M6 Toll & Police Speed Checks
Discussion
Had a little trip up to Stafford the other day and on the way up, about a mile before the exit toll was a Policeman side on the motorway checking speeeds as cars come over a small rise.
On the way back, on the toll road again was one car up on the bridge "sniping" with a laser while THREE(!) marked cars were on the hard shoulder.
Whats the deal with this eh? Are they trying to catch their own Chief Constable or is the regular M6 too clogged up to get any nicks on?
While I understand that people may be tempted to go faster on such a lightly used road, surely by the same argument, the lack of traffic would make the road safer?
I can't believe there aren't better places for TrafPol to be........
>>> Edited by iTT on Wednesday 19th January 13:34
On the way back, on the toll road again was one car up on the bridge "sniping" with a laser while THREE(!) marked cars were on the hard shoulder.
Whats the deal with this eh? Are they trying to catch their own Chief Constable or is the regular M6 too clogged up to get any nicks on?
While I understand that people may be tempted to go faster on such a lightly used road, surely by the same argument, the lack of traffic would make the road safer?
I can't believe there aren't better places for TrafPol to be........
>>> Edited by iTT on Wednesday 19th January 13:34
Maybe it is to do with the recent publicity the M6 Toll recently attracted.
Auto Express found that, shock horror, because the M6 toll was fairly empty alot of people were doing 90MPH plus on it.
The Police have obviously decided they must be shown to be doing something about these evil doers who are endangering children for miles around by travelling at 95 MPH on a deserted motorway.
Auto Express found that, shock horror, because the M6 toll was fairly empty alot of people were doing 90MPH plus on it.
The Police have obviously decided they must be shown to be doing something about these evil doers who are endangering children for miles around by travelling at 95 MPH on a deserted motorway.
Perhaps also, they need to have a reasonable presence to scare punters into keeping their speed down. I agree that the Police really ought to concentrate their duties on busy roads where they could probably spot a bad driver/someone driving holding a phone/tailgating etc. etc. every few minutes. I guess they have to split their work into say 50% motorway policing, 20% playing with the hairdryer, 30% paperwork or something like that.
Maybe a BiB can give us an idea how much of their shift is spent doing what and whether there are any rules in their force about this?
Maybe a BiB can give us an idea how much of their shift is spent doing what and whether there are any rules in their force about this?
I've only been on the M6 Toll once and it was a great experience. Fairly empty, lovely smooth tarmac-but I didn't do 100 mph plus, it's not worth the risk of being caught in my opinion.
If they built more toll motorways like that I would be happy to use them and pay the toll. after all you are saving some money on petrol because you are cruising and it is so much less stressful driving on a clear motorway.
If they built more toll motorways like that I would be happy to use them and pay the toll. after all you are saving some money on petrol because you are cruising and it is so much less stressful driving on a clear motorway.
Don said:
I've been on the M6 toll where cruising speed was well in excess of 1XX mph. No traffic at all.
Have there been any accidents on it, yet?
Fantastic road. Albeit with LUDICROUS limits around the toll booths...
Used the M6 toll in both directions on Monday and agree that the toll plaza limits are set way too far back from the booths themselves.
However, coming back south there were a lot of plod and ambulances at the toll plaza northbound where a MkIII Escrot had ploughed into the back of a car whose driver was sat at the toll booth paying his £3.
The speed limit on the approach to the plaza is 30. Reckon by the state of the Escrot, he was doing a wee bit in excess of that. Numpty
SotonS2 said:
I've been on the M6 toll where cruising speed was well in excess of 1XX mph. No traffic at all.
Have there been any accidents on it, yet?
Fantastic road. Albeit with LUDICROUS limits around the toll booths...
Used the M6 toll in both directions on Monday and agree that the toll plaza limits are set way too far back from the booths themselves.
However, coming back south there were a lot of plod and ambulances at the toll plaza northbound where a MkIII Escrot had ploughed into the back of a car whose driver was sat at the toll booth paying his £3.
The speed limit on the approach to the plaza is 30. Reckon by the state of the Escrot, he was doing a wee bit in excess of that. Numpty
Indeed yes. There's nothing wrong with a limit of 30mph through the toll-booths. Frankly it could be made 10mph! The only problem is the incredible distance these are away from the booths...and even worse on the exit....
Most people I see there accelerate away from the booths, get ten to twenty yards away and then smartly build up to motorway cruising speed. Which means most of them are doing 70 - 80mph IN A 30!
That's a year long ban that is. For doing something perfectly reasonable.
Don said:
Indeed yes. There's nothing wrong with a limit of 30mph through the toll-booths. Frankly it could be made 10mph! The only problem is the incredible distance these are away from the booths...and even worse on the exit....
Maybe the engineers who designed the road presumed rather more cars would use the toll road than actually do....
Surely it would never be a deliberate ploy to snare speeding criminals ?? ;D
Yep, done that myself before my g-f reminded me of the limit. OK, my fault, but at the Dartford Crossing (which I've done probably > 100 times) the limit is 50 all the way across, which is a lot more reasonable...and it then changes to NSL within < 1 mile. So TBH I didn't even think about it.
It's in response to a lot of adverse publicity where "do gooders" were claiming that the road was unpoliced due to it being privately owned and consequently drivers were regularly travelling at three figure speeds.
I recently got a flash of a "Police" sign from an unmarked car when travelling at 85 to 90 mph.
It's so empty reminds me of the M40 when that first opened
I recently got a flash of a "Police" sign from an unmarked car when travelling at 85 to 90 mph.
It's so empty reminds me of the M40 when that first opened
Don said:
Fantastic road. Albeit with LUDICROUS limits around the toll booths...
Absolutely - it feels as though the 30 limit starts about a mile out!
I had a narrow escape heading north on it - just got on there and adjusted spee up a bit according to the lack of traffic. Came round a bend under one of the bridges and there's a BiB pointing a radar gun in my general direction. I thin he must've been zapping the car 100m in front of me and I'd stamped on the breaks enough by the time I was in his focus.
Absolutely pointless and quite possibly dangerous causing me to panic break like that when travelling at a safe speed for the conditions...
iTT said:
While I understand that people may be tempted to go faster on such a lightly used road, surely by the same argument, the lack of traffic would make the road safer?
I can't believe there aren't better places for TrafPol to be........
Eh? That's exactly the type of road where you find speed traps - Open fast roads which "encourage" fast speeds relatively to the speed limit (which is sometimes right and sometimes wrong).
cooperman said:
By the way, what are the accident statistics for KSI on the M6 Toll to justify scameras under the Home Office guidelines?
You don't need any KSI to have speed traps under home guideines.
1) Police can speed trap anywhere they choose - not covered by guidelines
2) Guidelines only have to apply to 85% of locations
3) Guidelines are well guidelines - might as well be wiping your a**e on them.
Its all spin
And for those that have used and love its free flowing, well maintained nature - I trust you won't be winging when first all motorways are tolled and then every mile you travel on any roll is tolled.
That's what the financial sucess of the road will lead to.
>> Edited by bluepolarbear on Wednesday 19th January 20:49
bluepolarbear said:
That's what the financial sucess of the road will lead to.
£900 million to build.
47,000 cars per day (it was designed for 180,000-200,000)
Assume an average of £3 per vehicle which takes into account both the very rare lorries plus the cheaper night time rates.
At those figures, 17.5 years for the road to pay for itself.
Factor in interest on loans, maintenance, administration costs etc etc and the 17.5 year figure will probably extend to what 25, 30, 35 years ? Maybe much more.
Simplistic figures, admittedly, but what sort of time span until financial break even point is achieved is considered successful these days ?
>> Edited by sotonS2 on Wednesday 19th January 21:42
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