You can tell the foreigners with their sat navs on when coming of the channel tunnel as they all break down fairly hard at the first gantry with cameras whereas the Brits tend to just carry on on the basis they are not on

Average speed cameras could though I suppose as they’re reading every plate in real time and would just need to be programed to look for vehicles longer than expected as it presumably can figure out the make/model from the plates?

My understanding is they read the number plates and check insurance, tax and mot too. I very much doubt they are programmed to deal with long vehicles/trailers specifically in terms of lower speed limits.

I am on the M62 all along the managed bit every day. When it was first put in it was great as it managed the speeds really well and kept the traffic moving without the ususal bunching up. However now everyone knows where the cameras are and just slows down for them, which has reduced their effectiveness a fair bit. I also haven’t seen anyone flashed for a very long time now even though I’ve seen a fair few people going through the cameras at well above the posted limits.

I wish they’d put a camera on every gantry, not every 3rd one, and make sure they were flashing everyone who exceeded the limits. It has made a big difference to how safe the M62 is so far and I wouldn’t want that to be reduced just cos the cameras aren’t switched on!

Predictably someone has to say it but can you imagine this conversation about any other illegal activity?

Similar thread on murdertrackworld about CCTV and where best to bludgeon nuns to death with out getting caught!

.I’ve known people* go through that section and Mach 4 a number of times and never received a ticket

Theoretically, they’re unreliable beyond 130mph and would be inadmissible evidence. I don’t recommend you test this theory.

On another point, Vans.. You know Vans with odd speed limit restrictions..

I read somewhere earlier today that one of the technologies can measure vehicle length. Can’t remember which offhand (and don’t know how true that is).

Predictably someone has to say it but can you imagine this conversation about any other illegal activity?

What illegal activity would that be? I’m talking about the technical operation of traffic cameras, I fail to see what’s illegal in that. The Highway Agency have spokespeople telling the press all this information.

Don’t know about the cameras but when the hard shoulder is in use on the M6 round Brum, I’ve found myself driving on the hard shoulder for miles with absolutely no-one else doing the same. Big signs saying ‘Use Hard Shoulder’ and a speed limit over it but only me using it.

I’m out of this conversation- difficult to contradict a moderator with ban button even he/she’s encouraging law breaking.
I’m just glad he’s such a nice person and not a bell end.

Don’t know about the cameras but when the hard shoulder is in use on the M6 round Brum, I’ve found myself driving on the hard shoulder for miles with absolutely no-one else doing the same. Big signs saying ‘Use Hard Shoulder’ and a speed limit over it but only me using it.

I found they always seem to alternate between ‘use hard shoulder’ and ‘use hard shoulder for next junction only’ which just made them irritating to use.

I’m out of this conversation- difficult to contradict a moderator with ban button even he/she’s encouraging law breaking.
I’m just glad he’s such a nice person and not a bell end.

get your knickers untwisted, most of the threads either a techy discussion on how they work, or people saying they should work all the time not just at reduced limits.

I thought speed cameras were only allowed on dangerous roads. Have these rebuilt section been built dangerous to justify the camera, or more likely, to make money

Well the M62 was always pretty dangerous!

As far as the M62 around Leeds and Bradford, I have being reliably imformed they are set at 77mph when no other limits are shown. And as for weather they are working or not, at a recent speed awareness course, my friend said she was surrounded by M62 drivers all caught doing 80mph ish. Now I don’t have too many sympathies with people breaking the law, but 77mph is a tad low.

An indicated 80mph in most cars is likely to be less than 77mph in reality, so that seems plausible to me.

The people of South Wales seem to be too stupid to realise why the M4 variable speed limit is there. Last night they were on 40mph with warnings of queues and congestion, and people were bombing through at 60-70 and gues what? There’s a queue!

FFS. a) get a clue and b) why don’t the authorities actually try and educate the idiots? It’s known to work, but only if people stick to it, and people won’t stick to it if they don’t know why it’s there.

Funnily enough, this topic has been on Radio Leeds this morning. The highways agency have confirmed that when no speed limit signs are showing the cameras ARE still on.

Indicated 80 is nothing, and I have a potty mouth. The police should be catching lane change squeezer-in drivers, undertakers and brake testers.

From Hansard:

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many types and number of cameras are in use on the M42 motorway; what information is collected or detected by them; and whether such cameras are used to detect breaches of both the national speed limit and the managed motorway limits. [186153]

Mr Goodwill: There are four types of cameras in use on the M42 which are owned and operated by the Highways Agency.

There are 16 fixed automatic number plate recognition cameras (ANPR) which are used to measure journey time reliability by detecting the movement of partial vehicle number plates between defined links on the motorway. These cameras are not used to detect breaches of speed limits and the number does not include ANPR cameras which are wholly operated and maintained by the police and are subject to Home Office regulations.

There are 190 fixed monitoring cameras. These are used by the Highways Agency Regional Control Centre to ensure that the hard shoulder is clear of stationary vehicles, debris or other obstructions before opening the hard shoulder as a live running lane. These cameras are not used to detect breaches of speed limits.

There are 35 pan, tilt and zoom cameras. These are manually operated and used by operations personnel to monitor the motorway network, identify issues and deal with incidents. These cameras are not used to detect breaches of speed limits.

There are six Highways Agency digital enforcement cameras (HADEC) which are used to detect breaches of the speed limits set on the motorway at fixed points. These cameras in most part are only used when Active Traffic Management is in operation. However, all the HADEC sites are capable of enforcing speeds of up to the national speed limit. This is done at the discretion of the West Midlands Camera Enforcement Unit.

6 Feb 2014 : Column 315W

The police should be catching … undertakers

Why?