Safe Speed Forums

I noticed a mobile speed sign in Eastbourne yesterday (the sort that measures and displays your speed) on the wide and safe dual carriageway leading to various industrial estates at the back of town.

The sign was positioned in the off-ramp to a bus stop. It obscured drivers view of the bus stop and associated pedestrians and was clearly hazardous.

I was actually cycling at the time and pulled over to speak to the attendant employed by the camera partnership. After being attacked by his dog (didn't like black apparently and I happened to have a black fleece on), I suggested that his sign was causing a hazard because: A. it was in the road; B. it was distracting drivers attention just before a bus stop when they should be looking for pedestrian activity and C. it was physically obstructing drivers view of the bus stop.

He assured me that being ex-Police he knew it was "legally parked". I then challenged the merits of the sign being there in the first place. He informed me that he was helping to save my life as a cyclist because if a driver hit me at 30 I would just have a bent bicycle, but at 40 I would be killed. I informed him that in 3 decades of cycling I have never been knocked off or even put in danger by a 'speeding motorist' but have been knocked off several times by incompetent ones (pulling out in front of me, turning left whilst alongside, pulling back in before fully overtaking etc. etc.)

Unfortunately, after this gentle challenge he refused to speak to me further and got back into his car and wound the window up after telling me to take it up with the camera partnership.

Needless to say when I rode back up the same route 10 minutes later he was gone. I am also a keen motorist, but challenging this guy from a cycle had more impact on this occasion because I was positioned as a 'vulnerable road user'.

I suggest anyone who sees one of these attended speed signs should challenge the operator. The more challenges, the less these people will want to do that job, and the more they may think about what they are actually doing. I have written to the camera partnership to challenge their dangerous positioning of this particular sign.

Well done and



That particular misuse of scientific data is one of the most widespread and misleading. I have to say it's really annoying me!

We covered it recently in a PR, but didn't get any press pickup. See: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SafeSpeedPR/message/227

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

I have a press complaint running after a misleading Manchester Police article in the M.E.N. Where the police claimed that using a mobile phone was more dangerous than drink driving and then missused a but of dodgey research on slalam course driving whilst trying to count backwards proved it beyond doubt that it was true. I doubt I will win the complaint but If I do it will be the perfect catalist to re-run the story.

I keep seeing that gas? advert that claims that your tv uses £55? a year on standby. well mine uses 5W x 24 hours x 365= 43.8kw a year at 9.22p per kw= £4.03 and that escaped heat reduces the amount of heat I need to put into my house so it is not wasted energy unless it is summer. and it is in use 4 hours a day?

My 15 year old 28" JVC TV only used 8w on standby.

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code

Mines not wasted energy, if it saves me having to get off the sofa it's worth every penny.

How much energy are the ANPR computers wasting every day? How much energy will the ID card systems waste?

Hi and thanks for the welcome. I have been working my way through the safespeed web site. Wow, it's a great to see common sense and science back behind road safety. You have been motivated to do what many of us have merely ranted about for over a decade.

I recently visited sussexsafetycameras.gov.uk to get the address to send my letter of complaint. The content has left me fuming. I wonder if they will print my letter in their FAQs?! And on the Links page, not one link to an organisation involved with improving driver skills and experience. By the way, the misuse of stats was part of my complaint. I look forward to the camera partnership reply, but don't hold out much hope for any revelations.

On a positive note I see The Telegraph let me have the last word in their "Fast and Furious" article forum http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main ... dl1003.xml

Welcome to the home of sanity on the roads John! Here you can rant about the amount of 'Brunstrombollocks' you plough into every day, a load of us join in, then we all do our breathing exercises and take the odd glass of muscle-relaxant, then sit smiling and ready for the next onslaught...

I was very impressed with your comment on the Telegraph story - well structured and to-the-point. Good enough to send our nemeses in the anti-everything lobby into fits of apoplexy (which is OK, as they all smell of widdle anyway!) and attract many sage nods of agreement from the first group. The third group are still trying to get onto porn sites, but typing the 'c' word into a search engine just keeps bringing up their own webcam!

I haven't seen one of these manned mobile speed indicators yet up here in Essex, but I feel the need to go out looking, as I enjoy a nice chat now and again...

Welcome again, mate!

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Aquila



Licat volare si super tergum aquila volat...

johnsussex wrote:
I then challenged the merits of the sign being there in the first place. He informed me that he was helping to save my life as a cyclist because if a driver hit me at 30 I would just have a bent bicycle, but at 40 I would be killed.


And if the driver had not been distracted by the sign --???

Most probably being distracted would have failed to see you.


Another example of "Roadside clutter " being the potential cause of an accident.

yes, it was a total distraction. The cars were bunching and panic breaking. Average Joe thinks these things are speed cameras. Bear in mind this is a nice wide safe dual carriageway bypass with 40mph speed limit. In my opinion it's safe for 50+ on that part when there is no bus/pedestrians in vicinity (oh, what am I talking about making a driving decision based on hazard perception and experience, what an idiot I am).

Had a call from Sussex County Council today to acknowledge receipt of my letter. They are investigating and will write to me in full once they have done so. They told me on the phone that this is a new position for the speed sign. The operator asked if he could move it to this new position because there was a sewerage smell where it was previously located! Once they have made a site visit and discussed it with the operator, they are going to write their reply. I understand from East Sussex County Council that the same criteria for erecting these temporary speed signs is the same as for speed cameras ie. this is also the site of a mobile speed camera. I guess someone was knocked over here, or there was some other 'speed related' accident.