pembrokestephen wrote:
There's a 50mph limit on the A3 in SW London, and it's quite shocking how many people slow down to 40 - or sometimes even less! - as they approach it. In an ideal world, it shouldn't be necessary to treat a speed camera as a hazard, but I'd say that it's almost inevitable that my smooth progress down that road at 50-odd will be interrupted by having to slow down to accommodate all the people who brake sharply, regardless of their speed, as they pass the camera.
About 10 miles from here, our intrepid local scamerati have installed a fixed camera on a 60mph stretch of road, just after it reduces from dual carriageway. I guess Steve and his merry men must have a macabre sense of humour, as we now have the frequent spectacle of traffic slowing from 80 to 30 as they approach the camera, accompanied by much un-necessary locking up of wheels and related loss of control etc etc.
It can surely only be a matter of time before the damned thing causes a major accident. Like you I treat it as an exceptional hazard that I have to plan for.
I suppose the crux of the problem is that people just don't
trust the authorities not to be up to some sneaky money-making scam (I wonder why). They are probably fully aware that the posted limit is actually 60, but think something along the lines of "Well they wouldn't put a camera on a safe wide bit of road like this for no reason - bet there's a temporary 30 sign that I've missed / has blown down etc".