M25 - When do the cameras actually flash?

Car_54

flicks wrote: »

Car54, there are new speed cameras going up all over Norwich with the brand name Truvelo.


They have a separate post next to the camera with an infrared flash.


The idea being that as they take a picture of the cars going towards them,( in order to also capture the drivers' faces), the flash does not go off in their eyes.


Amazing how considerate they are these days!

There seems to be a difference of opinion about whether they actually use infra-red. For some reason the manufacturer's website doesn't tell us.

Not that it makes any difference to the speeder ....

Silver-Surfer_2

Car_54 wrote: »

There seems to be a difference of opinion about whether they actually use infra-red. For some reason the manufacturer's website doesn't tell us.

Not that it makes any difference to the speeder ....

Would you see and infra red flash?

Have set a few off you do see them and it's consistent with he rumour of it being a magenta filter.

dannyrst

I mean, you could slow down to....

Oh nevermind.

vikingaero

Both the overhead lane cameras and the side mounted gantry cameras on the M25 flash - seen it countless times. If there is a variable speed restriction in force then the cameras will be active somewhere above that limit.

But the I've seen cameras flash when the speed limit is NSL70 and someone has gone through significantly faster than that. I think a couple of years ago the Highways Agency confirmed that the cameras had been activated even when a variable speed limit had not been posted.

Not sure why you insist on crossing the M25 at 80mph and ask the question - if you are that worried leave 30 minutes earlier.

Skintski

Vikingaero is right. I use the M25 south side a lot and frequently see both types of camera flash.

Guidelines suggest that NIPs should be issued at 10% + 2mph above the limit eg, 79 in a 70 however this is no guarantee as these are purely guidelines and nothing else.

Andrew_Ryan_89

Another question. Let's say you pass a number of successive cameras going over the speed limit. If you get fined, would you get a separate fine for every time a camera caught you speeding or just one?

Also, I have gradually increased my speed on the M25 (mostly) for the past few weeks. Gone all the way up to 90mph and still no tickets. Still have people easily going 100 plus and just makes me wonder for the people who have got tickets on the M25 (not when the variable limit is enforced), what speed were they going?!

Silver-Surfer_2

Andrew_Ryan_89 wrote: »

Another question. Let's say you pass a number of successive cameras going over the speed limit. If you get fined, would you get a separate fine for every time a camera caught you speeding or just one?

Also, I have gradually increased my speed on the M25 (mostly) for the past few weeks. Gone all the way up to 90mph and still no tickets. Still have people easily going 100 plus and just makes me wonder for the people who have got tickets on the M25 (not when the variable limit is enforced), what speed were they going?!

Well to answer your hypothetical question. You do post a few, loft conversion for one.

If the speed limit is constant it's one offence if the limit changes it could be several.

bigjl

I have down thousands of miles round the purgatory that is the M25.

And I can't say that I have seen many cars doing speeds as high as 90/100 mph very often.

Especially near the overhead gantry mounted cameras, in my experience people slow down then speed back up fairly regularly.

If somebody says they have been regularly going past the cameras at 90mph and not getting a NIP then I am calling BS.

Going back at least 5/6 years the MetPol Area car drivers have been reducing their speed to 20 mph over the posted limit in East London as otherwise they are straight to court to explain why they though it justified.

I used to regularly get more than 10 camera flashes a shift. And some of them were doing 65mph in a 50mph limit. Some where also doing 60mph in a 30mph.

I also got a NIP last year for 36 in a 30 on the A4. Which would suggest that the limits for a NIP are a lot lower than hey used to be.

Back in the 90's you could do 20mph over a limit without getting flashed. And even if you did often the camera was out of film, not the case anymore of course.

Ectophile

Silver-Surfer wrote: »

Would you see and infra red flash?

Have set a few off you do see them and it's consistent with he rumour of it being a magenta filter.

I've definitely seen infra red illuminators on the M25, facing the oncoming traffic. But I have no idea if they are for speed cameras or just to help the traffic monitoring at night.

Infra red LEDs do produce a noticeable red glow when turned on.

Bigphil1474

They've put similar cameras in on the M1 up north - where it is now 4 lanes. Regularly see them flashing on oncoming traffic when no variable limit in place.
I've always been under the impression that you can do the speed limit +10% and 2mph, before getting a ticket from a camera - hence why most 30mph tickets are for 36mph or more, and in a 70 it equates to anything over 79mph. Could be completely made up of course, but I believed it was to give leeway in potential inaccuracies in car speedo's, and the camera tech.