Who commutes through Average-Speed cameras on A40 or A406 ?
Discussion
The average-speed cameras on the A40 and the A406 have been active for a long time now (A40 over a year) so I'd like to ask those who commute on these routes what observations have you made?
Do you think standards of driving are better (safer) or worse (less safe)?
Have you or anyone you know been done for speeding due to the cameras?
Do you use any devices because of the average-speed cameras (cruise control, speed limiter, trip computer, app, etc)
Any other observations (better/worse mpg, longer/shorter journey times, using different routes etc)?
Also, At the start of the A406 going North there is a camera just after leaving Hanger Lane in the 50mph limit but the next camera seems to be quite some distance into the 40mph limit. What limit is that section prosecuted at, are they planning another camera, or have I missed one?
Do you think standards of driving are better (safer) or worse (less safe)?
Have you or anyone you know been done for speeding due to the cameras?
Do you use any devices because of the average-speed cameras (cruise control, speed limiter, trip computer, app, etc)
Any other observations (better/worse mpg, longer/shorter journey times, using different routes etc)?
Also, At the start of the A406 going North there is a camera just after leaving Hanger Lane in the 50mph limit but the next camera seems to be quite some distance into the 40mph limit. What limit is that section prosecuted at, are they planning another camera, or have I missed one?
Dave Finney said:
The average-speed cameras on the A40 and the A406 have been active for a long time now (A40 over a year) so I'd like to ask those who commute on these routes what observations have you made?
Do you think standards of driving are better (safer) or worse (less safe)?
Have you or anyone you know been done for speeding due to the cameras?
Do you use any devices because of the average-speed cameras (cruise control, speed limiter, trip computer, app, etc)
Any other observations (better/worse mpg, longer/shorter journey times, using different routes etc)?
Also, At the start of the A406 going North there is a camera just after leaving Hanger Lane in the 50mph limit but the next camera seems to be quite some distance into the 40mph limit. What limit is that section prosecuted at, are they planning another camera, or have I missed one?
I use the A40 a lot at the moment and can't say things are any better or worse for the cameras. To be honest most of the time I don't have the option to break the speed limit. Instead of spending more and or more money on speed enforcement the authorities would be far better looking at getting things moving rather than slowing things down, but while we have a tinpot government whose road transport policy is largely dictated by lunatic road safety groups with unrealistic and blinkered expectations things are going to get a lot worse.Do you think standards of driving are better (safer) or worse (less safe)?
Have you or anyone you know been done for speeding due to the cameras?
Do you use any devices because of the average-speed cameras (cruise control, speed limiter, trip computer, app, etc)
Any other observations (better/worse mpg, longer/shorter journey times, using different routes etc)?
Also, At the start of the A406 going North there is a camera just after leaving Hanger Lane in the 50mph limit but the next camera seems to be quite some distance into the 40mph limit. What limit is that section prosecuted at, are they planning another camera, or have I missed one?
With a bit of luck the increasing lack of ability of people to go about their business combined with Brexit will finally finish us off, like shooting an ailing horse.
I'm not a daily commuter, but I frequently go into London late at night (11 pm) and tend to come out again in the late evening ( 8 pm).
On the evening (or occasional day time) run, I barely notice a difference. I'm happy if I'm doing 30, 40 is generally unachievable. So when the road is busiest, imo, it makes sod all difference.
At night it is a pain, cruise on, zone out, crawl along an empty 3 lane road at 40. One day I will truly stuff the car because I have gone to sleep.
The other big difference is when it is busy but flowing. Simple scenario - you're tooling along at a GPS 40, 43 on the speedo. Bloke in front has gone to sleep, and has dropped to 35. You overtake, but the asleep bloke wakes up because a car is going past, and returns to 40. You're now stuck in the outside lane, either you brake in behind him, or risk accelerating past. Of course that is when someone with a force field around them shows up on your arse at 60.
It hasn't stopped the "fast and furious" mob who do it at 100+ - saw them on Friday night. Presumably their plates aren't on the DVLA computer.
The ones I don't get are the vans doing it at 60. Either they know something we don't, or there are a lot of stolen vans out there.
Most dangerous thing? On the 2 lane section of the flyover, heading west. You're overtaking a stream of 35 mph prawns in the inside lane. You're doing GPS 40, and you get some prick hanging off your bumper because he wants to do 60. You're quite legitimately in the outside lane as you're overtaking traffic as far as the eye can see. That will cause an accident soon enough.
On the evening (or occasional day time) run, I barely notice a difference. I'm happy if I'm doing 30, 40 is generally unachievable. So when the road is busiest, imo, it makes sod all difference.
At night it is a pain, cruise on, zone out, crawl along an empty 3 lane road at 40. One day I will truly stuff the car because I have gone to sleep.
The other big difference is when it is busy but flowing. Simple scenario - you're tooling along at a GPS 40, 43 on the speedo. Bloke in front has gone to sleep, and has dropped to 35. You overtake, but the asleep bloke wakes up because a car is going past, and returns to 40. You're now stuck in the outside lane, either you brake in behind him, or risk accelerating past. Of course that is when someone with a force field around them shows up on your arse at 60.
It hasn't stopped the "fast and furious" mob who do it at 100+ - saw them on Friday night. Presumably their plates aren't on the DVLA computer.
The ones I don't get are the vans doing it at 60. Either they know something we don't, or there are a lot of stolen vans out there.
Most dangerous thing? On the 2 lane section of the flyover, heading west. You're overtaking a stream of 35 mph prawns in the inside lane. You're doing GPS 40, and you get some prick hanging off your bumper because he wants to do 60. You're quite legitimately in the outside lane as you're overtaking traffic as far as the eye can see. That will cause an accident soon enough.
I use this road regularly. I think the flow of traffic has got a little more ordered on the commute I take -- most people drift along at the speed limit, and it's all a bit slow-motion in terms of the way traffic passes and shakes itself out. Mostly it's like watching treacle flowing down a pipe. Fine if you just sit in the treacle. Impossible to go faster. Pretty much inconsiderate to go slower. I stick the cruise control on and potter along in the enforced section.
It's a bit odd around the junctions -- some people are clearly not yet under enforcement and can go as fast as they like (for example if you join at Concorde, you aren't enforced until Perivale). The danger / annoyance on the road remains people cutting in at the last minute for junctions -- particularly those where queues develop such as hanger lane, target roundabout. Speed cameras don't seem to help with that.
As far as I can tell the enforcement is in single limit sections only -- ie the start and end camera is in the 50 or in the 40. I can't see how they can effectively do 50-40 enforcement without more maths than a magistrate would like. This seems to be supported by the double cameras at the limit change in Perivale.
It's a bit odd around the junctions -- some people are clearly not yet under enforcement and can go as fast as they like (for example if you join at Concorde, you aren't enforced until Perivale). The danger / annoyance on the road remains people cutting in at the last minute for junctions -- particularly those where queues develop such as hanger lane, target roundabout. Speed cameras don't seem to help with that.
As far as I can tell the enforcement is in single limit sections only -- ie the start and end camera is in the 50 or in the 40. I can't see how they can effectively do 50-40 enforcement without more maths than a magistrate would like. This seems to be supported by the double cameras at the limit change in Perivale.
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