Discussion
Just returned from Wales (M25 onwards) travelling the full length of the M4.
A sedate pace was maintained throughout & I have to report only seeing a couple of Gatsos on some Wiltshire roadworks, but no sign of the dreaded forest of M4 speed cameras I was expecting........am I blind? Are they extremely well hidden? Was I glued to my speedo hence not noticing them?
Not one camera van spotted on the whole journey either......not EVEN in Wales !!.....what's going on? :yikes:
Oh, and why oh why do (some) drivers in the middle lane not anticipate (even when I'm indicating) that I might want to pull into lane 2 to do an overtake when lane 3 is cpmpletely CLEAR !!! :rolleyes:
Shockingly I arrived alive despite seeing 10% plus 2 over the limit on the speedo at one point
:silly:
A sedate pace was maintained throughout & I have to report only seeing a couple of Gatsos on some Wiltshire roadworks, but no sign of the dreaded forest of M4 speed cameras I was expecting........am I blind? Are they extremely well hidden? Was I glued to my speedo hence not noticing them?
Not one camera van spotted on the whole journey either......not EVEN in Wales !!.....what's going on? :yikes:
Oh, and why oh why do (some) drivers in the middle lane not anticipate (even when I'm indicating) that I might want to pull into lane 2 to do an overtake when lane 3 is cpmpletely CLEAR !!! :rolleyes:
Shockingly I arrived alive despite seeing 10% plus 2 over the limit on the speedo at one point
:silly:
yoda954 said:
Just returned from Wales (M25 onwards) travelling the full length of the M4.
A sedate pace was maintained throughout & I have to report only seeing a couple of Gatsos on some Wiltshire roadworks, but no sign of the dreaded forest of M4 speed cameras I was expecting........am I blind? Are they extremely well hidden? Was I glued to my speedo hence not noticing them?
Not one camera van spotted on the whole journey either......not EVEN in Wales !!.....what's going on?
Oh, and why oh why do (some) drivers in the middle lane not anticipate (even when I'm indicating) that I might want to pull into lane 2 to do an overtake when lane 3 is cpmpletely CLEAR !!!
Shockingly I arrived alive despite seeing 10% plus 2 over the limit on the speedo at one point
Good news - you're not blind.
I travel between Brighton and South Wales quite regularly, and the myth that Wales is full of scameras is just that in my experience, a myth (I'm just speaking about South Wales here, no experience of north Wales). The only place you're likely to see scameras on the M4 in Wales is on a bridge about 1/2 a mile to the east of J35, although I haven't seen a camera there for a few years now.
As for the infamous M4 cameras in Wilshire, I believe these are mobile units rather than Gatso's, but I've never seen them on any of my journeys, although there are some Gatso's in the roadworks, as you pointed out.
However, there is an unmarked metallic grey vectra patrolling the Thames Valley region of the M4 that I managed to get nabbed by recently (www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=196222&f=10&h=0), so beware of that!
Ah yes, I did see that in your reply but thought you meant not for a few years? They have started to get sneaky there as well in placing the van further to one side or the other trying to get you earlier than you expect if you were expecting them if that makes any sense?
I often see them on the one between Llantrisant and Cardiff west as well.
I often see them on the one between Llantrisant and Cardiff west as well.
jmorgan said:
Ah yes, I did see that in your reply but thought you meant not for a few years? They have started to get sneaky there as well in placing the van further to one side or the other trying to get you earlier than you expect if you were expecting them if that makes any sense?
I often see them on the one between Llantrisant and Cardiff west as well.
I haven't personally seen them on the bridge near J35 for a few years, but I understand it's still used as a scamming site. Never seen any between Llantrisant and Cardiff West, but I shall keep my eyes peeled from now on!
Although from North Wales, I competed last Saturday on the Swansea Bay Rally in the forests around Resolven, Hirwaun and Rhondda. There were 6 camera vans abot 20 Gatsos and 2 truvelos in 100 miles.
The vans were quite cleverly concealed.
North Wales is not quite as bad as Rowlings country !
The vans were quite cleverly concealed.
North Wales is not quite as bad as Rowlings country !
Scamera vans quite often on the Severn bridge as well.
I, too, have yet to see a scamera in Wilts on the M4, but have seen quite a few trafpol with hairdryers along that stretch of late.
Last week, on a late night dash back to Bristol, discovered a batch of trafpol parked on a bridge over the M4 between Bath and Bristol. Hopefully they weren't speed checking (was quite late and very dark so didn't spot them until the last minute
)
I, too, have yet to see a scamera in Wilts on the M4, but have seen quite a few trafpol with hairdryers along that stretch of late.
Last week, on a late night dash back to Bristol, discovered a batch of trafpol parked on a bridge over the M4 between Bath and Bristol. Hopefully they weren't speed checking (was quite late and very dark so didn't spot them until the last minute
)The J35 (Pencoed) scammer was there yesterday looking east at rush hour (getting all the BridgendSwansea to Cardiff commuters on their way home).
This is the first time I had seen it mid week (8-9am or 5-6pm) for some time. It is usually there at some point over the weekend
BTW For all of those poor sods stuck on motorways where rush hour means 5mph average the m4 after efore (depending on direction) J32 it is easy to exceed 70 (in perfect safety) on most days during rush hour.
But apart from the gatso's around Port Talbot (they must be empty, if you get caught by them you deserve it) and the scammers around the bridge I think they are fairly scarse (but still not welcome!)
Cheers
Paul
This is the first time I had seen it mid week (8-9am or 5-6pm) for some time. It is usually there at some point over the weekend
BTW For all of those poor sods stuck on motorways where rush hour means 5mph average the m4 after efore (depending on direction) J32 it is easy to exceed 70 (in perfect safety) on most days during rush hour.
But apart from the gatso's around Port Talbot (they must be empty, if you get caught by them you deserve it) and the scammers around the bridge I think they are fairly scarse (but still not welcome!)
Cheers
Paul
hustlebabe said:
Week last Sunday J15-J16 police patrol car parked on 'police only' slip westbound with hand-held
So..beware folks!
Seconded... they were there last Friday too.
The mobile scam vans are still on the bridges too, easily identified via lots of bright red lights and slowing traffic! Seems like their goal is to actually create more accident hotspots... so as to justify their parasitic existence!
The weaving from lane to lane etc is nuts. I used to drive up the slip road in me Sprinter and there was no way I could break 70 until well past the bridge. Soooo in the winter you could spy the van, get into the outside and sail past everyone diving for the inside and on the anchors, and they would flash you to warn you
Yeah, yesterday - I sailed past everyone in the outside lane doing an indicated 70 and loads of people were pointing at the bridge and doing the "slow down" wave.
They'd all passed me before the westbound entrance ramp - and this is happening when the vans aren't there! oh yes all in the name of safety. Fools.
They'd all passed me before the westbound entrance ramp - and this is happening when the vans aren't there! oh yes all in the name of safety. Fools.
The M4 in South Wales DOES have fixed gatsos in the 50 zones (around newport I think? When you're on a big flyover?)
Does anyone know if they have them on the M48 i.e. the OLD severn bridge?
Most of the M4 in Wales is two lanes and rather bendy so doing much over 70 is pointless (and if you're going too fast you're missing the views!)
Russell
Does anyone know if they have them on the M48 i.e. the OLD severn bridge?
Most of the M4 in Wales is two lanes and rather bendy so doing much over 70 is pointless (and if you're going too fast you're missing the views!)
Russell
pentoman said:
The M4 in South Wales DOES have fixed gatsos in the 50 zones (around newport I think? When you're on a big flyover?)
Does anyone know if they have them on the M48 i.e. the OLD severn bridge?
Most of the M4 in Wales is two lanes and rather bendy so doing much over 70 is pointless (and if you're going too fast you're missing the views!)
Russell
Port Talbot for the fixed gatso's and guaranteed traffic jams in the rush hour as people slow to pass them and it all backs up.
A lot of the M4 is now 3 lanes.
pentoman said:
Most of the M4 in Wales is two lanes and rather bendy so doing much over 70 is pointless (and if you're going too fast you're missing the views!)
I kinda thought the whole idea of a motorway was to get large volumes of traffic from A to B as quickly as possible? Plenty of A/B roads for admiring the views...
Since the Wiltshire M4 camera signs were put up earlier this year, I have not seen one Scamera van.
This morning, there he was, parked on a bridge a mile or so east of J 17 - the bridge barriers nicely obstructing the signage on the van.
Keep your eyes peeled!
>> Edited by chim666 on Thursday 4th August 19:28
This morning, there he was, parked on a bridge a mile or so east of J 17 - the bridge barriers nicely obstructing the signage on the van.
Keep your eyes peeled!
>> Edited by chim666 on Thursday 4th August 19:28
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