Caught by smart gantry camera only just switched on.

[BigBazza]

Hi,

Just after some advice. I was travelling on the M1 in South Yorks last week, doing about 70 + 10% but certainly not flying, motorway was VERY quiet.

As I was approaching the smart gantry, it flashed up "50" across all 3 lanes so I braked but didn't STAND on the brakes so as not to cause issues behind and I went under the gantry above 50mph as did the cars all around me, the gantry cameras flashed.

I've had a ticket through the post asking me to identify driver etc stating 68mph was the speed.

Not sure if i'll be offered a course at that speed or just have to take the points but my question is..... should there not be a "grace" period between the gantry lighting up people actually being done for speeding? 20mph drop is quite a bit to wipe off your speed in such a short time/distance. Is there a defence there?

Cheers

[98elise]

There is, it's 60 seconds IIRC.

[HantsRat]

There is a grace period. Did you see the signs go from nothing to 50? How long was the time between the 50 lighting up and the camera flash?

[BigBazza]

OK thanks, it was definitely not 60 seconds so I may ask them for details of that.

[BigBazza]

HantsRat said:

There is a grace period. Did you see the signs go from nothing to 50? How long was the time between the 50 lighting up and the camera flash?

Yes, saw the signs light up and it was 10-15seconds

[HantsRat]

I think the grace period is 10 seconds which may explain the NIP. Count 10 seconds out loud, I would say that's perfectly adequate time to slow to the speed limit.

[Sheepshanks]

It is 60 seconds - although the cameras do still flash, which causes much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

As you got a ticket I suppose it's possible it messed up. At 68 you didn't slow much - I brake to what the signs say (ish).

[HantsRat]

This foi post however states the grace period is 60 seconds

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/with_variab...

[BigBazza]

I don't think I had time to get to 50mph from what I was doing, like I say, I didn't want to stand on the brakes hard and assumed there would be a grace period to allow people to slow down.

[RedWhiteMonkey]

As numerous people have pointed out there is a grace period of 60 seconds. You’d best get your brakes checked if you couldn’t manage to get down from 70 to 50 in less than a minute.

[SS2.]

The period of 'grace' is 10 seconds. Beyond that and you're fair game.

[RedWhiteMonkey]

SS2. said:

The period of 'grace' is 10 seconds. Beyond that and you're fair game.

It's 60 seconds - https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/with_variab...

[SS2.]

RedWhiteMonkey said:

SS2. said:

The period of 'grace' is 10 seconds. Beyond that and you're fair game.

It's 60 seconds - https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/with_variab...

You need to read the relevant legislation - it's 10 seconds.

Whether they choose to enforce between 11 and 60 seconds is a matter of local policy, not regulation.

[SonicShadow]

BigBazza said:

I don't think I had time to get to 50mph from what I was doing, like I say, I didn't want to stand on the brakes hard and assumed there would be a grace period to allow people to slow down.

How fast were you going then? A fair bit faster than 70mph I assume, seeing as you applied some amount of brake and still got pinged for 68mph...

[chris4652009]

SS2. said:

You need to read the relevant legislation - it's 10 seconds.

Whether they choose to enforce between 11 and 60 seconds is a matter of local policy, not regulation.

Yep

[Graveworm]

SS2. said:

The period of 'grace' is 10 seconds. Beyond that and you're fair game.

10 seconds a good car can comfortably lose 220mph. So 20 should not be an issue.

[Sheepshanks]

SS2. said:

You need to read the relevant legislation - it's 10 seconds.

Whether they choose to enforce between 11 and 60 seconds is a matter of local policy, not regulation.

That makes more sense - I Googled it and answers are all over the place, some saying it depends on which motorway, but generally stating times of between 10 seconds and 1 minute. An article on the M25 says 2 mins, another on the newer Hadecs cameras says it's 60 seconds.

Apart from the FOI answer posted above, I found a Highways Agency page that says 60 seconds, but it's an archive page.


I must admit I'll be surprised if it is a minute - that why, as I stated in an earlier post, I always brake to the limits when they change.

The picture they take has the time since last limit change, so there should be no problem if it has been issued incorrectly.

[SS2.]

There's separate regulations for each variable limit but they all say the same thing - example here.

[RedWhiteMonkey]

Sheepshanks said:

I must admit I'll be surprised if it is a minute.

I think a minute would make sense. It removes all possibility of people claiming "it just changed.... it was dangerous to react......etc".

[BigBazza]

OK thanks all. I was probably doing close to 80mph and like I said, I COULD have braked to 50mph but it wouldn't have been pretty for those around me. Surely you understand that??

I'll send the NIP form off and see what they say.