New digital speed cameras warning (1 Viewer)

[SpeedyDux]

What you write is great for cars on the main road, what about if people want to cross the road or other vehicles join or cross over.

Sometimes the traffic lights turned red, obviously. There were plenty of underpasses and overpasses too for cross-traffic and pedestrians. It worked very well for the volume of traffic in the 1970s and 1980s. Especially at the off-peak times which is when traffic lights become a nuisance when they stop traffic somewhat arbitrarily and there is no cross-traffic or pedestrian waiting. You get the impression nowadays that the programme is set so that whenever the radar detects approaching traffic the default action is to turn lights from green to red regardless.

Most of these UK systems are manufactured by Siemens. Germany's petty revenge?

 

[Clipgate]

The phrase speed is relative to the circumstances, country road within a national speed limit 20 mph could well be far too high a speed, horses, sheep, deer, pedestrians only to highlight a few circumstances. Near Schools I need not comment, however it needs to be collaboration, by this I mean picking children near the entrance restricting views is as irresponsible, plus research highlights this behaviour sticks and is later mimicked by the children when old enough to drive.
A most complex challenge to retrain our society to become socially responsible. It's not going to change in my life time unfortunately. Thus it is my responsibility to drive defensively.

 

[Clipgate]

I remember an old friend who played guitar in his youth in German night clubs (Ernie Gladwin) telling me when he travelled around Berlin they had traffic lights, he said Well I cannot see those being obeyed in England!
Well he was so correct, watch the behaviour now!

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[Grummyb]

Surely throwing books at people in built up areas is very dangerous

 

[busby]

top notch driving skills will not protect the pedestrians and bike rider if you take formula 1 as the pinnacle of driving skills they still crash

And they don't have to cope with oncoming traffic,pedestrians,cyclists,horseriders and pot holes.BUSBY.

 

[kevenh]

Speeding - for me anyway - was just a bad habit.
Pick the road's speed limit as your max. speed (remember to adjust down for suboptimal conditions)

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[Abacist]

I am sorry but the road planners are deliberately impeding traffic to slow it down by installing road humps and getting rid of bus stop lay-bys so that traffic has to stop behind buses stopped at bus stops. both infuriating and crazy - just adding to the frustrations of driving and trying to get anywhere in a reasonable timescale! I agree too many cars on the road - increase the excise duty and make them less affordable!

 

[2x2camper]

I am sorry but the road planners are deliberately impeding traffic to slow it down by installing road humps and getting rid of bus stop lay-bys so that traffic has to stop behind buses stopped at bus stops. both infuriating and crazy - just adding to the frustrations of driving and trying to get anywhere in a reasonable timescale! I agree too many cars on the road - increase the excise duty and make them less affordable!

So back to just the rich driving then. If you agree there is too many cars then you know the answer stop driving.

 

[Nigel P]

Even small differences in speed can have severe consequences.

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[Ian1801]

Always happy to help , here’s another little pointer for you re speed.

I love speed

 

[Madcaravanner]

The digital cameras were turned on in Derbyshire in 2019 and along the WHOLE of the M1

Why do people who speed think they are not criminals ??
Those that do in built up areas should be banned (you can tellI have lots of grand kids)

 

[G-RMPS]

So back to just the rich driving then. If you agree there is too many cars then you know the answer stop driving.

Reminds me. Back in the 80s I lived in Geneva and our kids went to the International School. The school newsletter regularly reminded parents: “Please can you ask your chauffeur to park in the side street when collecting the children, and not on the main road”

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[poppycamper]

Everybody speeds at some point

That's a very bold statement...

 

[Nigel P]

Marginal reduction in what is already a quite low number of annual road deaths and serious injuries can't be a rational cost-effective justification for huge investments in new generation speed cameras. Having read some of the research I find the case for more speed cameras is unconvincing. Some of the fixed and mobile Speed Cameras I pass regularly have obviously been sited for either deterrent or revenue purposes rather than actual road safety because those locations are simply not hazardous and the accidents take place elsewhere.

The policy focus ought to be more on other causes of serious crashes, in particular badly designed junctions and road layouts. To repeat the bleedin' obvious, how about replacing those so-called Smart Motorways and reinstating the hard shoulder? Also, more Traffic Police are badly needed to catch more drink drivers, and the now rising numbers of younger drug drivers. Speed Cameras can't and won't detect those dangerous offenders. Driving standards are definitely getting worse.

I share some of the points in relation to driving standards and hard shoulder use but have reservations about the reference to costings for casualties. The annual cost to the UK purse for collisions is currently £33bn; 1700 fatalities and 150k injured is hardly a trivial amount and around 97% are driver error/deliberate behavioural issues, speeding being one of those. We should all try and comply but we are also all fallable; that unfortunately would be a point for discussion if stopped by a bobby but the cameras have no 'discretion'.

 

[Nigel P]

Hi
If 30mph areas are higher risk,how come there is only a warning at start and finish ?. With 40mph limits,you get repeater signs. As for " Distance between street lights "...What ?
Portugal.... Radar controled zones,as in 50km stretches through villages... Go in to hot...traffic lights turn to Red... Its THAT simple and works. Pedestrians,cyclists ..Rights of way ?..... They are a law unto themselves,run into either of them and.......... Also,in the event of even a minor accident,i have been told you have to wait for the GNR to come.
OK. There is some ..." Not so good ? " drivers out here ( Plus me ) But you have to have all your documents on you ( Us Plus Passport) and a Green sticker ( Two if its been MOT'd) in the windscreen of your Porty car. One for Insurance and another for the MOT.
Lack of traffic......... Its a DREAM come true for me....." I'm H.a.p.p.y..I'm H.a.p.p.y..........
Tea Bag

The 30mph warning is every streetlight!

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[Tea Bag]

The 30mph warning is every streetlight!

Beg to differ.

 

[John Barrett]

Here we go again...

 

[Nigel P]

Beg to differ.

A restricted road (30mph) is one which has a system of street lighting less thah 200yds apart. (185m if you are in Scotland)

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[Tea Bag]

A restricted road (30mph) is one which has a system of street lighting less thah 200yds apart. (185m if you are in Scotland)

So. Only a 30 mph sign at the beginning and the end as posted. So. Not only do you have to watch your speedo,you have to calculate the distance between lamp posts. As i said in the post. " Only ONE sign at the beginning and one at the end.
Am i right in believing that IF they put 30mph marker signs on each lamp post through the limit,this is illegal? is this entrapment.Would it not be safer to put 30mph signs on lamp posts through that section,rather than relying on drivers to guess distances between posts,or hunt for the derestriction marker. Must go.its the 22.00hrs news.( Portugal..Same time zone). G'night

 

[63720]

That's a very bold statement...

Ok, to elaborate...I passed my test when I was 17, since then I've not had a single speeding fine or warning. I've dabbled in Motorsport and driven fast where and when appropriate but not intentionally broken any speed limits but I can't hand on heart say that I haven't throughout my life accidentally exceeded any without notice. I consider myself lucky and I'm guessing there are millions of motorists just like me. Anyone else glanced at the speedo on a motorway to see they're doing 75, or 33 in a built up area?

 

[Ian Bosman]

I find that instead of cruise control, I am constantly using the speed limiter function on my vehicles. The safe way so you can keep your eyes on the road, rather than having to focus on your speedo in case you have a heavy left foot.

But it does seem that increasingly the road planners are doing everything possible to reduce speeds. Speed limits are no longer implemented just in the name of safety, but also now simply to limit traffic flows in the name of environmentalism. And don't get me started on how some traffic lights seem to get replaced with the aim of blocking traffic. It seems the pelican crossing's days are numbered being replaced with lights that keep traffic stopped even when most pedestrians will have long since cleared the way.

Although I do not have a speed limiter or cruise control in my van I do have both in the 2015 Corsa I regularly drive and I always use the speed limiter I preference to cruise control as in town it is so easy to set the speed limiter to the speed limit of the road section I am on and thus be safe in the knowledge that it is fairly difficult to exceed the speed limit. I also use the digital speed limit facility as well which is a large display straight in fron of me as the driver in addition to the conventional speedo. I would dearly like something like this for a sensible price for the Ducato (2009 vintage)

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[kevenh]

re. 30mph zones - most drivers, well anybody you'd hope, will know when they are in a built up area.
Then the absence of other speed limits being displayed, strongly suggests you are in a 30mph zone.

If you do end up driving in a town, village or other residential area and wonder what the speed limit is, assume 30mph.
If there's someone driving too close to your rear bumper, assume they care less than you about breaking the speed limit - until such time as you see it's a 40mph, etc.

 

[Nigel P]

So. Only a 30 mph sign at the beginning and the end as posted. So. Not only do you have to watch your speedo,you have to calculate the distance between lamp posts. As i said in the post. " Only ONE sign at the beginning and one at the end.
Am i right in believing that IF they put 30mph marker signs on each lamp post through the limit,this is illegal? is this entrapment.Would it not be safer to put 30mph signs on lamp posts through that section,rather than relying on drivers to guess distances between posts,or hunt for the derestriction marker. Must go.its the 22.00hrs news.( Portugal..Same time zone). G'night

You are correct, not allowed to put 30mph repeaters on lamp posts. The system is actually quite easy, street lights and no speed limit signs =30mph (except motorways obviously!) Street lights more than 200 yds apart the lamps would have speed limit signs on them. Everywhere else is national speed limit unless signs say different. Historically there were no speed limits but when it was decided the death toll was becoming an issue it was decided to introduce speed limits to built up areas and as built up areas already had lighting systems in place that was the obvious indicator to use, everywhere else was a free for all! All that has happened is we have introduced several more speed limits beyond the original 30 mph.

 

[John Barrett]

In France, the town/village sign denotes the start of the 50km/h limit, and the red band on the sign on the way out denotes the end. Isn't it largely the same here unless a sign says different? Why is this so difficult to grasp?

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[Pirahna]

Ok, to elaborate...I passed my test when I was 17, since then I've not had a single second of driver training.

 

[knickam]

I know a few farmers that are safer driving fast.
If they are going slow they are too busy looking at what other farmers are up to and don't pay attention to the road

 

[Nigel P]

Think how tricky it must have been in the 1930s, the 30mph limit was introduced in 1935 but it was not mandatory to have a speedometer until 1937. The phrase 'I didn't know how fast I was going officer!' would have possibly been true.

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