Speed Cameras, Heads Up !!!

[Peter T]

^^^^

21:00 is normally the start time for night time road works.

Maybe there is closure being installed or about to be installed, hence the speed limit reduction.

Doesn't explain the need for variable limits on Sunday morning in good weather with little traffic and no obstructions for miles.

 

[Spinal]

<troll mode>
I've had a brilliant idea.

Let's reduce the legal speed limit on motorways to 30mph, and make all other roads pedestrian areas.

That will cut fatal accidents down quite a bit!

<rant mode>

It's something that really gets to me. Life is full of risks. We cannot say that we want to eliminate all risk, because we cannot eliminate all risk. Every day thousands of people give thousands of minutes of their lives "in the name of safety" on the roads etc.

Shouldn't be too difficult to calculate how many lives are "wasted" by lower speed limits... (average life expectancy in minutes compared to how many minutes are wasted complexively on delays on a stretch of a road). Basically, we are "killing" a little bit of thousands of people every day.

M.

 

[E55BOF]

^^^^

21:00 is normally the start time for night time road works.

Maybe there is closure being installed or about to be installed, hence the speed limit reduction.

No, nothing like that, unless the lead time is six months.... It's been like that for months, but no cones or signs about roadworks in that time. The same 'random restrictions' problem also often affects the M40 between J1A and J3, but that has the older yellow characters gantries.

 

[cinek]

No, nothing like that, unless the lead time is six months.... It's been like that for months, but no cones or signs about roadworks in that time. The same 'random restrictions' problem also often affects the M40 between J1A and J3, but that has the older yellow characters gantries.

Most of variable speed limits come on automatically, whenever the system 'believes' there is a need for it.

Other reasons for system to go live could be debris in the road, broken down vehicle, adverse weather conditions, rolling block, road works ahead, congestion ahead, and do on. This is by no means exhaustive list.

Some other times, following increased number of collisions at the specific stretch of the road, HA may introduce a blanket speed reduction scheme.

A lot of times system may trigger unnecessarily, or fail to deactivate once the hazard has been cleared.

This list can go on and on...

 

[cinek]

No, I'm afraid it's not. That part of your job, as wonderful as it may be, does not explain the need to randomly alter the speed at each gantry on a quietish stretch of motorway. Perhaps try and understand the question I asked instead of interjecting all high and mighty.

Perhaps using Freedom of Information Act, after contacting Highway Agency will give you the answer that you have been so desperate to establish?

Or would you rather have it handed to you on the silver platter, after somebody else enquired on your behalf?

 

[Peter T]

Or would you rather have it handed to you on the silver platter, after somebody else enquired on your behalf?

Yes please ................. but I'm not holding my breathe for any sort of sensible answer.

 

[E55BOF]

Most of variable speed limits come on automatically, whenever the system 'believes' there is a need for it.
A lot of times system may trigger unnecessarily, or fail to deactivate once the hazard has been cleared.

Ah....

 

[flango]

Anyone with a more meaningful response as to why the speed needs to vary so much over a 5+ mile stretch?

I travel it everyday when in the UK, the speeds that seem to make no sense are all to do with the handover and commissioning of the managed motorway

See here: http://www.dft.gov.uk/ha/standards/ians/pdfs/ian165.pdf

 

[cinek]

I travel it everyday when in the UK, the speeds that seem to make no sense are all to do with the handover and commissioning of the managed motorway

See here: http://www.dft.gov.uk/ha/standards/ians/pdfs/ian165.pdf

Ian, you dont actually expect him to read it, do you?

 

[Peter T]

I travel it everyday when in the UK, the speeds that seem to make no sense are all to do with the handover and commissioning of the managed motorway

See here: http://www.dft.gov.uk/ha/standards/ians/pdfs/ian165.pdf

Thanks for the document.

I may have flipped through it fairly quickly, but the thing that stands out is that the commissioning and handover periods are quoted in terms of a few weeks; 2 weeks, 4 weeks etc.

The variable limits at the bottom end of the M1 have been showing stupid numbers, as already described, for over a year to my knowledge.

Are they really still commissioning and handing over??

 

[flango]

Thanks for the document.

I may have flipped through it fairly quickly, but the thing that stands out is that the commissioning and handover periods are quoted in terms of a few weeks; 2 weeks, 4 weeks etc.

The variable limits at the bottom end of the M1 have been showing stupid numbers, as already described, for over a year to my knowledge.

Are they really still commissioning and handing over??

The only one I know for sure is that the C&H of the M42 one took well over a year so it would not surprise me.

 

[Peter T]

So C and H is supposed to take a few weeks and it actually takes over a year.

Confirms what we already suspected, that "the system" is completely unfit for purpose.

 

[haaran]

Ian, you dont actually expect him to read it, do you?

Still struggling to make a useful contribution I see.

 

[cinek]

Still struggling to make a useful contribution I see.

Just following the better man, is all...

 

[ant1]

Flango,

Do you know if the cameras that start on the M40 than joins the M42 are active when the variable speed limit is not active? Is there a trigger speed if not in and using NSP?

Thanks in advance.

 

[flango]

Flango,

Do you know if the cameras that start on the M40 than joins the M42 are active when the variable speed limit is not active? Is there a trigger speed if not in and using NSP?

Thanks in advance.

Will have to ask the question and come back to you

 

[ant1]

Will have to ask the question and come back to you

If you could that would be grand, will owe you a few beers!

 

[flango]

Cameras not set to trigger when managed motorway not in operation, except between 11pm and 5am when they are set at 111 mph to catch the midnight rocket pilots.

The only other time they are set is if the local police force are having a speeding campaign and then they are set at 81 mph but not aware of any current campaigns

Hope that helps

 

[ant1]

Cameras not set to trigger when managed motorway not in operation, except between 11pm and 5am when they are set at 111 mph to catch the midnight rocket pilots.

The only other time they are set is if the local police force are having a speeding campaign and then they are set at 81 mph but not aware of any current campaigns

Hope that helps

That's cracking info

Cheers for that.

 

[chrisaaaaa]

Nothing like arriving late on a thread.

- I believe car speedos are supposed to be accurate to 10% +/- 1 mph, hence cameras in 50 zone being set to 57, as if your car is on the end of its tolerance it could be doing 56 and reading 50.

- I often hear that going a little quicker makes little difference to trip times, and on motorways perhaps the gain is minimal, but I get really annoyed by the ppl who race thru town and run the ambers more than is normal. Driving like that pays them real dividends as each light they get across that you don't gets them a couple of minutes further up the road.

- Then there is my parasite theory, it would be technically doable to stop speeding, but perhaps the govt is hooked on the income. Why else would they do things like say you must be followed for a certain distance, let it be legal to have camera sensors and so on.