Safe Speed Forums

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4465383.stm

M4 cameras reduce drivers' speed

Safety camera officials say placing seven cameras on a section of the M4 in Wiltshire has forced motorists to reduce their speed.

Results of a five-day monitoring exercise also reveal an improvement in traffic flow.

The experiment notes that during a single hour five motorists were caught travelling between 85mph and 91mph.

On average 84,000 vehicles use the Wiltshire section of the M4 in any one 24 hour period.

"Normally we would expect a higher proportion of motorists exceeding 85mph," said Nick Blencowe, Sergeant for the Safety Camera Unit.

"This dramatic drop in motorists breaking the law can only be as a direct result of the presence of cameras and the real possibility of being caught.

"We have also noticed a much more even flow of traffic, with motorists leaving enough space between vehicles," he said.
=======================================

Nice of the Beeb to give a Safe Speed link. Again.

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

Strange aint it? Here they are going on and on about NOT wanting to catch drivers yeat all we hear is how many theyre gonna catch, have caught or will fine.
No mention of reduced speed having any effect on the safety of the situation...the bunch of thieves.

Not to worry though payback will be assured.

[quote="SafeSpeed"]http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4465383.stm

M4 cameras reduce drivers' speed

"Normally we would expect a higher proportion of motorists exceeding 85mph," said Nick Blencowe, Sergeant for the Safety Camera Unit.

"This dramatic drop in motorists breaking the law can only be as a direct result of the presence of cameras and the real possibility of being caught.

"We have also noticed a much more even flow of traffic, with motorists leaving enough space between vehicles," he said.


With all due respect, Sgt Blencowe, you are talking crud!! Motorists were definately NOT, REPEAT NOT, leaving enough space between vehicles. Three standard car lengths: approx. 12 metres, and less is not sufficient distance between two vehicles, mine in front, being driven at 35mph, never mind at 60mph. I respectfully suggest that Sgt Blencowe gets out more, but not in his marked, or indeed, unmarked police vehicle.

He can join me on one of my journies through his "patch". I use the A417/419 - camera van on the A419 over-bridge at Cricklade, April 19 at approx 10.30am - A4, A429, A350, A36, A303, etc., on a regular basis. How about it, "Sarge"?

I drove along that stretch last Friday and saw no difference that usual apart from people stariing at there speedo's

That must have been why they were tailgating, hogging the middle lane and cutting people up I think the camera missed those people though.

At the other end of the scale & M4, I went to Cardiff on Sunday, the usual suspects were out on the bridge over the Severn Bridge tolls, where they have dropped the limit from 70 too 50 Man U were playing Newcastle at Cardiff. We were visiting family and left a little late. We took 3 1/2 hours to do a 65 Mile journey. Just total Gridlock on the M4 up to the Bryn Glass tunnels, the reason NONE, apart from maybe as the Motorway goes from 2 lanes to 3 then back to 2 again.

So where were the boys in blue to try and alleviate this gridlock or a sensible policy to alleviate this problem, no where to be seen I saw van loads of coppers going in the opposite direction, I even saw a Traffic Car Going in the opposite direction, in no particular hurry
As for the new big signs they put up for info, all they said was Keep Your Distance or Drive Carefully Easy to do at 10 MPH. Perhaps they should have said if going North you can use the A470 or M50, But no, not one piece of sensible advice.

The scamera partnership claim they've lowered average speeds on the M4. Perhaps they have. There have been an above average number of accidents on the M4 since the talivans moved in and with an accident you get rubberneckers and delays, thus lowering the average speed of everyone.

The scamera partnership didn't say exactly how they'd lower the speed of traffic, but they've managed it by causing more accidents. Well done!

I live in Cambridgeshire but regularly use the M4 to visit family in Wiltshire. All being well I intend joining in the protest on the 30th April and I've also posted an advert for the protest on my www.barryboys.co.uk web site where nearly all of our active posting members have expressed concern at the current use of speed cameras in this country.

I personally think it is time we took a stand. It may make little or no difference but we can't sit back and let them get away with stuff like this, it's getting silly.

If scamera partnerships were really keen on saving lives they'd not be manning camera vans or replacing film in speed cameras but instead working as nurses in A+E wards or perhaps putting cameras up in hospitals to keep an eye on cleanliness and MRSA.

_________________
Kill a talivan, not your speed.

Great, thanks. When you get a minute, could you change the link to m4protest.org (not org.uk). m4protest.org is the primary domain, and it's just about to come up on a high performance dedicated server. (Working in the USA already and waiting for DNS ripple through)

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

Hi -

It'll come as no suprise to anyone familiar with the Wiltshire and Swindle Partnership to learn that they have absolutely no causational data whatsover to justify the placement of the M4 cameras.

David Allen from their 'Safety' Camera Unit merely trots out the tired TRL323 derived 33% figure and recites clumsy KSI statistics to attempt to justify their actions.

Under further questionning, like all partnerships, you reach a wall of silence as they simply do not have any answers that would not incriminate them further in this scam.

Dan

Well, they are already in the poo poo over the A303 Folly Bottom
http://www.safetycameraswiltshire.co.uk ... ?newsid=75

_________________
"Are you sh**ing me?"
"John Spartan, you are fined one credit for a violation of the verbal morality statute."

I posted this elsewhere, but here is a clipping past on to me

http://www.redwhitecooper.co.uk/images/M4Cameras.jpg

Also if you visit the BBC News Site, where they have a video clip you can see that the van has been parked on the pavement with no room to pass, therefore any pedestrians would have to walk by on the road Quality Road Safety

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wilt ... 68845.stm# and click on the video report