Stealth Motorway cameras

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Soldato
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Don't know if this has been posted. Just a quick article on where the next cameras will be installed.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...-to-be-deployed-on-300-miles-of-motorway.html


Might as well limit cars to 75mpg. Surely this would stop speeding on motorway rather than these stupid cameras.

Or maybe teach people how to drive correctly by making everyone do the pass plus as mandatory?

Sorry, but the cameras aren't "stupid". They are simply placed there to enforce the speed limit. The limits may be questionable, but not the cameras.

I have a bit of a bugbear about speed camera usage and their placement, but I try to drive with my eyes open and do try to stick to speed limits on the whole. This isn't to say that I've never sped, never will speed, or haven't been caught before.

I have been caught, but on all occasions (thankfully only three times in 20 years) I have not been caught speeding, but have instead been caught not paying proper attention to the road ahead, for were I concentrating fully on the task in hand I would have seen the cameras and slowed in time, or (more likely) not have been exceeding the speed limit in the first place.
 
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To me I don't think speeding on motorways is that bad as what it's made out to be. Look at the autobahn for example. As long as people are actually paying attention to what speed they are going and others around them then there shouldn't be as many accidents.
My experience from what I've seen first hand of very near misses on the motorway are people paying zero attention. Pulling out at junctions or pulling into lanes as they haven't checked to see if it's clear.
Don't get me wrong speeding is not right but maybe proper education on how to drive is needed. This would stop the mistakes from happening as often.
 
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I have no issue with speed cameras but would prefer more police presence on the motorway to punish the idiots that drive too fast, too close and generally drive like plonkers especially in poor conditions
 
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I think it's absolutely disgraceful that there are still massive areas of motorway and duel carriageway up and down the country that are not adequately lit at night or have absolutely no lights/ lamp posts at all. I find it far more dangerous driving along with poor visibility and then being blinded by people with full beams than doing a few mph over the already stupidly low limit. Such an obvious money making scheme and nothing/ very little to do with safety.
 
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To me I don't think speeding on motorways is that bad as what it's made out to be. Look at the autobahn for example. As long as people are actually paying attention to what speed they are going and others around them then there shouldn't be as many accidents.
My experience from what I've seen first hand of very near misses on the motorway are people paying zero attention. Pulling out at junctions or pulling into lanes as they haven't checked to see if it's clear.
Don't get me wrong speeding is not right but maybe proper education on how to drive is needed. This would stop the mistakes from happening as often.

Motorways are statistically the safest road type to drive on, carrying around 20% of the total traffic but accounting for only 6% of road deaths and 3% of serious injuries. This is mainly down to the traffic all moving in the same direction at approximately the same speed. The problems occur when traffic slows suddenly (in which case excessive speed will have a large bearing on the severity of any resulting collision), or worse, when a vehicle crosses the central reservation into oncoming traffic. Again, vehicle speed can have a bearing on whether this is likely to happen. Armco barriers are designed to contain a vehicle weighing 1.5t travelling at 70mph in a 20 degree impact. Increase the speed (or weight, or angle of impact) and you've got issues. This is one of the main reasons that the speed limit on the UK's motorway networks won't increase any time soon, because of the cost and time required to upgrade the infrastructure.

The police know full well that the speed of a car on a typical free-flowing motorway is >80mph, and you'd likely get away with driving past a police car at this speed, but cameras don't have any discretion.

I have no issue with speed cameras but would prefer more police presence on the motorway to punish the idiots that drive too fast, too close and generally drive like plonkers especially in poor conditions

I too would like to see a lot more police presence on the motorways for mainly the same reasons as you (although I'd also include the idiots who appear unable to use the left lane unless leaving the motorway. This was recently made an offence for which you will receive 3 points and a £100 fine, but there's no way for it to be enforced without increased police presence.
 
Don
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I think it's absolutely disgraceful that there are still massive areas of motorway and duel carriageway up and down the country that are not adequately lit at night or have absolutely no lights/ lamp posts at all. I find it far more dangerous driving along with poor visibility and then being blinded by people with full beams than doing a few mph over the already stupidly low limit. Such an obvious money making scheme and nothing/ very little to do with safety.

For night time driving, I actually prefer to drive on unlit motorways / dual carriageways.
 
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I'm surprised they haven't looked at doing the M sections of the A1. Especially around Peterborough, I find myself having to move over to allow people doing 100+ carry on in the outside lane.

Although I must say, that Motorway section seems to flow far better than the M1 even in rush hour. When i head south on a Monday morning I usually get there about 7am all 4 lanes full of traffic however everyone is moving at least 70.
 
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U wot mate?

What the hell can I do about motorway lighting across the UK??? Don't you ever express negative feelings about things that gripe you?

Only if I'm going to do something about it.

You could try writing to the highways agency and explaining your concerns. I'm not sure it would achieve anything mind you, but I'm sure they'll write you a nice letter back explaining the criteria for which roads get lit and which don't.
 
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You do not need lighting on motorways. You have headlights and you can see tail lights for miles ahead. There are coloured catseyes marking the edge of the carriageway even if you cannot see the white lining or hear the rumble strip.

Maybe in a few congested urban zones, but definitely not in the majority of areas.
 
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Don
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I think it's absolutely disgraceful that there are still massive areas of motorway and duel carriageway up and down the country that are not adequately lit at night or have absolutely no lights/ lamp posts at all. I find it far more dangerous driving along with poor visibility and then being blinded by people with full beams than doing a few mph over the already stupidly low limit. Such an obvious money making scheme and nothing/ very little to do with safety.

Dont worry theyll use cameras with better night capability ;)

Theres a few streches from Newcastle > Corbridge that are pretty much black holes.
might not all be motorway but tbh it goes for all roads

As for Pass Plus I don't even think the majority of insurers pay any attention to that now.
 
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Are the new cameras on the M25 17-23 stretch the new stealth type? Side of the road type, grey on grey poles / attached to gantry poles.

The article above states that the cameras are already being used on the M25 and have apparently led to 600 people being caught in the space of two months.
 
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I have to agree that speed cameras on motorways are just an easy way to make money. Meanwhile proper bad driving like tailgating, talking on mobiles, poor lane discipline and the other multitude of idiots in the main get away with it.
 
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I've lost track of how many times I've gone up the M42 at ~6pm when the variable limit has been 50, but it's been perfectly safe enough and clear enough in the outside lane to do 70.
 
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