Wycombe Warning

Author
Discussion

slikk

Original Poster:

2,135 posts

245 months

Thursday 27th May 2004
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As from tomorrow, the new speed cameras on Marlow Hill (both up and down) go live. They are the type that measure you over a set distance, which will cause a problem due to the speed limit changing from 40 to 30 halfway down. We all know what an accident blackspot this road is....NOT, lets just spoil their little games, eh?

PetrolTed

34,439 posts

305 months

Thursday 27th May 2004
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SPECS? You sure?

slikk

Original Poster:

2,135 posts

245 months

Thursday 27th May 2004
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Absolutely. Recieved an email at work from a "reliable" source. They are tricky to see aparently, but will double check tomorrow morning.

EvoMadman

9 posts

241 months

Thursday 27th May 2004
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I saw a new camera at the top of the hill (northbound - i.e. down the hill) in the 40mph limit the other day and wondered what it was. Then today I saw another one being fitted near the bottom of the hill in the 30mph limit (same side of the road). If they are SPECS cameras, I don't see how they can work when there are 2 speed limits! For a successful prosecution, the police would have to say that you were exceeding a specific limit. So, if you did 70 in the 40 then 10 in the 30, your overall speed may well be too high but the cameras wouldn't be able to say which limit you were exceeding!

jimbro1000

1,619 posts

286 months

Thursday 27th May 2004
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EvoMadman said:
I saw a new camera at the top of the hill (northbound - i.e. down the hill) in the 40mph limit the other day and wondered what it was. Then today I saw another one being fitted near the bottom of the hill in the 30mph limit (same side of the road). If they are SPECS cameras, I don't see how they can work when there are 2 speed limits! For a successful prosecution, the police would have to say that you were exceeding a specific limit. So, if you did 70 in the 40 then 10 in the 30, your overall speed may well be too high but the cameras wouldn't be able to say which limit you were exceeding!


What speed you are doing at any specific point is irrelevant with such a system. There is an absolute minimum time it would take to travel the distance and stay within the speed limit. They know where the speed limit change is (probably to within a mm) so if you travel the distance inside that minimum time you must have been speeding.

If of course you play silly games then you may well get away with it but then again that has always been possible with the specs system but very hard to get it right!

There is of course the possibility that it is a different system again as they police were pushing for cameras that checked point speed and average speed to replace the SPECS cameras *and* the Aylesbury/Amersham/Wycombe triangle is where a lot of the prototype field testing takes place. There was a truvelo camera up in Aylesbury for about 18 months before they came into main stream use...

PetrolTed

34,439 posts

305 months

Thursday 27th May 2004
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I'll take a look. SPECS systems are distinctive and still relatively rare.

slikk

Original Poster:

2,135 posts

245 months

Thursday 27th May 2004
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Aparently they look like black boxes up a pole. (Technical description)!

count duckula

1,324 posts

276 months

Friday 28th May 2004
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I got this mail as well, the Thames Valley police web site has Marlow hill as a mobile, also they would not be black boxes as they will have to be 'highly visible' like all the other scameras. Would have surly heard something in the locale news papers.
Not convinced they are specs, IMHO I think they are other traffic monitoring devices and someone stuck out the M4 style speed camera e-mail.


Malc

puggit

48,558 posts

250 months

Friday 28th May 2004
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Travelled the route last weekend and certainly didn't see anything.

Normally the cameras are up for a fair while before they go live. Don't know if this is a technical or politcal thing...

Of course, it's not just going down the hill where it's difficult to keep to your speed. Going up that hill I always go faster than 30, because the car doesn't like 30 up it!

mean'n'roofless

147 posts

242 months

Friday 28th May 2004
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Yes looked out for them last night and saw them - very well hidden.

This road isn't residential, never seen an accident on it but now lot's of traffic will be forced down Desborough Ave instead, wihch is a residential road.

It is technically impossible to do the speed limits they have on this hill, I know I have tried, tried very hard but I cannot do it.

This is undoubtedly a revenue generator only. It's a dual carriageway uphill and it's 30mph!!!

Now at the top of the road it changes to an NSL. Yet at the top of the road there's a school, please somebody explain the logic.

white_van_man

3,846 posts

251 months

Friday 28th May 2004
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any news on the cameras? are they specs?

UpTheIron

4,004 posts

270 months

Friday 28th May 2004
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mean'n'roofless said:
This road isn't residential



Not exactly out of town either, with at least three schools in the vicinity, and a pedestrian crossing at the bottom.


mean'n'roofless said:

Traffic will be forced down Desborough Ave instead, wihch is a residential road.



Why? Do you really avoid roads in town if they have cameras? Desborough Ave also has a camera I believe.


mean'n'roofless said:

It is technically impossible to do the speed limits they have on this hill, I know I have tried, tried very hard but I cannot do it.



I suggest you get some driver training. Or try using the middle pedal.



>> Edited by UpTheIron on Friday 28th May 20:25

PetrolTed

34,439 posts

305 months

Friday 28th May 2004
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There are rumours that they might be ANPR.

slikk

Original Poster:

2,135 posts

245 months

Friday 28th May 2004
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Sorry for my ignorance, Ted, but what are (is ?)ANPR ?

PetrolTed

34,439 posts

305 months

Friday 28th May 2004
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Automatic Number Plate Recognition

white_van_man

3,846 posts

251 months

Friday 28th May 2004
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PetrolTed said:
Automatic Number Plate Recognition

is that a tax thing? or a speed thing?

PetrolTed

34,439 posts

305 months

EvoMadman

9 posts

241 months

Saturday 29th May 2004
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I still don't know if these are SPECS cameras or not. What I can tell you is that there are 5 (five) of them on the northbound side and none on the southbound. As of yesterday, they still all had their little plastic hats on, so whatever they are they're not "live".

Also, to the writer who says it "impossible" to maintain the speed limits on that road I suggest that he/she sells his/her car and buys a bicycle. [ Having said that, there's some on a bike who regularly exceeds 30mph in the bottom bit when all the car users are stuck in traffic. He just comes whizzing down the middle of everything. Lunatic! ]

mean'n'roofless

147 posts

242 months

Tuesday 1st June 2004
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UpTheIron said:


I suggest you get some driver training. Or try using the middle pedal.

>> Edited by UpTheIron on Friday 28th May 20:25


FFS Chill out will you, Friday afternoon and you have to get all pedantic, have you had a sense of humour bypass?

mean'n'roofless

147 posts

242 months

Tuesday 1st June 2004
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Saw a guy in a 'traffic survey' van playing with the cameras on Friday when I was driving down (with my foot on the middle pedal for the benefit of those with no sense of humour), so maybe it's not a speed camera, not risking it though.