speed limits

Nearly_Old

MonkeySaving? wrote: »

Those don't enforce the limit and never have, even when the widening works were taking place and they had yellow "average speed cameras" with no connections to the back of the cameras

Not all the HADEC cameras have been installed yet but quite a number of the gantries do have working cameras - particularly over Lane 4. As I went through the first gantry showing a lower limit (50mph) I kept an eye on my wing mirror and 2 vehicles in Lane 4 will be getting NIP's in the next few days.

The cameras went live in May - if you Google "M1 Speed Cameras Nottingham" you'll see that there was quite a bit of publicity warning the locals.

The new SPEC3 Average Speed cameras can either be cabled or transmit data by microwave so just because there are no cables doesn't mean that they are not working. A colleague at work paid his £60 contribution and won some points on that section.

attila_

there's quite a big difference between the speed u are actually doing and the speed limit of the road.

Take a 40mph road. Now if u were to use an accurate sat nav it shows ure speedo is 2-3mph too fast. i.e. if ure speedo says 40 u are probably doing 37-38mph.


Second, there is the unwritten rule that u can drive up to 10%of max speed and there is a good chance u wont be breaking the speed limit. I was told this at a speed awareness course.

Taking both of these together you may be driving at 37mph whilst the person near you may be doing 44mph and u both think u are driving at speed limit....

thats quite a difference which gets bigger as the speeds increase!

jaydeeuk1

Most roads by me in middle of Derbyshire used to be national speed limit 10 years ago when car brakes were made of paper, but nowadays when even crap made in Malaysia comes with brake features with lots of acronyms, they decide to make most roads a 40, or even a 30.

I, like most motorists, are fed up with some middle aged fat bald bloke, sat away in an office sweating, dropping speed limits just to justify his job. Sure, the road has a 'poor safety record' such as somones cat was run over, someone committed suicide or theres a slight corner, but this bloke has probably never heard of Duffield, let alone been there. In a way, I sort of understand. The limits have to be set to the lowest common denominator - the idiot general public. Just means the good few who can drive in a straight line without crashing get punished too.

So I drive to the road conditions, if it means I can safely do 60/70/80/90, I'll do it. If its 20, I'll do 20. And if a camera van or speed trap is in the way, I just press that middle peddle, really not that difficult.

Hammyman

Same here. !!!!!! holiday makers have smashes most weekends from April to October, sod all happens the remainder of the year yet huge swathes of our county are now 40 and 50 limits.

daggy

Yes, people do seem to break the speed limit a lot.

I don't as I find there is no need for it. It's fine to say that it's not our responsibility to Police the outside lane, but take this example

I'm doing just over 70mph indicated in the overtaking lane and I'm overtaking a lot of traffic, yet people still feel the need to tailgate me and flash lights etc...

Why should I have to pull in and slow down, then accelerate again just to allow some knobhead to pass me? Being slightly petulant, but that costs me extra fuel... especially if it happens regularly, which it does.

If they get too close, I slow down to a speed where I'm comfortable that they wont plough into the back of me should I have to brake.

I do agree with the notion that speed limits are being unnecessarily reduced though

Horseunderwater

Take it from one who has been bus driving for many many years now, I have seen so many crashes, because people choose to ignore speed limits and to leave a safe gap of at least 2 seconds time between them and vehicle in front. We have one stretch of Road in my Area A11 which is still on single carriageway and although it is about to be dualled, this will not start until 2012 at earliest. This has been waiting for approval and finance since 25 years ago. You should see what some drivers do, just to get past my bus and I am doing the right limit for the road 50mph for a bus, but they wish to go at 80-90 mph - I kid you not. The road has a very poor surface full of pot holes and undulates with twists and turns and I recently got overtaken on a blind bend with solid double white lines. And I had to almost do an emmergency stop as there was another car coming in oncoming lane, just so idiot could not kill me or my passengers. That is what speeding does. I do wonder where the fire was or if they actually got home that night. Utter stupidity. Drivers should regularly be retested every few years on their handling a vehicle skills and update their theory of current regulations. Bet most drivers who passed a test more than 8 years back did not know that you should not park within 10 mtrs or 30 feet of a junction now - just one small change. And an eye test should be done for all drivers every 2 years. For all driving conditions. The times I have heard the one when some idiot could not see a bus (double decker sized or longer) and they have hit it. And then there are the ones who have hit the rising bollards in Cambridge and to get to the bollards they have to go through 8 sets of red/white no entry signs? Some with flashing lights! I have no sympathy with anyone in those situations.

opinions4u

I, like most motorists, are fed up with some middle aged fat bald bloke, sat away in an office sweating, dropping speed limits just to justify his job

Middle aged fat bald blokes are the future I say!

The decisions are probably made by an overkeen 25 year old blonde graduate who's damned hot.

cyclonebri1

Nearly_Old wrote: »

Not all the HADEC cameras have been installed yet but quite a number of the gantries do have working cameras - particularly over Lane 4. As I went through the first gantry showing a lower limit (50mph) I kept an eye on my wing mirror and 2 vehicles in Lane 4 will be getting NIP's in the next few days.

The cameras went live in May - if you Google "M1 Speed Cameras Nottingham" you'll see that there was quite a bit of publicity warning the locals.

The new SPEC3 Average Speed cameras can either be cabled or transmit data by microwave so just because there are no cables doesn't mean that they are not working. A colleague at work paid his £60 contribution and won some points on that section.

But from personnal experience and that of others on here I can say that at present they are not used to police the 70mph limit, just restricted ones.

(Otherwise I would be emailing this via my solicitor);)

Nearly_Old

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

But from personnal experience and that of others on here I can say that at present they are not used to police the 70mph limit, just restricted ones.

(Otherwise I would be emailing this via my solicitor);)

I keep meaning to download a copy of the Statutory Instrument that was made in April - each HADEC installation has to have it's own SI to make it legal. From an extract it certainly makes the cameras legal for enforcing any reduced limit displayed on the gantries.

As far as enforcing the 70 limit that may not be covered but the system will record the details of vehicles exceeding 70. There is some speculation on various motoring forums that someone tripping a camera at 100+ could just get a visit from the police.

daggy

Horseunderwater wrote: »

Take it from one who has been bus driving for many many years now, I have seen so many crashes, because people choose to ignore speed limits and to leave a safe gap of at least 2 seconds time between them and vehicle in front. We have one stretch of Road in my Area A11 which is still on single carriageway and although it is about to be dualled, this will not start until 2012 at earliest. This has been waiting for approval and finance since 25 years ago. You should see what some drivers do, just to get past my bus and I am doing the right limit for the road 50mph for a bus, but they wish to go at 80-90 mph - I kid you not. The road has a very poor surface full of pot holes and undulates with twists and turns and I recently got overtaken on a blind bend with solid double white lines. And I had to almost do an emmergency stop as there was another car coming in oncoming lane, just so idiot could not kill me or my passengers. That is what speeding does. I do wonder where the fire was or if they actually got home that night. Utter stupidity. Drivers should regularly be retested every few years on their handling a vehicle skills and update their theory of current regulations. Bet most drivers who passed a test more than 8 years back did not know that you should not park within 10 mtrs or 30 feet of a junction now - just one small change. And an eye test should be done for all drivers every 2 years. For all driving conditions. The times I have heard the one when some idiot could not see a bus (double decker sized or longer) and they have hit it. And then there are the ones who have hit the rising bollards in Cambridge and to get to the bollards they have to go through 8 sets of red/white no entry signs? Some with flashing lights! I have no sympathy with anyone in those situations.

I agree.. there are many clueless drivers about. How many people do you see each day with fogs on in normal driving conditions? How many people put their rear fogs on in heavy spray?

However, the issue also comes from the testing process - it's biased and unmonitored. As I understand it, the DSA has to fund itself and that is art of the reason test fees have went up. My instructor had cameras in his car and the DSA wouldn't allow him to use them during tests... they could cearly benefit a pupil who failed their test, so why would the DSA not want them running?

There is very little standardisation throughout the country. There are clearly many new drivers who are simply not ready to be on the road.

I failed my test a few times, in one test I had 0 minors and was given a major for lack of awareness during a turn in the road' manoeuvre. When I began the manoeuvre the roads were clear, however, a cra did arrive during the manoeuvre and he waited patiently. I noticed this and mentioned that there was a car waiting,but I'd continue the manoeuvre as he couldn't get past me anyway.

I finally passed my test with 2 minors, but he gave me them for hesitation at a roundabout. As I approached the roundabout there was enough time for me to pull out, but as I attempted to change down, the car wouldn't go in to gear, so instead of rolling out in neutral, I stopped. I explained why, yet was given two minors one for hesitation and I believe one for awareness (?)... irrelevant really, as I still passed, but it would have been nice to pass with 0 minors.

The whole system is nothing short of corrupt.