Speed (sorry, safety) Camera Obsession

[balsingh]

We all have the old rant about there being too many cameras in pointless places but a recent trip up to the midlands more than proved this. anyone who knows the A4540 Watery Lane in Birmingham will probably already know about this but there are 2 cameras on the same stretch of road no more than 100 yards apart. Now I agree that cameras in the right places makes sence but how pointless is this? Thats a possible £120 fine and 6 points in a 100 yard stretch! Whats also pretty bad is that this stretch of road is a dual carriageway which until recently had a 40mph limit .... guess what, its now 30mph!

Anyone visiting that neck of the woods .... Beware!

[bargepole]

Thats a possible £120 fine and 6 points in a 100 yard stretch!
Not quite right, if you set off both cameras, it would be treated as a single offence.

I know this area (part of the Birmingham ring road), and agree that reducing the limit to 30 on what should clearly be a 40 limit dual carriageway, has nothing whatsoever to do with road safety, and everything to do with raising revenue for this corrupt government.

Wouldn't it be unfortunate if some public-spirited Brummies took it upon themselves to find a couple of old tyres, some petrol and a box of matches!

[Road_Hog]

I know this area (part of the Birmingham ring road), and agree that reducing the limit to 30 on what should clearly be a 40 limit dual carriageway, has nothing whatsoever to do with road safety, and everything to do with raising revenue for this corrupt government.


There in lies the problem. It is human nature to drive to the "speed of the road".

If you live down a residential road with parked cars, you will drive slowly because the road and conditions dictate this, it would feel completely wrong to do 40MPH. However the reverse is true, when you're on an open road with two lanes, it does not feel right to be doing 30MPH, so there is a tendancy to speed up to the natural speed of the road and this is exactly what they want. Any sane person knows it's a tax, pure and simple. If they really wanted to stop speeding they could put up the points to 6pts and no fine, then you have everybody driving around at 30MPH all the time but they wouldn't want that because it's they money they want.

Even the police officer who was in charge of trialling and introducing speed cameras to the country says that they are being misused and not being used for what they were intended.

[cyclonebri1]

Not quite right, if you set off both cameras, it would be treated as a single offence.

I know this area (part of the Birmingham ring road), and agree that reducing the limit to 30 on what should clearly be a 40 limit dual carriageway, has nothing whatsoever to do with road safety, and everything to do with raising revenue for this corrupt government.

Wouldn't it be unfortunate if some public-spirited Brummies took it upon themselves to find a couple of old tyres, some petrol and a box of matches!


There is exactly this situation on the Tamworth road out of Long Eaton in Notts, 100 yards apart in a 30 limit.

They have now had to install a 360 security camera between these 2 to combat the more "irate" :rolleyes: motorists:wall: :wall: :wall: :wall: :shhh:

[MKB]

Unfortunately, this warning comes too late for my partner who got an Notice of Intended Prosecution on this stretch of road last week for doing 40mph. He's the sort of driver who always tries to abide by speed limits and drive safely and had never previously had a ticket in his 14 years of driving, something of which he was rightly proud.

He's familiar with this road, and 40mph here represents a level of risk well below the threshold an experienced driver knows is considered acceptable on most other roads.

What makes matters worse is that a 2003 traffic act prohibits 30mph repeater signs, so if you don't spot the change when you enter the zone, or the sign is obscured by a lorry or bus blocking your view, or your attention is diverted at that instant by something more pressing like another driver pulling out suddenly in front of you, you won't even know that the road has been changed from 40mph to 30mph.

This should surely destroy any remaining beliefs that speed cameras are a tool for road safety rather than a crude revenue-raising device.