I'd be happier if they replaced the damn things with a police car to improve the standards of driving.

A police car can clearly come nowhere near to offering the coverage of an average speed camera system and is extremely limited in the number of people it can deal with. Comparatively an average speed camera system can cover a large area and catch anyone speeding at any point in the system which I find in practice is significantly more effective in slowing drivers down going through roadworks. Yes, there are a few idiots that slow down only for the gantries or others that think switching lanes but on the whole they slow a lot of people down whereas a single police car may slow some people down briefly at one point in the roadworks or if they're concealed they'll stop a handful of people who have already been speeding through the roadworks.

A police car can clearly come nowhere near to offering the coverage of an average speed camera system and is extremely limited in the number of people it can deal with. Comparatively an average speed camera system can cover a large area and catch anyone speeding at any point in the system which I find in practice is significantly more effective in slowing drivers down going through roadworks. Yes, there are a few idiots that slow down only for the gantries or others that think switching lanes but on the whole they slow a lot of people down whereas a single police car may slow some people down briefly at one point in the roadworks or if they're concealed they'll stop a handful of people who have already been speeding through the roadworks.

Agree 100%.

However speed cameras do nothing to deal with aggressive drivers, tailgaters, dickheads who weave around lanes, cut you up, drive without working lights, insurance, tax, mot or with parts falling off. All things an unmarked police car does very well. I far prefer them to cameras.

As above, cameras only catch one offence. I want police out there catching twocers, drink drivers, poor standards of driving, people on the phone etc etc. I think motorway speeding is fairly low down on the list tbh, the reason out driving standards are so poor now is because of our reliance on cameras for everything.

We've had them on the M62 near Leeds for years now. There was some news article a while ago where they showed they pulled in a huge amount of money. The roadworks are there to put up permanent variable speed cameras...

We just use CC at 50 through them, will be more annoying when they're variable.

I've travelled this section of the M62 on many occasions and have noticed that if you enter the roadworks when travelling East and then leave the M62 to go onto the M601 ( to Bradford ) there are no cameras to pass under so it looks like you are checked going in but not going out. So, how will the Cameras record your average speed ? I also think there is a slip road where your not Checked on entering the roadworked but are checked when leaving

Cameras are emotionless, so you'll be done for speeding, because you were speeding. The police are only human. The amount of offences that disregarded or let off with a caution - at the roadside - is incredible. (Staple-diet in the bloke house of Police Interceptor programs where they tell you the out come.) The camera disposes with this inconsistent element. It's not a complicated equation (If speed > (limit+10%)+2.5 then offence committed.) This automatic process leaves the "highly trained professionals" at liberty to deal with those offences that are subjective and don't conform to a simple formula. Any appeal can be made in a court of law, thus removing the burden of judgement from the police and returning to the judicial system.

I do vaguely remember reading that SPECS can be used to detect such things as tailgating, but as yet have not been approved for this use. Also they can be used for different limits on the same road (e.g on a 70 road, detecting lorries doing more than 60) The ones one the SE corner of the M25 are rear-facing too, so motorbikes are no longer immune. The technology is catching up and the error-margin decreasing.

I think it won't be long before the variable limit roads have the static cameras replaced with ASCs to ensure the flow is maintained.

Two things ultimately spring to mind though:

1) If you don't want to get caught, by camera or human: don't exceed the speed limit. (It's not *that* hard to do, for any crime.)

2) If you could entirely automate detection of speeding, tailgating, dangerous driving etc offences, there would be more police back on the beat catching such criminals as muggers, burglars etc etc

Iirc from a local news article on killing off the scp the back end is around £100k and can cover huge numbers of cameras.

Each gate, set of cameras at the 2 locations, per lane is £10k.

Bedfordshire police have installed some in Milton Ernest which are the 1st of a new system and just those 2 cost £100k to get installed and running.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-18088072

Cameras are emotionless, so you'll be done for speeding, because you were speeding. The police are only human. The amount of offences that disregarded or let off with a caution - at the roadside - is incredible. (Staple-diet in the bloke house of Police Interceptor programs where they tell you the out come.) The camera disposes with this inconsistent element. It's not a complicated equation (If speed > (limit+10%)+2.5 then offence committed.) This automatic process leaves the "highly trained professionals" at liberty to deal with those offences that are subjective and don't conform to a simple formula. Any appeal can be made in a court of law, thus removing the burden of judgement from the police and returning to the judicial system.

I do vaguely remember reading that SPECS can be used to detect such things as tailgating, but as yet have not been approved for this use. Also they can be used for different limits on the same road (e.g on a 70 road, detecting lorries doing more than 60) The ones one the SE corner of the M25 are rear-facing too, so motorbikes are no longer immune. The technology is catching up and the error-margin decreasing.

I think it won't be long before the variable limit roads have the static cameras replaced with ASCs to ensure the flow is maintained.

Two things ultimately spring to mind though:

1) If you don't want to get caught, by camera or human: don't exceed the speed limit. (It's not *that* hard to do, for any crime.)

2) If you could entirely automate detection of speeding, tailgating, dangerous driving etc offences, there would be more police back on the beat catching such criminals as muggers, burglars etc etc

I can see you are an idealist and believe in the good nature and the will to do good of those in the power...

Let's assume all those automated systems are introduced and are working fine - I know, a long stretch of imagination

You think that this would free up the force to take care of other activities where human element is a must.

I am afraid it won't happen. I am afraid those "freed up" officers will be truly freed up and simply sacked as surplus to requirement :( Cost savings scythe won't be kind.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-18088072

This article is sickening really. Some old farts hating anything which moves faster than them and their walking frames with enough time to spend their days at council meetings forcing this nonsense. Again and again it is being proved that speed cameras DO NOT improve road safety AT ALL! Speed does not cause accidents. Drivers unable to control their vehicles and drive at a suitable to road conditions speeds cause accidents. If they spent that money of compulsory driving courser for local residents who allegedly drive around the neighbourhood at 70 mph it would be of massively larger benefit that those money making devices being shamelessly pedalled as road safety improving measures. Makes me sick how cynical the whole thing is

Moreover, the more cameras out there the more powers Government have to monitor your every move. One step closer to a Big Brother state.

Iirc from a local news article on killing off the scp the back end is around £100k and can cover huge numbers of cameras.

Each gate, set of cameras at the 2 locations, per lane is £10k.

Bedfordshire police have installed some in Milton Ernest which are the 1st of a new system and just those 2 cost £100k to get installed and running.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/n...-herts-18088072

Bedfordshire must be a really nice place to live in the biggest problem they have to tackle are speeding motorists!

Moreover, the more cameras out there the more powers Government have to monitor your every move. One step closer to a Big Brother state.

Exactly . First move - stick in lot of average speed cameras , which at first only record vehicles exceeding limit. From then it wouldn't be hard to plot the destination of any vehicle -might mean a larger data base .FThen you've got monitoring. Then next step , You've got the start ,the destonation and the route-, the VRN of the vehicle and hence the RK address to send the road charge bill too . No need for fancy satelites - And at first it could be charged at low level to CONvince motorists that it's cheaper and easir than VED. ( Remember vehicle pollution levels ,and how every time a maker brought out /beat the limit, HMG "adjusted 2 the limit. Im my case by moving the last digit, I ended up paying more each time they brought in a vnew level).

Exactly . First move - stick in lot of average speed cameras , which at first only record vehicles exceeding limit.

Er, all vehicles passing the first camera are recorded, otherwise the system wouldn't work correctly.

That's the real issue for me,the reliance on cameras will increase over time

until we're all so used to them being there that we've already rolled over when they

reveal they can also be used for pence per mile road charging. Too late then isn't it

as they are already there. No need for a consultation as they've come into exsistence

via the back door. If we were asked directly 'Do we want them?' then of course the answer

would be no from all but the most committed of 'eco' types.

And don't think for one second they will replace road tax or fuel duty or reduce insurance

premiums with this method of charging. We'll just have that to pay as well

as all the other rapidly increasing things. Bottom line is they want to price the poor off

of the road network and they want to know where we are going, when, for how long and

how quickly we get there so they can no doubt dream up some way of charging us for that.

The UK is skint people, they only have the cash of Joe Public to get them out of this mess

and believe me they'll employ any possible tactic to get their hands on it.

Also I'll bet a fiver that when (not if) they start charging for use of the roads, it will be a plus

vat system. A lot of excuses to charge more can come in under the eco banner,

they've already started all that with the emissions levels on the V5. (Which is also skewed in

their favour btw)

^ Couldn't have said that better myself.

Right, we allegedly are living in a democratic country where people have the right to influence politics and such decisions as above. That should happen not only by means of voting but also communicating with local government and MPs. They are spending public tax money on such schemes, which are designed for revenue generation only, don't let anybody tell you different! If they want to lower speeds on local areas much cheaper way and actually effective way of doing it (not to mention more beneficial for local construction firms) is to build traffic calming measures like speed bumps. No need for police or cameras and if you do not want spend £££ on new suspension you WILL slow down. - Beds example of local residents (read bored retirees) wanting everything t oslow down to their pace.

Now, when was the last time you were politically active by means of writing a letter to your local MP and Council, going to public consultations, writing in with your opinion on current public matter on the agenda?

I am guilty of being inert in this respect as well... :(

I also wonder how many of these requests for speed limit reductions are due to seeing people ignoring the post posted limit anyway, ie will have no effect on the problem people, only innocent drivers.

Close to the office they pulled a sneaky. They lowered one of the limits over a weekend (although why they bothered to raise it for 300 yards is beyond me.) And, at the other end of the village, they extended the limit.

Neither was signed for any time before nor after.

https://www.gov.uk/r...ed-limit-change

I can not read what is in that link because i am not in England, but i know the Requirements in Scotland for Variation of Speed Limits, posting the Variation in advance etc.

http://www.abd.org.uk/speed_limit_notices.htm

george