M1 variable speed limit - 20mph

InternetNode

Good afternoon,

Last week I picked up some family members from Luton airport and on the way back, the variable speed limits were active. I went through the 60 gantry, then 50, then 40. The next gantry up ahead was 40mph in all lanes expect the very left which was 20mph, the 20mph was very dimmed compared to the rest. When I slowed up to 40mph at the last gantry I now had a lorry about 1 car length behind me, if I would have slowed aggressively to 20mph I believe he could have hit me. Before the lorry went under the Gantry he aggressively switched lanes.

Now I’m unsure if I got flashed, as some times going under the gantries the LED lights seem like flashes. But I believe if I got flashed I’d be travelling somewhere between 20-40mph. 

If I was flashed, could I argue that the lorry was tailgating and braking to meet the 20mph zone could have caused him to him me, and the sign being dimmed compared to the rest? Will there be photo and video evidence in the lead up to the flash to prove my case? 

You could argue that I should have just switched lanes but in the moment with two very young children in the car, logical decisions sometimes slip. 

Many thanks.

Stubod

..you could argue whatever you like, but the plain facts are that despite all the warnings you broke the speed limit. Part of the art of driving is planning ahead..? Apols if this is not what you want to hear.

InternetNode

It is what it is, and you’re probably right, just annoying. 

Stubod

..hopefully you weren't "flashed"....and yes, I have found lorry drivers to be the worst for "tailgating", even when you can't actually go any faster and there is nowhere for them to go anyway!

Car_54

AFAIK all lanes should show the same limit, unless lane 1 was an exit slip lane.

If it was not, then either the gantry was malfunctioning or the OP was mistaken.

[Deleted User]

Sometimes the law requires you do to bad things. In cases like this you need to slow down, and if the guy behind you crashes, well you were obeying the speed limit so it's not your fault. It's worth having a dashcam so that you have evidence of the temporary speed limit sign in case that happens and they try to claim you slowed down for no reason.

Same with emergency vehicles like ambulances and traffic lights. Even if they have their lights on and sirens going, you aren't allowed to go through a red light and can still get prosecuted for doing so. You just have to sit there waiting for it to go green while some poor person is waiting for them to turn up.

Steve182

Lorry drivers are normally very careful not to get points, for obvious reasons. If the lorry driver behind thought there was no need to slow down, then he/she was probably right, from a lorry you can normally see hazards much further ahead than from cars. Also let's face it, 20mph temporary limit on a motorway is absurd. May as well have a man walking in front of the car with a flag!

Only about 1 in 4 overhead gantries typically have cameras and the telltale is to look for cameras on the opposite carriageway. They usually have them on both carriageways or not at all. Not completely foolproof, there are exceptions, but usually true.  The lorry driver was probably quite sure there was no hazard ahead and knew there were no cameras on that gantry. I may be wrong but I think you should stop worrying.

Nelliegrace

I expect the 20 mph limit was just to get some extra cash, like a fruit machine over the lanes. Some of the speed limits continue when the road ahead is clear. 
We were all brought to a stop on a busy motorway by two police cars, it was very impressive, and then they drove off again.