Ford Focus "Intelligent Speed Assistance" (Not)

user1977

Grumpy_chap said:

user1977 said:

In what (UK) situations would the limit change without there being any signage? Might be different in other countries which is why it acts like that.

It is quite easy for the camera (like the human eye) to miss a sign if it has been damaged, obscured by trees, dirty, covered in snow, vandalised / graffiti, sprayed over for roadworks and not cleaned back, obscured by lorry, etc., etc. 

Yes, but that's a risk with any sign it encounters - the OP is suggesting that it's an intended feature for it to "forget" the limit after a turn.

Manxman_in_exile

Goldwing1  -  it's basically a gimmick and it isn't intended to be relied on.  It's not going to be infallible and if you want to minimise the liklihood of being caught speeding, you need to pay attention to what you see through your eyes, not what your car does or tells you.

If this is an optional extra you should ask for a refund of whatever the option costs.  Even then you may not be successful because - as others have said - it's not clear that it was ever intended to work in the way that you think it should.  Was its function fully explained to you or did you "assume" it worked how you thought.

Incidentally, the dealer isn't piggy in the middle.  If they sold it to you it's the dealer you have rights against, not Ford.

Alderbank

Manxman - no, there's nothing else to tell you it's 30. Thousands of residential streets don't have signs. Mine doesn't.
There have to be signs if it's not 30 (e.g. 20 or 40)

Manxman_in_exile

user1977 said:

Manxman_in_exile said:

user1977 said:

bazzyb said:

If you turn onto a new road then of course it won’t display the limit until it has passed a sign showing what the limit it. 

In what (UK) situations would the limit change without there being any signage? Might be different in other countries which is why it acts like that.

What happens when you turn off an urban (for example) 40 limit into a restricted road with a system of street lighting?  Is there anything - apart from the streetlights - to tell you i't a 30?  (Serious question - I'd know I was on a 30 but I can't remember if you need a 30 sign after you turn off the 40... )

There should be a 30 sign.

I thought speed limit signs weren't even permitted in a restricted street with a system of streetlighting?  The streetlights on their own are sufficient to tell a competent driver that they are in a 30.  Have I been wrong all these years... ?

Grumpy_chap

Manxman_in_exile said:

If this is an optional extra you should ask for a refund of whatever the option costs.  

Except, the OP purchased a used car, so the difference in price for a car with or without the option is probably far less than the option price on a new car.

kaMelo

Manxman_in_exile said:

user1977 said:

bazzyb said:

If you turn onto a new road then of course it won’t display the limit until it has passed a sign showing what the limit it. 

In what (UK) situations would the limit change without there being any signage? Might be different in other countries which is why it acts like that.

What happens when you turn off an urban (for example) 40 limit into a restricted road with a system of street lighting?  Is there anything - apart from the streetlights - to tell you i't a 30?  (Serious question - I'd know I was on a 30 but I can't remember if you need a 30 sign after you turn off the 40... )

Edit:  How would any "recognition" system recognise a restricted road without any limit signs?  Does it recognise the streetlights?

With the exception of motorways the UK speed limit is 30mph unless indicated otherwise.  Any section of road subject to a speed limit other than 30 will have not only a large speed limit sign at the start point, it will also have small repeater speed limit signs at numerous points along it's length. The difference with a 30 limit, there is usually a sign at the start point but no repeater signs as you should already know it's a 30 because there is nothing telling you otherwise.
Without signs to read I don't know what the camera can do about it.

bazzyb

user1977 said:

bazzyb said:

If you turn onto a new road then of course it won’t display the limit until it has passed a sign showing what the limit it. 

In what (UK) situations would the limit change without there being any signage? Might be different in other countries which is why it acts like that.

Plenty. Most residential streets, for example, don’t have signs. Often country lanes don’t either. 

user1977

Manxman_in_exile said:

user1977 said:

Manxman_in_exile said:

user1977 said:

bazzyb said:

If you turn onto a new road then of course it won’t display the limit until it has passed a sign showing what the limit it. 

In what (UK) situations would the limit change without there being any signage? Might be different in other countries which is why it acts like that.

What happens when you turn off an urban (for example) 40 limit into a restricted road with a system of street lighting?  Is there anything - apart from the streetlights - to tell you i't a 30?  (Serious question - I'd know I was on a 30 but I can't remember if you need a 30 sign after you turn off the 40... )

There should be a 30 sign.

I thought speed limit signs weren't even permitted in a restricted street with a system of streetlighting?  The streetlights on their own are sufficient to tell a competent driver that they are in a 30.  Have I been wrong all these years... ?

Seem pretty routine in the examples I've looked at. Yes, the absence of repeaters ought to warn you that you're no longer in a 40 zone, but I guess they prefer a bit of clarity.

https://goo.gl/maps/z9sfB4ButQrEEfSJ7 - crossroads with a 40 road going N-S, 30 signs if you turn east or west

https://goo.gl/maps/Z3WA5HoN1Ce7Gysm6 - smaller side road nearby with a 30 sign (historical image as most of these roads are now 20 zones just to complicate things further!)

https://goo.gl/maps/UcuqcZyZxbw7evtk7 - another just to check it isn't an Edinburgh thing

Manxman_in_exile

Grumpy_chap said:

Manxman_in_exile said:

If this is an optional extra you should ask for a refund of whatever the option costs.  

Except, the OP purchased a used car, so the difference in price for a car with or without the option is probably far less than the option price on a new car.

Good point.  We've got a 12 plate secondhand Mondeo with cruise control.  I don't know if it was standard or an option on the new car and I have no idea if we paid "extra" for it, but I know we've never used it or even tried to use it in the 7 years we've owned it.  I prefer to pay attention to what is happening around me rather than rely on a device.

unholyangel

Alderbank said:

user1977 said:

In what (UK) situations would the limit change without there being any signage? Might be different in other countries which is why it acts like that.

I take it you are not a driver. Lots of UK roads don't have signs and don't require them.

• Dual carriageway, no streetlights, 70mph unless otherwise signposted.
• Single carriageway road, no streetlights, not urban therefore 60mph unless otherwise signposted
• Single carriageway, one-way, rural, but with street lighting spaced frequently usually means it’s 30mph
• Urban area, streetlights close together, 30mph unless otherwise signposted (e.g. it could also be a 20mph or 40mph)

They do not have repeater signs....they do still have a sign upon entry.