RE: Scamera raises £260 an hour
Friday 8th September 2006
Scamera rakes in £260 an hourA row has broken out over the £1 million-plus raised by one motorway roadworks speed camera.
Scamera raises £260 an hour
Row breaks out over speed and safety
Scamera rakes in £260 an hour
The UK's most lucrative scamera, sited on the M5 near Bristol, has extracted more cash from motorists than any other, accoding to information released under the Freedom of Information Act.
According to one report, over 100 motorists were caught by the camera in Bristol every day between junctions 18 and 25, so the scamera raised £260 per hour.
Founder of road safety group Safe Speed Paul Smith said innocent drivers were being targeted. "I'm so angry to hear about this camera raking in so much money for the government, when scientific evidence shows us that fixed cameras like this one can increase accidents by up to 55 per cent."
The local Avon and Somerset Safety Camera Partnership said it was disappointed, but not surprised, that so many people exceeded the 40mph limit.
Related stories
Discussion
What a shock to find this 40mph limit resulted in such a high quantity of fines.
And of course the 40mph limit was needed, as the MASSIVE concrete barrier seperating the workforce from the traffic flow was clearly not enough, and a 50mph limit would have put the workforce in terrible terrible danger.
It's all about the safety folks...
And of course the 40mph limit was needed, as the MASSIVE concrete barrier seperating the workforce from the traffic flow was clearly not enough, and a 50mph limit would have put the workforce in terrible terrible danger.
It's all about the safety folks...
I agree with the comments so far. But I'm also alarmed that there are so many drivers out there who are so unobservant. Everyone must know cameras exist and the effect they have if you get caught speeding by one (whether the limit is appropriate or not). Why were so many people stupid enough to pass at 45+ mph?
Stop feeding the sharks and they will die out.
Stop feeding the sharks and they will die out.
There's a 50mph speed limit on the M1 leading up to J21 at Leicester each way for about 1 mile for no apparent reason other than there are roadworks on the exit roundabout.
As there are no roadworks on the main motorway, almost everbody ignores the speedlimit and it is quite dangerous to acutally travel at 50mph.....no scamera on this stretch yet, but must only be a matter of time.
As there are no roadworks on the main motorway, almost everbody ignores the speedlimit and it is quite dangerous to acutally travel at 50mph.....no scamera on this stretch yet, but must only be a matter of time.
Edited by x332race on Friday 8th September 13:32
Surely a camera which generates so much revenue is actually generating direct evidence of its own failure to meet its objective of making dangerous roads safer by slowing people down? Surely then such an obviously inefficient device should immediately be replaced by something more capable of managing public safety, like, perhaps, a policeman in a patrol car, or at the very least some high visibility warnings of the dangers of speeding through roadworks?
Or is it me that's crazy?
Or is it me that's crazy?
tend to drive at the speed limit, i drive for a living and cant afford to be snapped by a hidden camera only visible to me when i pass it, so i stick the cruise control and ignore the mad muppets doing wild overtaking moves.
was on the m11 southbound where it meets the a406 the other day, one lane blocked off and was in the lane that was open, 7.5 van driver indicates that he wants to move in my space and gets upset that i did not brake and let him in, got followed about as close as possible down towards the a12/blackwall tunnel, dropped to 35 and eventually he got bored only to be snapped by a scamera doing 60 ? in a 50
maybe if a truck hit one of the barriers, would it move onto the people behind it.
but the scamera on the m5 has had lots of free publicity, drive at the speed limit in roadworks or risk a 3 points and £60 fine.... your choice
was on the m11 southbound where it meets the a406 the other day, one lane blocked off and was in the lane that was open, 7.5 van driver indicates that he wants to move in my space and gets upset that i did not brake and let him in, got followed about as close as possible down towards the a12/blackwall tunnel, dropped to 35 and eventually he got bored only to be snapped by a scamera doing 60 ? in a 50
maybe if a truck hit one of the barriers, would it move onto the people behind it.
but the scamera on the m5 has had lots of free publicity, drive at the speed limit in roadworks or risk a 3 points and £60 fine.... your choice
Scraggles said:
but the scamera on the m5 has had lots of free publicity, drive at the speed limit in roadworks or risk a 3 points and £60 fine.... your choice
Surely that statement is true of driving on any road not just in road works? If you exceed any limit you are risking a fine. Yet still the vast majority of drivers choose to break that law every day in complete safety, which screams that the law is a bad one.
Is money the root of all bad laws I wonder?
Besides, it's not always your choice, sometimes you can drive at the limit in roadworks and still get 3 points and £60 fine for speeding, remember S.Wales?
Here's the plan. Buy a cheap, rubbish car and keep it in running condition. That's Phase One.
Then, Phase Two. We need to organise a mass compliance week. For one week, everybody in the UK drives at or below the speed limit, for the whole week.
Phase Three happens on Friday afternoon on compliance week. We all take our cheap cars, and stack them. Crash them into each other, all over the place, at least vaguely trying to make it look accidental. (Obviously, don't make any insurance claims!)
Phase Four is reading the papers for the next week and trying to see the SCPs and their hangers-on try and explain how the lowest recorded incidence of speeding for years coincides with the highest reported accident rate...
Then, Phase Two. We need to organise a mass compliance week. For one week, everybody in the UK drives at or below the speed limit, for the whole week.
Phase Three happens on Friday afternoon on compliance week. We all take our cheap cars, and stack them. Crash them into each other, all over the place, at least vaguely trying to make it look accidental. (Obviously, don't make any insurance claims!)
Phase Four is reading the papers for the next week and trying to see the SCPs and their hangers-on try and explain how the lowest recorded incidence of speeding for years coincides with the highest reported accident rate...
targarama said:
I agree with the comments so far. But I'm also alarmed that there are so many drivers out there who are so unobservant. Everyone must know cameras exist and the effect they have if you get caught speeding by one (whether the limit is appropriate or not). Why were so many people stupid enough to pass at 45+ mph?
Stop feeding the sharks and they will die out.
Stop feeding the sharks and they will die out.
Exactly! Whilst I detest overzealous focusing on speed at the expense of everything else, don't give the bar stewards what they want!
I wonder if the article is accurate though.
The road works were between jncts 20 and 19 and had six or seven cameras along that stretch for about six months. Nothing else between there and 25.
Who wrote the article? Do they know if that figure is for one camera or all the cameras together?
I know there was a single camera near Bath on the M4 that generated over 1 million last year though.
The road works were between jncts 20 and 19 and had six or seven cameras along that stretch for about six months. Nothing else between there and 25.
Who wrote the article? Do they know if that figure is for one camera or all the cameras together?
I know there was a single camera near Bath on the M4 that generated over 1 million last year though.
I have to drive both ways everyday through the 40mph limit on the M60 between OLDHAM and ASHTON.
It p1sses me off, I'm sure 50mph would be more realistic, but I'm surprised that so many people don't bother to slow down to 40.
I do not have any sympathy for anyone who gets caught because they must not be concentrating on their driving. It's not like they don't warn you about it, or paint the cameras BRIGHT YELLOW.
I've never been caught by a camera because I'm concentrating on my driving and looking ahead for hazards. It's easy to keep an eye out for a scamera. The authorities have made it easier, if more danagerous with all these drivers jumping on the brakes at the last minute, for people to avoid getting done for speeding.
It p1sses me off, I'm sure 50mph would be more realistic, but I'm surprised that so many people don't bother to slow down to 40.
I do not have any sympathy for anyone who gets caught because they must not be concentrating on their driving. It's not like they don't warn you about it, or paint the cameras BRIGHT YELLOW.
I've never been caught by a camera because I'm concentrating on my driving and looking ahead for hazards. It's easy to keep an eye out for a scamera. The authorities have made it easier, if more danagerous with all these drivers jumping on the brakes at the last minute, for people to avoid getting done for speeding.
Why are the speed limits in motorway roadworks 40mph nowadays, and not the 50mph that they used to be??? I am sure this catches a lot of people out!
'Speed Cameras' are bright yellow? I can think of two pairs in Langsett, on the A616, that may be bright yellow but they weren't reflective as of a couple of months ago
. Of course, it is only advisory that they be 'reflective yellow', not compulsory (isn't the phrasing 'retroflective yellow', like rear number plates?).
And yes, it's easy to say "obey all limits"... I would say that I aim to do this, but I also get a lot of people driving wayyyyyyy too close to my towbar while I creep over the limit regularly
!
What is fun is knowing what the speed limit actually is... drive through Langsett at a steady 40 (A616, heading for the Stocksbridge bypass) heading Eastbound (40mph limit either way, for those of us who missed the signs...) towards the M1 - it's a downhill slope - and people tailgate then, literally, disappear backwards at the two speed cameras on that stretch (with screeching of brakes
). They don't have a clue!!!
'Speed Cameras' are bright yellow? I can think of two pairs in Langsett, on the A616, that may be bright yellow but they weren't reflective as of a couple of months ago
. Of course, it is only advisory that they be 'reflective yellow', not compulsory (isn't the phrasing 'retroflective yellow', like rear number plates?). And yes, it's easy to say "obey all limits"... I would say that I aim to do this, but I also get a lot of people driving wayyyyyyy too close to my towbar while I creep over the limit regularly
! What is fun is knowing what the speed limit actually is... drive through Langsett at a steady 40 (A616, heading for the Stocksbridge bypass) heading Eastbound (40mph limit either way, for those of us who missed the signs...) towards the M1 - it's a downhill slope - and people tailgate then, literally, disappear backwards at the two speed cameras on that stretch (with screeching of brakes
). They don't have a clue!!! Edited by aw51 121565 on Saturday 9th September 00:00
I fitted cruise control because of roadworks like these. There is too much focus on having to keep to the limit. Worse still is being jammed into 3 lanes with all the other drivers who are having to focus to keep to the limit.
Whilst I believe my general observation, etc was adequate before I had cruise, I find it far better being able to set a speed and then not worry about creeping over, instead being able to the eyes on the road at all times.
Whilst I believe my general observation, etc was adequate before I had cruise, I find it far better being able to set a speed and then not worry about creeping over, instead being able to the eyes on the road at all times.
Scraggles said:
tend to drive at the speed limit, i drive for a living and cant afford to be snapped by a hidden camera only visible to me when i pass it, so i stick the cruise control and ignore the mad muppets doing wild overtaking moves./quote]
Why the focus should be on improving the actual standards und awareness instead of focusing solely on the speed.
was on the m11 southbound where it meets the a406 the other day, one lane blocked off and was in the lane that was open, 7.5 van driver indicates that he wants to move in my space and gets upset that i did not brake and let him in, got followed about as close as possible down towards the a12/blackwall tunnel, dropped to 35 and eventually he got bored only to be snapped by a scamera doing 60 ? in a 50
So if his lane was blocked und he indicated .. you refused the courtesy of allowing him into lane in which all travelling at steady flow of 40 mph... I usually allow the person in.. ist a sort of zip merge.
to do otherwise und stop the traffic merging does not keep that traffic flowing und it play into hands off the congestion charging brigade und it also increases the pollution as you then get standing traffic in both lanes...
As for tunnels.. nearly all Austrian und Swiss tunnels have scams or average speed scams at entrance/exit points. But tunnels are long und they had a number of incidents at Gotthardt und Blanc und one other... (Besides .. Swiss ones are
mined anyway in case of invasion.. an accident would be a bit messy on that basis ... )
All tunnels (all rather long) are around the 40/50 mph limits in those countries ... have not problem with 50 mph with a tunnel...but maybe your van driver think end of roadworks.. und just a bit more annoyed with your apparent lack of courtesy than concentrating on the road
Ist best to just let out one blue word (provided no kittens present
) und then just chill und acknowledge the good manners of the other driver behind me who was a gent or lady with a working brain cell to keep all lanes a-flowing there.
maybe if a truck hit one of the barriers, would it move onto the people behind it.
If a truck hit at 20 mph - it could move the concrete und smash through. Truck which hit my cousin und killed him went out of control in fairly slow moving traffic und hit the reserve und ploughed into my cousin head on at just 20 mph.
But then .. it did had severe defects.. which caused this to happen.
[quote=Scraggles]
but the scamera on the m5 has had lots of free publicity, drive at the speed limit in roadworks or risk a 3 points and £60 fine.... your choice
Why the focus should be on improving the actual standards und awareness instead of focusing solely on the speed.
Scraggles said:
was on the m11 southbound where it meets the a406 the other day, one lane blocked off and was in the lane that was open, 7.5 van driver indicates that he wants to move in my space and gets upset that i did not brake and let him in, got followed about as close as possible down towards the a12/blackwall tunnel, dropped to 35 and eventually he got bored only to be snapped by a scamera doing 60 ? in a 50
So if his lane was blocked und he indicated .. you refused the courtesy of allowing him into lane in which all travelling at steady flow of 40 mph...
I usually allow the person in.. ist a sort of zip merge. to do otherwise und stop the traffic merging does not keep that traffic flowing und it play into hands off the congestion charging brigade und it also increases the pollution as you then get standing traffic in both lanes...
As for tunnels.. nearly all Austrian und Swiss tunnels have scams or average speed scams at entrance/exit points. But tunnels are long und they had a number of incidents at Gotthardt und Blanc und one other... (Besides .. Swiss ones are
mined anyway in case of invasion.. an accident would be a bit messy on that basis ... ) All tunnels (all rather long) are around the 40/50 mph limits in those countries ... have not problem with 50 mph with a tunnel...but maybe your van driver think end of roadworks.. und just a bit more annoyed with your apparent lack of courtesy than concentrating on the road
Ist best to just let out one blue word (provided no kittens present
) und then just chill und acknowledge the good manners of the other driver behind me who was a gent or lady with a working brain cell to keep all lanes a-flowing there. Scraggles said:
maybe if a truck hit one of the barriers, would it move onto the people behind it.
If a truck hit at 20 mph - it could move the concrete und smash through. Truck which hit my cousin und killed him went out of control in fairly slow moving traffic und hit the reserve und ploughed into my cousin head on at just 20 mph.
But then .. it did had severe defects.. which caused this to happen.
[quote=Scraggles]
but the scamera on the m5 has had lots of free publicity, drive at the speed limit in roadworks or risk a 3 points and £60 fine.... your choice
Well .. they cannot now conceal it..
We noted that the series of Gatsos on M60 on couple of journeye to und from airport down there during some widening works were almost always behind a sign of some sort
Should not be any attempt to conceal these cams if safety ist supposed name of the game.
It was MY lane that was blocked, the one on the left of me was full of cones, I could not move anywhere, he could use his brakes, but felt it better to try and cut in on me. The A406 was 2 lanes, he could have been in either one, but he chose to try to get into mine. when he got into my lane, the numpty was tailgating me for a few miles and this in heavy traffic. Just glad no biker tried to squeeze thru the gap
I do use merge in turn when 2 lanes on the same road blend into one however
I did chill out, by turning on the ac and going at exactly 40 mph in a 40 mph zone, he wanted to do 40-50 at least, felt it dangerous as he was trying to undertake on double white lines, so when it was safe dropped intolane 2 as lane 1 was for local traffic
I do use merge in turn when 2 lanes on the same road blend into one however
I did chill out, by turning on the ac and going at exactly 40 mph in a 40 mph zone, he wanted to do 40-50 at least, felt it dangerous as he was trying to undertake on double white lines, so when it was safe dropped intolane 2 as lane 1 was for local traffic
targarama said:
I agree with the comments so far. But I'm also alarmed that there are so many drivers out there who are so unobservant. Everyone must know cameras exist and the effect they have if you get caught speeding by one (whether the limit is appropriate or not). Why were so many people stupid enough to pass at 45+ mph?
Stop feeding the sharks and they will die out.
Stop feeding the sharks and they will die out.
The problem I suspect is that a lot of drivers were looking out for the traditional gatsos, not the smaller monitron cameras which were used - which average joe probably didn't know much about if at all.
I used to drive through those road works a few times. Going southbound was painful - the first scamera was only 100 yards after the 40 limit start, and then the roadworks went on for ages.
Of course the speed limit itself was stupid, especially when the road wasn't busy
Edited by countryboy on Sunday 10th September 13:40
I'm 43 and have been driving both before and after the installation of speed cameras. The only thing I can say is that they have slowed me down and have slowed down a couple of friends. We were all pathalogical speeders, but over the years have tired of watching out for camaras and tend to stick to the speed limit. Is sticking to the speed limit safer? I think it probably is. As for the revenue argument, the tax revenue in this country is in the billions, £260 an hour is a drop in the ocean. Whether they are right on not, the authorities are not doing it for the money.
Dave
Dave
aw51 121565 said:
Why are the speed limits in motorway roadworks 40mph nowadays, and not the 50mph that they used to be??? I am sure this catches a lot of people out!
M40 J9 to J10 for ages was 50 limit as they installed gantries so they do still use the 50. Had to travel it every day, scariest drive ever. Approach the roadworks at 70 with the usual warning signs about roadworks in 2 miles. start slowing from 70 to 50 approaching the 50MPH signs (with scameras at regular intervals). hit 50 passing signs then grab steering wheel and brace yourself as various cars/vans/lorries fly up behind at high speed and swerve to avoid the nutter (me) doing 50 on a motorway. I am amazed that having done this umpteen times I never got hit. Saw some amazingly close calls though.
Why do people assume that I am going to ignore a big fat 50MPH sign with a camera down the road just because they do.
Grrr
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