Speed Cameras - Severn Bridge
Discussion
Isn't this just trying to legitimise cash machines. From day 1 they have sat at the Magor services, either on the bridge or the westbound acceleration lane, then it was the bridge at Caldicot/Rogiet. Next step had to be the bridge itself. Saves the Welsh assembly upping the charge to enter Wales from £4.60, plod does it now to £60, with some bonus points to boot.
Let's face it, why else does Gwent have a traffic plod base at Magor, if not to sting motorists passing through the county via the bridge. It's the quickest available spot to recharge batteries, across the roundabout from the services for fuelling up. I rest my case.
Let's face it, why else does Gwent have a traffic plod base at Magor, if not to sting motorists passing through the county via the bridge. It's the quickest available spot to recharge batteries, across the roundabout from the services for fuelling up. I rest my case.
[quote=The
"The majority of accidents have occurred because motorists fail to slow down on the approach to the toll booth and then collide with stationery vehicles, injuring innocent, law-abiding motorists,"
[/quote]
Who only seconds earlier were doing 80mph without incident and whom, once out of range of the cameras will quite happily be doing 80mph again. They're only law abiding because they've had to stop!
Out of interest, do any figures exist for accidents at other toll sites (old Severn Crossing, QEII/Dartford/ Humber and so on) or is this a perculiarly Welsh occurence?
"The majority of accidents have occurred because motorists fail to slow down on the approach to the toll booth and then collide with stationery vehicles, injuring innocent, law-abiding motorists,"
[/quote]
Who only seconds earlier were doing 80mph without incident and whom, once out of range of the cameras will quite happily be doing 80mph again. They're only law abiding because they've had to stop!
Out of interest, do any figures exist for accidents at other toll sites (old Severn Crossing, QEII/Dartford/ Humber and so on) or is this a perculiarly Welsh occurence?
Why is it that wherever speed limits are reduced, scameras are immediately put in to enforce them? If everyone stuck to the previous 70 limit then that would probably reduce the accident rate, so why not try enforcing that with scameras first, at least? If you're doing 120mph, will the fact that the limit is 50 rather than 70 slow you down anyway?
As for people crashing into the toll booths: you've got to be a complete twat to do that. They're signed from quite a long way away, and I've not heard of this problem at other tolls (M6Toll, Dartford crossing both being motorway or almost motorway so fairly equivalent).
As for people crashing into the toll booths: you've got to be a complete twat to do that. They're signed from quite a long way away, and I've not heard of this problem at other tolls (M6Toll, Dartford crossing both being motorway or almost motorway so fairly equivalent).
article said:
John Rowling, manager of the Safety Camera Partnership, which is responsible for static, mobile and red light camera enforcement in the Dyfed-Powys, South Wales and Gwent police force areas, said the speeds were totally unacceptable and putting lives at risk.
"The driving behaviour we've seen during the first week of enforcement is nothing short of appalling," he said.
What the hell is this guy talking about. This isn't a recent thing. I know for a fact they were operating on the flyover at the beginning of the year and there was no warning that they were doing so.
Totally agree with cuneus. Any driver concentrating on the road and not looking out for vans on bridges, spitfires or flying pink elephants, could easily brake from 140+ in time for the queues at the toll booths. The "zapping zone" is so far ahead of the area where you slow down for the booths that it makes a mockery of the claim that the scamera vans are there to slow vehicles down for the toll booths.
DAZ
>> Edited by dazren on Monday 11th October 15:11
Went over the bridge yesterday for the 1st time in a while, which served to remind me that any problems at the booths are entirely of their own making.
You have a long, clear stretch of 3-lane m-way once you're over the bridge. Did they put the booths here, where you would be able to see them from a mile off (literally)?
No. They put them just out of sight around the 1st bend.
While I agree that you have to be a bit of a moron to (a) forget the tolls, and (b) miss all the signage, there are a lot of morons about, so why choose to "hide" the toll booths in the 1st place? Even better would have been to put them right at the end of the bridge so that the goldfish out there wouldn't forget they'd just crossed it!
>> Edited by pdV6 on Monday 11th October 16:03
You have a long, clear stretch of 3-lane m-way once you're over the bridge. Did they put the booths here, where you would be able to see them from a mile off (literally)?
No. They put them just out of sight around the 1st bend.
While I agree that you have to be a bit of a moron to (a) forget the tolls, and (b) miss all the signage, there are a lot of morons about, so why choose to "hide" the toll booths in the 1st place? Even better would have been to put them right at the end of the bridge so that the goldfish out there wouldn't forget they'd just crossed it!
>> Edited by pdV6 on Monday 11th October 16:03
The statement "In the last three years, there have been 13 collisions at the toll booth" fails to say whether the accidents were at the booths (low speed bumps) or approaching the booths as people change lanes trying to find the shortest queue.
Another case of misleading figures I fear.
Another case of misleading figures I fear.
Always found it odd that road markings totally vanish as you approach tolls. Surely marking in a few lanes prior to the toll booths with something like "cash" or cash/cards" would help, rather than people trying to figure out which booth is which from the markings above? That was you can figure out which booth you need whilst still actually looking at the road. Seems like common sense like me, but then it would a) cost money, b) solve the problem and c) not fit current policy.
I expect they will put a 40 limit for the entire lengh of the bridge next 
Anything to make £££££
Scamera partnershits are a bunch of brainwashing scum
Also where does all this fine money go , i have seen no road improvements , just extra signs warning me that robber operate in the area
Anything to make £££££ Scamera partnershits are a bunch of brainwashing scum
Also where does all this fine money go , i have seen no road improvements , just extra signs warning me that robber operate in the area
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