Tuesday 15th May 2012

PH Blog: let's talk about SPECS

Harris ponders how to get along with the ever-present SPECS camera and - almost - finds peace

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The SPECS camera isn't as invasive as its Gatso or Truvelo relatives for two obvious reasons. Its presence, especially on motorways is always clearly marked, and it records time over a specific distance and therefore doesn't pounce with a strobe of instantaneous flash light and send a bolt of fear down your spine. BOOF! I just got done.

SPECS' beady eye is everywhere these days

What currently fascinates with SPECS cameras isn't the number of people who still pile past us at 80mph in a 50mph zone. I discussed them in a previous life, and everyone agreed they have either nicked the car or will get pinched. No, my current obsession involves maximising efficiency through any given SPECS zone. Trouble is, I'm not sure how to get the best from them. I need a SPECS lesson.

For starters, how early do those beady, yellow frowns begin to track your speed? I want to persuade myself that I can get down to 50mph right underneath them, but something about their positioning always spooks me into thinking they've been monitoring me from 400m away. It's un-nerving, so I probably slow too early.

Being in 'the zone' has much in common with being a young Skywalker on final approach to the guts of the Death Star "Red Leader this is Gold Leader" and all that. Close-formation driving, monitoring all vehicle information "Your speeds too high, you're coming in too fast!" subtle alterations to avoid meandering HGVs and of course the most difficult skill - matching your speed against other drivers.

All bets off after dark?

What's the ideal speed? Using the old text book, allowing for speedometer error and some wriggle-room from the authorities, you'd have to say an indicated 54mph is about right. Add another 1mph and you begin to creep away from your tormentor in the A4 TDi Sportline (with privacy glass), but does that 1mph send you into the death zone - "use The Force Luke!" - or are you well within the limit? For that matter, try adding 1mph accurately in a GT2 RS. It isn't easy. If your mons pubis shifts 4mm it can trigger a boost surge that could send you straight to an indicated 65mph - at which point I assume you have to cruise at 20mph for the remainder of 'the zone'. What if you're driving an Italian car? At an indicated 50mph your actual speed could be anything from 35mph to 107mph.

There are so many variables. Are all SPECS zones set to the same tolerances? Do multiple lane changes vex their evil little brains? At night, when you see a camera that doesn't emit that eerie red glow from its lens, does that mean it isn't operational? And if you knew that to be the case, would you have the confidence to use the information in the interests of added velocity?

What I do know is that the simplest solution is to simply set cruise control, should you have it, at 50mph and let the world slide by.

This isn't about speed for speed's sake, it isn't necessarily concerned with arriving at a destination sooner; it's an inquisitive joust at the electronic powers that attempt to contain our behaviours. I don't dislike SPECS cameras, they seem to keep things moving through motorway roadworks.

I just want to know where the line is. As much out of curiosity as anything else.

Chris

Photos: The Highways Agency

[MB 1]

I always enter the SPECS zone at the agreed speed, then use full bore GT3 launch speed, just as you can see the end of the zone. Flloring it from 50 is a nice feeling

This normally sees me going past the last SPECS at well over a ton, and leaves a lot of puzzled looks from other drivers, but i've not been fined yet

And on that note, what's with these fktards who will happily speed in the zone, but have to slam their brakes on when going past the camera. It's not a speed camera FFS!

[MrTickle]

Surely with ACPO guidelines at 10%+2mph giving 57mph in a 50, plus some speedo inaccuracy likely to take that to 59-60, then sticking to 'around' and indicated 55mph will always be safe from a dreaded NIP?

[spiritof'76]

......... and there was thinking you were going to have all the answers

Truth is, i just keep changing lanes after every one as a precaution against error just because some unnamed person told me that's what you have to do

Most likely, that person knows nothing for sure atall and ditto for me, how the hell should i know

[dublet]

Use the satnav Luke! It will give you your actual speed, so you should be safe to do that + 10%. Which means it's probably 60mph on your speedo before you actually reach 50mph.

[Quikcurl]

I quite enjoy the "who dares, wins" aspect of SPECS. Always egging myself on for "just one more mph".

[MrTickle]

dublet said:

Use the satnav Luke! It will give you your actual speed, so you should be safe to do that + 10%. Which means it's probably 60mph on your speedo before you actually reach 50mph.

I think you mean 60mph on your speedo before triggering a 50mpg camera?

you should be doing well over 50 with an indicated 60!

[robinessex]

Drive as fast as you want, when you see a SPECS camera on the horizon, get alongside any convenient HGV, which will screen you from the camera. Accelerate as fast as possible to the next camera. Repeat until out of the danger zone. Alternative. Drive past 1st camera. Stop on hard shoulder for 5 minutes. Then drive flat out through the rest of the speed zone. Simples.

[vinnie83]

My Ex GF... maybe this is one for the stupid things women say thread.

She understood that they measured your average speed.

Although she thought they measured your speed at each camera, and averaged it - so she would speed up, and slow down at the camera!

[Si_man306]

spiritof'76 said:

Truth is, i just keep changing lanes after every one as a precaution against error just because some unnamed person told me that's what you have to do

This was the case when they first emerged as loophole law said that you could not track across lanes. This loophole is now CLOSED and you'll be done whether you change lanes or not. (Google it )

I just cruise control at 50/51 and then launch off at the end in ~3rd! Great feeling of satisfaction and free fuel that you've saved over the past 10 mins

A good friend of mine (lady) did once not realise that they 'worked at night' and did a solid 80 through the whole thing (M25 road works) and never saw anything through the post- so perhaps they aren't on at night? I won't be testing that though thanks!

[martyspain]

I've heard from sources in the force that the 10% + 2mph rule applies with SPECS, so in theory 57mph is safe. I am unwilling to put this to the test by doing 58mph through a roadworks section, however!

I usually use such sections as a way of getting my fuel consumption down, F1 style, by doing an indicated 50mph dead in a high-ish gear, then changing down a few cogs and nailing it the second I pass under the last camera tower to use up all that fuel I just saved. Yes, I am sad.

[myhandle]

I am sure of one thing - driving in the 1990s was a hell of a lot more enjoyable. My Clio Williams 2 seemed so quick everywhere and there were almost no cameras to worry about, just well-displayed Volvo 850s and Senators on motorway bridges.

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

spiritof'76 said:

i just keep changing lanes after every one as a precaution against error just because some unnamed person told me that's what you have to do

That won't keep you safe, I'm afraid.

Firstly, I believe the advice is out-of-date. I was told that when SPECS camera systems first came in, they only did the formal proving for vehicles remaining in the same lane. My suspicion is that they ran out of time and/or money during the proving process. So I believe it was the case that if a car had changed lane between the two paired cameras, a conviction could not be made. That's not because the system couldn't determine your speed - just that it hadn't been formally proved.

However, I've been told that loophole no longer exists. The formal testing has now been done.

But... the advice to keep changing lanes was never particularly useful anyway. The problem is that in a long SPECS zone with multiple cameras, you don't know which cameras are paired with which: the pairs could be overlapped. In other words, the second camera isn't necessarily paired with the first one: the first could be paired with the third, and the second paired with the fourth. So changing lanes and then changing back again puts you back in the same lane for the third camera, and bam!

[Zumbruk]

MB 1 said:

And on that note, what's with these fktards who will happily speed in the zone, but have to slam their brakes on when going past the camera. It's not a speed camera FFS!

I think you already answered your own question; fktards.

[jonby]

I have a pogo gps speed camera unit

through specs areas, it shows your average speed between each camera as well as the speed limit and your current speed

I get great satisfaction, if I've been slowed down by cars in front, to then speed up, over the limit, keeping an eye on my average, maximising my possible speed without triggering the camera. The GPS unit resets average speed at each camera point and actually shows the camera number e.g. 4th of 6, so if you miss a camera through being distracted or blocked from view by na HGV, you can still see the data

Childish but fun

[Pozzy]

I think the worst thing about the motorway ones is that they are there to "Protect the workforce in the road" and yet there are never. any. people. working, even at 9.30 on a Monday morning.

I wouldn't mind if there were actually human beings milling around fixing bridges or paving extra lanes, but there's always sweet fk all going on in the 15 miles of boredom that these roadworks are.

[Dave Hedgehog]

i always spec cruise because of specs

[Deva Link]

MrTickle said:

Surely with ACPO guidelines at 10%+2mph giving 57mph in a 50, plus some speedo inaccuracy likely to take that to 59-60, then sticking to 'around' and indicated 55mph will always be safe from a dreaded NIP?

That's my thinking, and the trucks seem, if they're not held up, to still drive on their 56MPH limiter anyway.

[0000]

Indicated 60mph or so is fine.

Ford speedo though so YMMV!

[Dragoco]

I keep seeing signs for "Average Speed Cameras" - What does this mean? Are they not particularly good ones?

[Kenzle]

Si_man306 said:

A good friend of mine (lady) did once not realise that they 'worked at night' and did a solid 80 through the whole thing (M25 road works) and never saw anything through the post- so perhaps they aren't on at night? I won't be testing that though thanks!

Has anyone on here actually been sent a NIP for speeding through a SPECS? I have yet to hear of a single case of anyone ever being caught by these things.