Driving in the UK - speed cameras
Discussion
I am new to driving in the UK. Driving around the M25 at a GPS-verified 70mph, I am a complete obstruction as everyone goes around me, even trucks! This includes areas where there are constantly speed camera signs.
So what am I missing? Are there indeed no actual speed cameras but just signs?
So what am I missing? Are there indeed no actual speed cameras but just signs?
By trucks, do you mean vans? It's highly unlikely that you're being passed by trucks at 70mph.
There certainly are camera's but not on every gantry although a lot of people use the 10% + 1 rule (which is applied by the authorities generally) so in theory you could risk up to 78mph before worrying. It's totally up to you though.
Are you sure you're not doing 70kms (43mph)?
There certainly are camera's but not on every gantry although a lot of people use the 10% + 1 rule (which is applied by the authorities generally) so in theory you could risk up to 78mph before worrying. It's totally up to you though.
Are you sure you're not doing 70kms (43mph)?
Edited by eybic on Friday 16th February 12:18
eybic said:
By trucks, do you mean vans? It's highly unlikely that you're being passed by trucks at 70mph.
There certainly are camera's but not on every gantry although a lot of people use the 10% + 1 rule (which is applied by the authorities generally) so in theory you could risk up to 78mph before worrying. It's totally up to you though.
Are you sure you're not doing 70kms (43mph)?
I understand the 10% + 1 (or 2) rule as far as mobile cameras, patrol cars etc are concerned, but do fixed cameras have the same allowance?There certainly are camera's but not on every gantry although a lot of people use the 10% + 1 rule (which is applied by the authorities generally) so in theory you could risk up to 78mph before worrying. It's totally up to you though.
Are you sure you're not doing 70kms (43mph)?
Edited by eybic on Friday 16th February 12:18
klan8456 said:
I am new to driving in the UK. Driving around the M25 at a GPS-verified 70mph, I am a complete obstruction as everyone goes around me, even trucks! This includes areas where there are constantly speed camera signs.
So what am I missing? Are there indeed no actual speed cameras but just signs?
There are cameras on around 50% of the overhead gantries; you can usually see the back of them as you approach as the squarish outline of the grey box should be visible even though they are the same colour as the signs. Typically they are only active when reduced limits are in effect (i.e. displayed on the dot matrix boards on the gantries). So what am I missing? Are there indeed no actual speed cameras but just signs?
Additionally there are H3 cameras dotted around the M25; these are active 100% of the time (2 or 3x small yellow cameras attached to the side of some gantries); they enforce the limit to the usual tolerance AFAIK. I've gone through the H3 cameras doing 80 and nothing has come of it, but I usually do ease off to 70 to pass them 99% of the time as friends and colleagues have been done by them doing 80+
parabolica said:
There are cameras on around 50% of the overhead gantries; you can usually see the back of them as you approach as the squarish outline of the grey box should be visible even though they are the same colour as the signs. Typically they are only active when reduced limits are in effect (i.e. displayed on the dot matrix boards on the gantries).
Additionally there are H3 cameras dotted around the M25; these are active 100% of the time (2 or 3x small yellow cameras attached to the side of some gantries); they enforce the limit to the usual tolerance AFAIK. I've gone through the H3 cameras doing 80 and nothing has come of it, but I usually do ease off to 70 to pass them 99% of the time as friends and colleagues have been done by them doing 80+
The old overhead gantry cameras are now switched off, so there's no need to worry about those.Additionally there are H3 cameras dotted around the M25; these are active 100% of the time (2 or 3x small yellow cameras attached to the side of some gantries); they enforce the limit to the usual tolerance AFAIK. I've gone through the H3 cameras doing 80 and nothing has come of it, but I usually do ease off to 70 to pass them 99% of the time as friends and colleagues have been done by them doing 80+
HADECS3 cameras are not all live all the time either. The ones around the M25 are not set to enforce a few MPH over 10%+2, unless a VSL is in place, so please tell us where and how these friends of yours were done.
FurtiveFreddy said:
The old overhead gantry cameras are now switched off, so there's no need to worry about those.
HADECS3 cameras are not all live all the time either. The ones around the M25 are not set to enforce a few MPH over 10%+2, unless a VSL is in place, so please tell us where and how these friends of yours were done.
Yep... I cruised round the Southern M25 from J11 to the A12 junction last weekend at 85-90 when the temps weren't on. Nothing flashed. No NIP's arrived.HADECS3 cameras are not all live all the time either. The ones around the M25 are not set to enforce a few MPH over 10%+2, unless a VSL is in place, so please tell us where and how these friends of yours were done.
I observed the 50 average limit at the Dartford crossing, and within 10mph when the temps are lit up, but don't believe the HADECs do anything below 100 when there's no temporary limit.
Never seen anyone product a ticket for this.
Colleague was done for 85 at Clackett Lane 2 years ago - we all saw the NIP as he opened it at work. Family friend claimed to get a NIP through the ones at Cobham services not long ago although we never saw the paperwork so god knows; he does like to be dramatic.
SAC instructors a year ago said the overheads were still in action but only when the reduced limit is in effect - any links to them being switched off? It’s been a while since I saw it happen but I still see them flash every now and then.
SAC instructors a year ago said the overheads were still in action but only when the reduced limit is in effect - any links to them being switched off? It’s been a while since I saw it happen but I still see them flash every now and then.
parabolica said:
Colleague was done for 85 at Clackett Lane 2 years ago - we all saw the NIP as he opened it at work. Family friend claimed to get a NIP through the ones at Cobham services not long ago although we never saw the paperwork so god knows; he does like to be dramatic.
SAC instructors a year ago said the overheads were still in action but only when the reduced limit is in effect - any links to them being switched off? It’s been a while since I saw it happen but I still see them flash every now and then.
People like to distort the truth, especially those connected with enforcement.SAC instructors a year ago said the overheads were still in action but only when the reduced limit is in effect - any links to them being switched off? It’s been a while since I saw it happen but I still see them flash every now and then.
85 at Clackett lane when the limit was 70? Are you sure there wasn't a temporary limit?
Lots of drivers swear blind they hadn't seen a temporary limit in place when the NIP drops through the letter box...
The old HADECS units in the overhead gantries used quite powerful radar units to measure the speed, so a half decent radar detector would alert you to the gantries which actually had a working camera installed in them.
I regularly travel on the M25 from the M4 to M2 and none of those gantries have woken up my detector for the last couple of years at least, regardless of the limit in place.
The HADECS3 units use very low power radar, so getting a useful alert from one of those is more challenging, but still possible. It's easier just to remember where they are or look out for the camera-pole which is installed just before them to capture a pic of the limit in effect.
There's also at least two HADECS3 sites which have mysteriously never been turned on in the 2 or 3 years since they were installed.
So, on the whole there's not much to worry about on the M25 as long as you keep your eyes open and are doing not much more than 90mph (with a 70 limit). It's one of the few roads left where it's actually possible to make progress when conditions allow (Christmas holiday period aside).
I regularly travel on the M25 from the M4 to M2 and none of those gantries have woken up my detector for the last couple of years at least, regardless of the limit in place.
The HADECS3 units use very low power radar, so getting a useful alert from one of those is more challenging, but still possible. It's easier just to remember where they are or look out for the camera-pole which is installed just before them to capture a pic of the limit in effect.
There's also at least two HADECS3 sites which have mysteriously never been turned on in the 2 or 3 years since they were installed.
So, on the whole there's not much to worry about on the M25 as long as you keep your eyes open and are doing not much more than 90mph (with a 70 limit). It's one of the few roads left where it's actually possible to make progress when conditions allow (Christmas holiday period aside).
klan8456 said:
I understand the 10% + 1 (or 2) rule as far as mobile cameras, patrol cars etc are concerned, but do fixed cameras have the same allowance?
tldr;) Keep below 80 if there are no temporary restrictions in place and you'll be fine, if there are temporary reduced limits stick to those even if itsnot obvious why.Chris Stott said:
, but don't believe the HADECs do anything below 100 when there's no temporary limit.
Never seen anyone product a ticket for this.
Well I wouldn't rely on that. Certainly the hadecs on the m1 double flash at way less than 100. Seen them go off as people have passed me going a bit faster than my gps 78. Probably about 85.Never seen anyone product a ticket for this.
M25 might be different, but not sure you'd rely on it.
Bert
BertBert said:
Chris Stott said:
, but don't believe the HADECs do anything below 100 when there's no temporary limit.
Never seen anyone product a ticket for this.
Well I wouldn't rely on that. Certainly the hadecs on the m1 double flash at way less than 100. Seen them go off as people have passed me going a bit faster than my gps 78. Probably about 85.Never seen anyone product a ticket for this.
M25 might be different, but not sure you'd rely on it.
Bert
Chris Stott said:
I’ve been up the M1 twice this week - Nottingham and Milton Keynes. 85 doesn’t set anything off.
I was heading northbound through the new four lane section of the M1 in Northamptonshire two weeks ago at @ 11.30pm, with 77mph showing on both My speedometer and sat-nav, and got a double flash from one of the cameras.My car was the only one in the vicinity at the time, so I know it was definitely Me who triggered the flash, and reading through this thread: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... , it seems I'm not the only one who has triggered the cameras in that section to flash at speeds below 85mph.
I suspect the camera was set to flash as a warning to drivers going over the speed limit, so I'm not expecting anything to turn up in the post,
Just because the camera didn't do anything when you went through over the speed limit, doesn't mean they never do anything!
Chris Stott said:
Yep... I cruised round the Southern M25 from J11 to the A12 junction last weekend at 85-90 when the temps weren't on. Nothing flashed. No NIP's arrived.
I observed the 50 average limit at the Dartford crossing, and within 10mph when the temps are lit up, but don't believe the HADECs do anything below 100 when there's no temporary limit.
Never seen anyone product a ticket for this.
I have a colleague who can confirm they definitely work at 102!I observed the 50 average limit at the Dartford crossing, and within 10mph when the temps are lit up, but don't believe the HADECs do anything below 100 when there's no temporary limit.
Never seen anyone product a ticket for this.
The variable cameras seem to be increasingly used all the time in other places though so going through them at speeds over the normal margins is asking for trouble.
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