Changes to Speed Limits

[lukeyboy]

I was speaking to a road traffic police officer the other day and he was telling me about the new guidance on the setting of speed limits (I've not read it yet, but plan to do so when I get some time). The basic gist was that quite a few national limits will be reduced to 50's I think it was linked to so called "buffer zones" when entering into areas of lower speed limits.

He says that it also gives a good case for increasing a lot of existing 30's to 40's, but I pointed out that that would be virtually impossible to get past local councillors, unless it was legislation based.

Bah humbug!

[Boomy]

And in other camera related news...

I read in our local paper that they are due to install some SPECS cameras on a motorway near me shortly.

Due to roadworks they have had a mobile van parked illegally for months catching those horrid criminals who dare to creep over 50 mph.

As residents pointed out "they are breaking the law to catch people breaking the law".

Although it does say they have allowed for "lapses in concentration" by allowing you to be a few mph over the limit before they rob you...sorry i mean punish you.

Jolly decent of them.

I guess many people have been caught  because you hardly ever see a single workman on the road, just miles of cones. : p

Anyway, they have justified putting the new SPECS cameras in because there have been six deaths in around 250 years or something on that stretch of road and apparently many local residents and members of nearby towns want them fitted.

Who are these people who claim to have "wanted cameras for a long time" anyway?.

Nobody seems to know.If it's the six deaths that bothers them, you can't help but wonder if they are actively involved in say helping the thousands who starve to death every year too.Hmm.

They don't mention how these people were killed of course either in the paper.I would think there is a good chance a few of those accidents involved French truckers and blind spots though.

But that doesn't matter right?.

Speeding kills as we all know, at 75 mph people explode, so they intend to cover a 7.5km stretch of road to "save families having to suffer the same anguish".

They also fail to mention the millions of people who made it through this no mans land 7.5 km section in total safety.

The reality is of course that people will still crash from time to time regardless of the cameras.All the people who make it through safely now just need to concetrate bl**** hard on their speedos while in that section, or they can yet again expect to cough up.

It has been said that a perfect speed camera is one that doesn't catch anyone, because then it is doing it's job properly.

But these ones will no doubt catch thousands and will have easily recouped the £400,000 installation costs within a few weeks.

Then again, they are painting them yellow and have listed the location on some web page that most people have no knowledge of or would ever think to look at.

[Blatman]

An illegally parked van cannot legally gather evidence for use in a prosecution, AFAIK. Evidence gathered illegally is inadmissable in court. I'd fight it...

[Boomy]

That's pretty much what they have said.

It was a local magistrate who first pointed it out.

However someone from the safety camera partnership has said the van is exempt from the law because it is a police vehicle.

They also said they worked closely with the highways agency "to ensure the safety camera was positioned correctly to protect the motorists and workmen" (generate the most cash).

They also got approval from the Kent police and said that the section it is parked in is called an apron and not a footpath and is used by maintenance vehicles.

Residents etc are still declaring it's a "one rule for them..." situation though.

They also added that you need not worry about the camera if you stick to the speed limits.I love that old chestnut.

[Blatman]

If the Police were consulted, I'd want them to produce the relevant documents detailing the enquiry. Usually, a parking dispensation would have to be issued, and they are done on a daily basis and cost money. I know because I have to sort out parking dispensations from the Met Police nearly every day, mostly for parking satellite trucks outside the various London courts so that we can film the guilty

[ljsanders]

Sounds a little corrupt to me.

Some Judge having a favour done for them in lieu of letting the Chief Super-intendant putting a van in an illegal place.

[Blatman]

Like I say, the place to shine a light on these things is in a court. If you have the balls. Very few people do...

[geelhoed]

The basic gist was that quite a few national limits will be reduced to 50's I think it was linked to so called "buffer zones" when entering into areas of lower speed limits.

Been so overhere for years. Limits reduced from 75 to 50 mph near the cities. And they check when you enter a stretch and when you leave it, calculating the average speed. Very strange to see everybody driving 50 in fear of a ticket, but makes for quite good traffic flow.

[lukeyboy]

The basic gist was that quite a few national limits will be reduced to 50's I think it was linked to so called "buffer zones" when entering into areas of lower speed limits.

Been so overhere for years. Limits reduced from 75 to 50 mph near the cities. And they check when you enter a stretch and when you leave it, calculating the average speed. Very strange to see everybody driving 50 in fear of a ticket, but makes for quite good traffic flow.

The roads I have questioned were rural, wide, highspeed roads which have been 60mph for many many years. The plan was not to install speed measurement equipment just to drop the limit (which does not work). But now you come to mention it, these routes will be on mobile enforcement route so the Camera Partenerships will be able to issue tickets  

[spence]

Can't see how they will change all these speed limits on rural roads. Can you imagine the cost of changing all the signs.

Then again the amount of money generated  by the modern day yellow coloured "DICK TURPINS" it's probably a drop in the ocean.

If speed kills, ALL racing drivers would be dead. Dangerous and inattentive driving kills. Speed is an easy thing to cure ( TAX ) so they blame this. I drive hundreds of miles a week and the appalling driving i see on a daily basis is frightening. If they concentrated on this aspect it would cost to much and they wouldn't be able to generate the vast amounts of cash which they are currently making.

I read somewhere about all the adverts directed at speeding drivers. When was the last time you saw an advert for the "Green cross code". Drivers are an easy target to bleed money from. Small kiddies aren't and there's the rub.  

I once complained about a camera van parked at a bottom of a hill. At the top of the hill was a blind bend, then came a pedestrian crossing. Straight after these danger areas was a junction. I pointed out in no uncertain terms, that the idiot in the van was adding to the situation by people taking their eye's off the road to check they weren't going over the limit.

Don't know if it was down to my email but the "DICK TURPIN" hasn't been seen since and that was over a year ago. Would see that idiot every week on my way to work without fail.

I won't keep going on    or I'll be here all night putting this country to rights.

[spence]

Who are these people who claim to have "wanted cameras for a long time" anyway?.

Probably the same people that, when i tried to get a parking permit to park in my road, the council  "CLAIM", people living on the road voted NOT (I ASK YOU) to be able to park outside their own home. (I didn't get to vote......must have lost the form then ??)

Resulting in traffic wardens ticketing cars every couple of day's if the car had been parked for more than an hour.

When i asked where i should park they told me to park in a "pay and display park" a mile away. Every road in my area was a permit road except mine.

Council's.....Don't you just luv em.    

[Boomy]

Was just reading about a woman on another forum in the US who has been issued 70 speeding tickets in around 5 months lol.

Accidents caused = none though.I guess it was pure luck that there were not 70 road related deaths : p

She kept throwing the tickets away because she assumed nothing would happen if she didn't pay them!.

I don't know how fast she was going though, but she is still alive.

She now faces fines of $11,000.

I don't think you get that for murdering people do you?.

[geelhoed]

The speed limits on roads in the netherlands are dropping as well. 60mph roads are now going down to 50 with two solid lines in the middle: no overtaking. 50mph roads were changed to 37mph and in many towns and vilages the limit is 20. Around cities on motorways its 50mph and the rest of the motorway is 62mph. Rarely you'll find a stretch where you can go the national limit of 75. It's a trend, and I don't think it wll reverse any time soon. Variable speed limits is the answer, just look at the austrians: variable limit up to 100mph! Less accidents, traffic and pollution.