Safe Speed Forums

I read with interest on the BBC website, the safe speed response to the M1 'safety' cameras at the roadworks between junctions 32 and 34.

The gatso type cameras used are totally ridiculous and if the Chief Inspector Ian Bint really thinks that this wasn't a money making exercise, then why was it so important to be catching people at 10.30p.m. at night on Sunday when the three lanes of the motorway were virtually clear and no work was taking place????
This is why most people object so vociferously to this type of installation and use of the cameras.

I do a lot of driving and notice this on a regular basis that at weekends/late at night, the speed signs are still imposed. For example, the new bypass being built on the A66, the speed limit (40mph)is there for trucks turning onto the carriageway etc. during working hours. However, the limit is virtually defunct at 8p.m. at night when no work is happening.
Do people think that it is feasible to have some form of variable speed limit that applies during working hours? This could be displayed using digital readouts and enforced more rigorously... Just a thought.

Have a look at: http://www.safespeed.org.uk/trl595.html

It's the largest study ever conducted of road works safety and finds that fixed speed cameras increase crashes by 55%.

See also: http://www.safespeed.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8052

I'll close the other thread and direct folk here to comment.

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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

Thanks Paul, the study makes for interesting reading.

I would suggest that one aspect of these situations has been largely overlooked, that being the tendency, in free flowing traffic, is for the LGV driver, which a tacho that has been calibration checked every two years, knows what speed the vehicle is travelling at and will have set the cruise control accordingly.

The car driver, on the other hand, is factoring in a degree of error with regard to his speedometer and will tend to slow down as each camera approaches.

This results, in the absence of width/weight limits, a tendency for the larger vehicles to be in Lane 2 and the smaller vehicles in Lane 1. Clearly not a desirable consequence where the smaller vehicle can be 'lost' in blind spots.

And then, when the NSL sign is reached, everybody changes places again.

There's loads. Side by side driving. Too much time looking at the speedo or for cameras. Panic braking. False safety priorities. De-skilling. Lower attention at the lower speed. A loss of the sense of danger. Too much confidence from road users on foot. It's a long list.

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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