Average speed detectors

[lotisi]

Has anyone here been caught speeding by an average speed camera, or heard of anyone who has?

[RaksP]

is it true if you change lanes they cannot detect your speed?

[UncleDave]

RaksP said:

is it true if you change lanes they cannot detect your speed?

AFAIK it was a load of tripe
Doesn't stop me changing lanes as a "precaution" though..!

[i want an aero]

iirc it still reads your speed but cannot prosecute you as the cameras were licenced for same lane speed, that's why the signs say stay in lane

[sultanbrown]

I'd like to know what they are set at.
Whilst I am reasonably content to creep past the other traffic with a 3mph speed differential due to my accurate speedo, it would be nice to push it that little bit more.

[Robin Hood]

lotisi said:

Has anyone here been caught speeding by an average speed camera, or heard of anyone who has?

Well I don't know them personally but 76,000 have suffered at one such location with specs cameras in Nottingham

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire...

[chockymonster]

lotisi said:

Has anyone here been caught speeding by an average speed camera, or heard of anyone who has?

Most of the drivers on the M3/M25 that cannot comprehend the word average!

[CommanderJameson]

RaksP said:

is it true if you change lanes they cannot detect your speed?

Nope. Current SPECS equipment can cope with lane changes just fine.

[Don]

For the most part average speed cameras are placed on the motorway to slow traffic during road-works. I have absolutely no problem with these - they are there to protect road workers and are removed when the works are finished.

If people are too ing thick to understand "average" they deserve to be caught by these ones.

Its sneaky bastard vans that I can't stand. What good are they supposed to do? A mile away they catch you and you'll probably never even know until the letter arrives on the mat.

[Mr2Mike]

CommanderJameson said:

RaksP said:

is it true if you change lanes they cannot detect your speed?

Nope. Current SPECS equipment can cope with lane changes just fine.

SPECS could always cope with lane changes, the problem was that the type approval only covered detection in a single lane. I don't think this has been changed has it?

[blueyes]

Mr2Mike said:

CommanderJameson said:

RaksP said:

is it true if you change lanes they cannot detect your speed?

Nope. Current SPECS equipment can cope with lane changes just fine.

SPECS could always cope with lane changes, the problem was that the type approval only covered detection in a single lane. I don't think this has been changed has it?

I thought it was the fact that they were only approved for 2 lanes so a move from 1 to 3 then back again was the only way.

[SS2.]

Mr2Mike said:

CommanderJameson said:

RaksP said:

is it true if you change lanes they cannot detect your speed?

Nope. Current SPECS equipment can cope with lane changes just fine.

SPECS could always cope with lane changes, the problem was that the type approval only covered detection in a single lane. I don't think this has been changed has it?

No changes as far as I am aware..

Although Cheshire Safety Camera Partnership didn't appear to suffer much by way of consequence for using SPECS outside of its type approval conditions..

Which is a little odd considering that...

Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 said:

20.(4) A record produced or measurement made by a prescribed device shall not be admissible as evidence of a fact relevant to proceedings for an offence to which this section applies unless—

(a) the device is of a type approved by the Secretary of State, and

(b) any conditions subject to which the approval was given are satisfied.

Edited by SS2. on Tuesday 14th August 10:12

[lotisi]

So nobody here has or knows anybody who has been caught, I'm not interested in the morallities of wether it's OK to speed or not but I'm interested if they really are speed cameras.

[Robin Hood]

lotisi said:

So nobody here has or knows anybody who has been caught, I'm not interested in the morallities of wether it's OK to speed or not but I'm interested if they really are speed cameras.

Yes they really are speed cameras, we rent vans out and get driver detail requests almost daily relating to local known specs camera site locations amongst others elsewhere.

[streaky]

SS2. said:

Mr2Mike said:

CommanderJameson said:

RaksP said:

is it true if you change lanes they cannot detect your speed?

Nope. Current SPECS equipment can cope with lane changes just fine.

SPECS could always cope with lane changes, the problem was that the type approval only covered detection in a single lane. I don't think this has been changed has it?

No changes as far as I am aware..

Although Cheshire Safety Camera Partnership didn't appear to suffer much by way of consequence for using SPECS outside of its type approval conditions..

Which is a little odd considering that...

Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 said:

20.(4) A record produced or measurement made by a prescribed device shall not be admissible as evidence of a fact relevant to proceedings for an offence to which this section applies unless—

(a) the device is of a type approved by the Secretary of State, and

(b) any conditions subject to which the approval was given are satisfied.

Edited by SS2. on Tuesday 14th August 10:12

Interesting also to note also that the letter (in the link above) referred to: "the SVDD was placed over the hard shoulder and, under the type approval issued by the Home Office, was approved to monitor “only one traffic lane – either immediately below or the neighbouring lane”." - "or", NOT "and".

That the convictions in lane three were held to be safe when the device was used outside its type approval and therefore outside the law is wholly symptomatic of the revenue collection attitude now institutionalised within the court system.

I wonder whether anyone challenged the convictions in lane two or even lane one.

Note that the letter refers to the SVDD being placed over the hard shoulder and that it was approved to monitor the lane immediately below - i.e. the hard shoulder. I don't know whether this was in use at the time as a traffic lane, but if lane three was in use it seems unlikely. Either way, a conviction for speeding in lane two could have been challenged (prior to the outcome of the lane three issue), and possibly one in lane one.

The abuse of primary evidence in this manner reflects certain aspects of some policing prior to PACE.

Streaky

PS - location of SPECs cameras (no idea how up to date this is, but it's from Speed Check Services website) - S

PPS - in a reply to a FoI request, the HO website does not reveal whether HOTA for SVDD applies to more than one lane per camera - S

PPPs - SSC and HO are careful not to make any reference to the scope of the HOTA for SVDD (e.g. whether it applies to more than one laneper camera) - S

PPPPS - Other HO FoI links: Speedmeter, Speedmeter, Speedmeter, Speedmeter - S

[SS2.]

streaky said:

That the convictions in lane three were held to be safe when the device was used outside its type approval and therefore outside the law is wholly symptomatic of the revenue collection attitude now institutionalised within the court system.

Couldn't agree more. Its irrelevant whether the vehicles were speeding or not. The law is unequivocal. No conviction for speeding should be possible once a breach of type approval conditions has been confirmed.

Stinks, doesn't it..

[lotisi]

So, Robin Hood do you actually know of anybody who has been convicted (sorry to be pedantic!) I don't mean this to sound unfriendly.

[andy_quantum]

As per your thread in the Pie and Piston:

andy_quantum said:

Yes; the notorious Stocksbridge SPECS almost 3 years ago. 68 / 60 which I still dispute was 70 as I was caught on a section which is dual carriageway going up a hill towards Barnsley. This was before they made it 50

Counting down the days to send licence back to DVLA for cleaning up

And...

RaksP said:

is it true if you change lanes they cannot detect your speed?

Congratulations on managing to complete a response without saying "po-po"

[lotisi]

Congratulations Andy you are the first, but seriously out of all the people that post here can you believe that more people arn't posting? Andy ..were you unlucky or were loads of people missled like you.

[andy_quantum]

I think you might be looking for something of a conspiracy theory there. I'm sure there's plenty more people who got tickets the day I did, and judging from the driving I saw today on the M1/M18 roadworks, a fair few more will get the dreaded NIP soon too