Speed Cameras

[pigletwillie]

We have come home from a fortnight in France and not only is the quality of the roads over there much better than here but how does this grab you:-

412 miles driven from Leicester to Dover (return) and 19 speed cameras each way spied. Most on the A14, nice straight road, no speed variables or housing to worry about. Several on the M11 roadworks and one on the A47. Most I feel are just "money grabbers", the A47 and roadworks ones excepted

1109 miles driven in France and 2 speed cameras spied, 1 near St Malo and one in a village near to Bayeaux. Both in built up areas and quite justifiably positioned.

Am I just cynical or are the powers to be just taking the pee

[kernowyon]

I have to drive twice a week past a speed camera on the A3 that was reported to rake in £1 million a year, and about 1/2 mile further down the road, guess what? another camera. this really is a licence to print money. the first camera is on a dual carriageway!!

[terrier]

The worst area I have to drive in is east midlands. The dual carriageways speed limits continually change and there seems to be a camera every thousand yards or so. Also some of the cameras operate as you pass them and some as you approach them. If you're not familiar with the stretch of dual carriageway, it's difficult to keep track of the changing speed limits. Maybe I'm an old cynic as well but for the life of me I can't see how these distractions are condusive to safe driving.

[TonyF]

Hi Piglet, thought things had gone quiet back here - you must have gone home!

In France they put the fixed speed camera locations on the internet, on the Michelin maps and guides and even in the highway code AND they have bloody great signs saying 'speed camera ahead' on the roads - if you get nicked by one of those down here, your fault completely. And the Gendarmes have their favourite places to use radar guns so once you know where they are, you drive accordingly.

I saw on UK TV the other day that in some built up areas of UK you can be clocked over 200 times a day on CCTV - delete 1984, substitute 2007?

[bubblewrap]

Smile your'e on candid camera! Seriuosely though its not the "speed" cameras I worry about its all the others I know of some in loos
P.S. Had a good hol Piglet?

[muckdiva]

Hope you had good hols Pigletwillie and Piglette.

3 years ago, my OH managed to clock up 9 points in 1 weekend whilst he was delivering around the South Northants area where they'd newly installed speed cameras at what seems like 100 yard intervals - interestingly most were placed as you were leaving not entering villages. All the cameras were 'hidden' with no or very little prior warning. OK, OH was recorded as doing 34 MPH instead of 30, but there must have been an outcry locally about the fact that these cameras were hidden as a few months later they were made much more visible with warning signs all over the place. A better way to get drivers to slow down than hidding cameras, which just smacks of a very good way to extract cash from people.

Luckily the 9 points were removed this March, hurrah! Needless to say we are both VERY carefull about observing the speed limit in built up areas now (s'pose it must have worked then..)

[susieq100]

I have an 18 mile drive to work, mostly 'countryside' though I do go through 2 villages and on the bypass of a small town. There are 8 speed cameras and 13 changes of speed limit. Keeps you alert!

[Tigerella]

Hi

I am sure you will find an excuse to disagree but if you were going to pay £1000 in tax, would you prefer the government to take it from your wage, or might it be a good idea to raise money from someone breaking the law.

Tigerella

PS. but I am sure you didnt break the law.

[Paulottie]

And as we all know your farts don't smell Tigerella

Hey PW did you have a good holiday? We have a house nr St Malo let me know where camera is please. Iagree about the roads over there.

The last 2 times I have been in London, although I managed to behave myself impeccably on the A3, Ken has moved the congestion zone..bless him.. I charged less than the fine for the delivery! and then I got one for bus lane at 11pm (also new) by Waterloo, you could even see my indicating out and the clear road.

It probably wouldn't be so bad if I felt that in someway the money was improving something. just extortion really. And actually I have already had my wage packet lightened, spent money on VAT, and car tax, and fuel duty, and i don't feel the information was at all transparent to a driver who no longer lives in London. I was just concentrating on steering the car safly and keeping to the speed limit.

[jacob marley]

Last thursday morning i was driving along Tamworth road through Corley there was lots of advertising posters about telling us about a new anti speed camaign there was this thing stuck up a lamp post telling us what speed we were doing i was following a 4x4 it said he was doing 36 mph it said i was doing 32 mph and we were doing the same speed so how accurate was that piece of kit the speed limit on the road 40mph beware jacob

[blossom]

Why are speed cameras a distraction??? If you are not breaking the law then the only thing extra you have to think about is stupid people who break no matter what speed they are doing.
The A14 although straight has lots of accidents. I remember driving along there once when the car behind me did a 360 degree spin and LUCKILY righted themselves. I have never seen that happen on any other roads.

I personaly think speed cameras should be every half mile. Then people wouldn't speed anywhere and the roads would be much safer (well less damage would be done when people/things were hit anyway).

[Alice]

You're right Piglet. The roads in France are superb and thay have far fewer speed cameras but the road trafiic accident rate is twice as high as the rate in Britain. Maybe that should tell us something.

[pigletwillie]

Blossom, I feel that speed cameras have their place in built up and or dangerous sections of road, however (and it is a big however), most police forces seem to think that speed cameras equal less traffic police.

Unfortunately whilst speed cameras may force people to slow down briefly, they do not catch drink drivers or those who have no mot, tax, or licence and I personally feel that it is these toe rags who cause most destruction on our roads and they can now do it with impunity.

Speed cameras do not reduce accidents, just reduce speed at which you have it. If you are adjusting your radio, smoking, doing your make up or continuously checking your speed so as not to get caught whilst driving you will still have an accident.

A famous rugby playing hero of mine (Dean Richards) was a traffic policeman and said "most of the carnage on Leicestershires roads is not wrought by speed but by numpties driving too close to the car in front"

[smallblueplanet]

When we last drove down from near Devizes to Charmouth through Somerset, Dorset on small A roads it was a nightmare. Constant references to speed cameras and constant swopping of speed limits.

The amount of times that the limit is switched from 30 to 40 and back to 30 within the space of 100s of metres is a farce. As a driver you spend more time trying to spot tiny speed signs than looking at the road - a joke!

I am in favour of safer driving but I seriously don't believe that most speed cameras are there for that reason. The 'well, if you kept within the law' line is a nonsense red herring. Do speed cameras promote safer driving? I think not.

I am in favour of the type of camera that calculate the average speed of the driver between two cameras. I've seen lots of sensible driving around those. Unlike the speed, brake, speed stuff you get around the normal ones.

[smallblueplanet]

Oh and PiggyW start a thread and tell us all about your exploits in La Belle France - and just what seeds did you come back with???