10:36 pm Post subject:

No, they don't look any of those at all.

A black case, there appears to be a lens at the top/center & some sort of sensor set to the left/right & below it.

I've not seen them before, I know they're quite new because of their condition, namely very shiny & clean.

Andy_P · Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 11:24 pm Post subject:

Any chance of a photo?

Wazza_G · Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 7:26 am Post subject:

Unfortunately not any chance until at least Mid June, when I'm next down there. Sad

DennisN · Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 8:26 am Post subject:

So near and yet so far. It's only about 50 miles away and almost en route south westwards. But I haven't been on that stretch of road for years now. I know the junction quite well and find it odd that any cameras are being put up unless for traffic flow - it's quite a significant HGV route and on the approach to and from the M5. I'll try to make a mental note to see if I can divert there next time I go that direction.
_________________
Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

Darren · Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 9:42 am Post subject:

Wazza_G · Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 1:54 pm Post subject:

Yes! They look very similar to the two outer boxes on that picture above, they have a lens in the centre, there's also something small below it, (I couldn't see what it was as at the time as there were too many cars behind me to see precisely what it was) & there's also what looks like two white panels either side of it, a bit like a white plastic diffuser you can fit on a flash gun.

daysleeper · Lifetime Member Joined: Dec 03, 2007 Posts: 3

I've seen those A358 ones too, more worryingly I've seen the same poles in a bunch of places in Devon though as yet without cameras.
I'm on the A358 in a couple of weeks will try to get a photo but it's not an overly safe place to stop in the middle of a dual carrigeway. Confused

Darren · Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 10:05 pm Post subject:

Nothing like this is it?

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Darren Griffin

john877 · Lifetime Member Joined: Mar 16, 2007 Posts: 468

What are the cameras in Andy_p post and Darren's last post ??

Darren · Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 10:13 am Post subject:

Andy's are either congestion charge or low emission zone, mine are a new type of speed camera being trialled.
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Darren Griffin

Wazza_G · Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 2:38 pm Post subject:

Nope, definitely not like them, I've seen those at Winterborne Stoke on the A303.

The ones I've seen are small, very similar, but slightly smaller to those two boxes either side of the big box on the picture below.

The ones on the A358 do not have the big box (camera?) between them, all I can say is that there are 4 of them 2 pointing towards traffic going into Taunton & 2 pointing towards traffic leaving Taunton, there are 2 on a set of lights at Staplegrove on the A358 prior to the roundabout that takes you to the Park & Ride at Silk Mills & another pair on Priorswood road.

wildernessbill · Occasional Visitor Joined: Apr 07, 2009 Posts: 3

[img]http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/V1Je_SvgDEaWxk9tUjFYHA?feat=directlink[/img]

(Can't seem to get this picture to load, perhaps someone can help?)

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/V1Je_SvgDEaWxk9tUjFYHA?feat=directlink

The picture above was taken on the top of pedestrian traffic lights outside the old Woolworths store in the middle of Taunton. There is one on the opposite post facing the other way. It should not be confused with the ultrasonic traffic detector next to it.

I have been making enquiries with Somerset County Council about these cameras that are appearing all around Taunton, usually on the top of or associated with traffic lights but more recently on their own stands on dual carridgeways. They have two lenses at the front vertically aligned and on either side are a bank of LEDs for illumination.

They are ANPR cameras. The assistant traffic engineer that wrote to me says they are NOT linked to the DVLC or the Police, but will be used to "monitor traffic flows" around the Taunton, Bridgwater and Yeovil areas and may be linked in the future to the traffic light control system. The strange thing is they don't appear to be monitoring all roads entering and leaving major juntions so how can they know fully where people are going!

Personally I have seen no information about this system going in, in the local press and wonder how much it would take to convert it to an "average speed system" that booked people for exceeding the speed limits controlled by the local SafeCam partnership. Indeed when I first wrote to the Roads team at County Hall they replied saying it wasn't anything to do with them and they had passed my email to the SafeCam team!

I have heard of average speed systems now available to be used for limiting speed across towns instead of just road works on motorways and wondered if this was one.

It seems an expensive overkill. We used to just have people employed sitting in cars or in deckchairs on odd days each year counting cars for traffic flows. I wonder how much it all cost when our roads are crumbling due to frost damage.

If anyone can help with more information I would be interested.

Regards Bill

Andy_P · Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 12:23 pm Post subject:

Another sort of ANPRS camera found singly on traffic signals etc all over London are the "Spike" camera.

Picture from: http://www.clearlicence.co.uk/speed_traps/spike.html

Manufacturers site: http://www.pipstechnology.co.uk/products.php?section_id=1&article_id=2

Again it seems to be up to us to try to find out what exactly they are being used for (and what else they might be used for in the future).

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