Safe Speed Forums

Driving home yesterday I went down a stretch of Dual carriageway where the limit has always been 60mph - I noticed a camera van parked up on the side of the road, strange i thought as it was positioned only a few hundred yards from traffic lights. Upon returning to the same road I notice they have lowered the speed limit to 30 mph - There is a solitary white sign with a camera on it - I didnt even see it the 1st time. I was doing between 50 & 60 mpg at the time - What do you think the penalty will be? I have held a license for 10 years and had a few endorsments over 5 years ago but I checked yesterday with the dvla and my license is clean at the moment

Any advice would be appreciated

Welcome.

Firstly, go out with a digital camera and photograph EVERYTHING on that stretch of road - all signage, road markings, the lot. Also, check any roads leading onto / off that stretch for signage.

Unless you've supplied them with your driver number when you bought your car, they can't automatically endorse your licence.
Also, head over to www.pepipoo.com and ask the legal bods there.

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

Looked on pepipoo and they state that for speeding you can recieve between 3 & 6 points and max of £1000 fine. Is there any possiblility of disqualification? I was probably doing between 50 & 60 (as I believed I was on a dual carriageway) in a 30 zone.

Remember to photograph the backs of the signs looking for manufacture date stickers. In Hampshire police have been caught enforcing a speed limit before which was not in place legally, one where the limit was raised but the old signs were not updated. get a copy of the traffic order and check that the signs are where they should be. even 6 months after the case was in the papers the signs have not been changed!

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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

You didn't notice the big speed limit signs though I'm assuming.

(I know that sounds confrontational but, you were alert enough to notice a van so I wondered how prominent the signs were)

Mike.

If entering from a road that was previously a 30, there would not have been any big speed limit signs, just the absence of signs that were previously there, which would not be anywhere near so obvious.

Can the OP tell us exactly where this is, as someone here may have local knowledge?

Also, even though we live in an age of wholesale speed limit cuts, it would still be surprising to see a substantial stretch of DC cut from 60 to 30 overnight (as opposed to, say, moving a speed limit boundary by a few hundred yards).

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

The limit was recently reduced from 40 to 30 where my parents live. My younger brother gave me a lift there soon afterwards so I thought I would test him, asking him what the limit was as we left the 'old' 30/40 boundary - he didn't know the limit had been reduced. You see there were no signs indicating the new limit; the old 40 signs were gone - and that's it! He failed my test, but for once he was grateful that I showed that he was wrong.

edit: wot like PeterE said...

They are supposed to put up a red-background sign saying "New 30 mph limit in force" where the previous limit change was. In my experience (and you know I take a close interest in such things) most highway authorities are actually fairly good at doing so, although obviously not all.

The absence of such a sign was what caught out the Lancashire nurse who got 11 NIPs in 14 days a few years ago

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

All of which is why I asked my question. I think a lot more information is required really.

Mike.

This reduction has happened on many roads around here.

There have been 'new speed limit 40' signs on a previously NSL road near me for more than 5 years I think they forgot about them.

Mike

Had there been "big speed limit signs" I would have seen them and slowed down and would not be posting in this forum right now! I didn't notice the solitary speed limit sign. It is a small white rectangular sign and there is only one of them.

The very fact that i didnt notice it proves to me that the motives of the police in setting up the speed trap is not to slow down traffic but to catch out drivers who are not aware that they are breaking the limit to make money.

The speed trap is on the A483 Fabians Way between Swansea & Port Tennant South Wales.

Bud. Take a deep breath and explain EXACTLY the signage that WAS there and the signage that is now there. The appearance of a camera warning sign alone does not denote a change of speed limit.

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

There was no sign there before as far as im aware, it was just a dual carriageway - the sign that's there now is a small white rectangle sigh with a black rim and a picture of a speed camera and a 30 with a ring round it. And there is only 1 sign.

If your description is accurate, that's an illegal sign, and any illegal sign makes the speed limit unenforceable.

Not one of these ? Those are legal as reminders only.

There's more about dodgy sings on: http://www.safespeed.org.uk/badsigns.html

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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

Sounds like it used to be > with street lighting, now it is > with no signs at all. Except maybe an 880 which is only a reminder.
Are there street lights?

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Andrew.

http://www.safespeed.org.uk/badsign10.gif
It looks likke this one except its black and white - white in the middle with a black border and 30 in black with a black circle.

[quote="PeterEThey are supposed to put up a red-background sign saying "New 30 mph limit in force" where the previous limit change was. In my experience (and you know I take a close interest in such things) most highway authorities are actually fairly good at doing so, although obviously not all.

The absence of such a sign was what caught out the Lancashire nurse who got 11 NIPs in 14 days a few years ago [/quote]

Didn't get caught , but answer from WARKS scameati was suspicious - Binley Woods , A428 ,Coventry to Rugby road - i'd missed the limit ( probably assumed it was still 40 , as it had been for years ) --then (thanks to this site ) noticed no 40 repeaters on lamps ,and markings where they'd been removed(paint unweathered on lamp posts).
I mailed the SCP asking about remnders - "WHAT REMINDERS, the limit was changed about 14 days ago " - safety or cash ?? - yet further down the road - same set of circumstances, limit is 40 - again - cash ?? --make your mind up .


IF IN DOUBT SET SIGHTS ON MAX CASH

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there are a couple of mistakes in this thread.

They are not "supposed" to put up red "new 30 limit in force" signs when an increase from 30 to a higher limit has recently been removed. They are explicitly prohibited from putting up 30 signs but are "allowed" to put up red "new 30 limit in force" signs. There is no obligation to do so

OP: What was the speed limit of the road that you were on immediately before the start of what used to be the 60 limit? Also, does the road have streetlights and/or buildings, are there any speed limit signs other than the illegal black and white one already described?

Unfortunately, if the road has both streetlights (that are 84 meters apart of less) and is in a built up area, then it is automatically a 30 unless stated otherwise, so lowering the limit is as simple as removing the signs if the feeder roads are already a 30 limit.

They are recommended to. There is no compulsion to do so, but it is acknowledged as good practice. "Supposed to" does not mean "Obliged to".

_________________
"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed