Stealth Motorway cameras

[BananaDunka]

A3 isn't on the list, woop

 

[Phemo]

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.

Yeah this is my only real concern. I've driven down the M1 quite a few times lately at between 6pm and 7pm and the variable speed limit signs have been set to 50 and 60 in places for no reason whatsoever. For quite a lot of the way 2 whole lanes were totally empty, that's how light the traffic was. There were no incidents further down the motorway either so it wasn't about holding traffic back. The only thing I can assume is that there was congestion previously and the signs just hadn't been switched back to NSL.

So I'm fine with cameras and variable speed limits for the most part but enforcing lower speeds in places that don't need it at all is frustrating.

 

[TripleT]

How are these stealth exactly? They're just grey.

Also they'll have massive speed restriction sign when in use so you'd have to be pretty dumb to get caught.

 

[Deleted member 66701]

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

Reading fail!

The cameras will be deployed along stretches of "smart motorways" to enforce variable speed limits when the hard shoulder is used as an additional lane at peak times.

 

[Havana_UK]

Also they'll have massive speed restriction sign when in use so you'd have to be pretty dumb to get caught.

This is changing. It used to be the case when the cameras were film-based, as if they were on 24/7 they'd have to change film so regularly that it would make no sense, so they were only on (and not all at once) when speed restrictions, other than NSL, were in place.

Also, that they can be used to enforce the 70mph speed limit, i.e. on regardless of whether there is a speed restriction in place, is nothing new, it's just that most police forces don't choose to use it.

There's a good article on the HADECS 3 cameras on Pistonheads: http://www.pistonheads.com/news/general-pistonheads/hadecs-3-stealth-cameras--the-truth/29362

 

[Cosimo]

Reading fail!

Funny how blindness strikes after two sentences. Oh my god it's not so stupid after all.

 

[Begbie]

This is going to make my 1200mile round trip home just that much more fun. Joys.

 

[PMKeates]

These cameras aren't that "stealthy". In fact, they are easier to see than the normal gantry cameras as they are to the side rather than hidden behind the gantry metalwork. You stand some chance of seeing these, but had very little chance of seeing the ones behind the gantry.

On the M25 the collective traffic "knows" about these cameras and slows down for them, then speeds up again.

 

[Vertigo]

Whatever muppet did that map needs to learn the difference between the M5 and the M6.

 

[mrgubby]

Do these cameras have stripes on the road as backup ?

 

[dry]

Do these cameras have stripes on the road as backup ?

nope.

 

[PeterNem]

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.

This is likely because it is the only piece of road in the UK which sings to mind which is clearly over capacity for the volume of traffic it serves.

It is glorious and should he held high as an example of how our roads could be if we made the twice as wide as they need to be.

 

[ChrisD.]

Anyone travel along the M4 near Junctions 14/15? I spotted some grey cameras being raised on both sides of the motorway right at Membury Services. Unsure if they're HADECS or not.