Motorway variable speed camera ticket. Help please!

[SAG6Y]

Hi all. I was caught on the M6 northbound at j4 doing 58 in 40 according to the variable speed camera. Is it possible to contest this as the speed was different on nearly all the overhead cameras? I was driving in the other direction the following and the speed varied from 60 to 40 to national speed limit to 30 and the traffic was very light. Surely, this is dangerous and it can't be realistic to follow these speeds. The speeds are so varied I've long given up on following them and I've never had a ticket.

Any advice would be useful. Thank you.

[Silverage]

I had this on the M62 coming back from Manchester airport about a month ago.

There was a run of about 10 of these gantries with variable speed limits on each one and each one was different. It was down to 60, then 40, back up to NSL and then down to 50, for no apparent reason. Light traffic, no lane closures, no accidents. And of course there are cameras on the rear of each of these gantries. It would be interesting to know the reason for each section of road needing a different limit.

[numtumfutunch]

SAG6Y said:

The speeds are so varied I've long given up on following them

sorry if this comes across as smug but I suspect you'll follow them now so they've served their purpose

[Frix]

You can contest it if you want to but I don't think "I don't agree with it" is much of a defence. Mind you your second sentence makes no sense so it may shed some light if you correct it.

[g3org3y]

SAG6Y said:

Any advice would be useful. Thank you.

This is going to be one to chalk up to experience I reckon.

Plus given the margin by which you've exceeded the limit, I doubt a SAC will be offered.

[Geekman]

Worth posting it on fightback forums to see if you've got any potential defences but it's likely you'll have to pay it.

This is one of these situations when an old-fashioned radar detector is very useful as you can immediately see which gantries are active and adjust your speed accordingly.

[HD Adam]

Silverage said:

. And of course there are cameras on the rear of each of these gantries. It would be interesting to know the reason for each section of road needing a different limit.

So they can catch people out and raise more taxes to spunk on other projects Because speed kills, dontcha know?

[SAG6Y]

Sorry. I meant the following day I was driving in the opposite direction.

The thing is I was only keeping up with the flow of traffic. Of I got caught, does that mean everyone did? Surly that would be hundreds of us?

Another point if makes any difference, the time when I allegedly got caught to the actual time was a difference of 5-10 minutes early. I know this as my wife made a phone call and we were about 2 junctions up the motorway.

Thanks guys.

[LoonR1]

Silverage said:

I had this on the M62 coming back from Manchester airport about a month ago.

There was a run of about 10 of these gantries with variable speed limits on each one and each one was different. It was down to 60, then 40, back up to NSL and then down to 50, for no apparent reason. Light traffic, no lane closures, no accidents. And of course there are cameras on the rear of each of these gantries. It would be interesting to know the reason for each section of road needing a different limit.

There's no managed motorway anywhere in the North West, do you mean the ones about 50 miles away in West Yorkshire around Leeds?

[SAS Tom]

LoonR1 said:

There's no managed motorway anywhere in the North West, do you mean the ones about 50 miles away in West Yorkshire around Leeds?

He didn't say it was in the north west, just that he was coming back from Manchester airport. Most likely the managed bit from J25 to 30 I think it is.

[Snappy89]

I'd pay it, although I would still be temped to go about challenging why the speeds were so varied when the traffic conditions were light. I'd like to see if they had a good reason.

[eldar]

Came up the M6 today, it is confusing.. roadworks 50mph, NSL at end of roadworks, then 50 and 60 variable in about 1/3 of a mile.

[Chrisgr31]

Doesn't there have to be a traffic flow reason for the variable limit signs to be displaying a limit? If so can one then investigate whether those conditions were actually existing? And if not appeal?

[covboy]

Silverage said:

And of course there are cameras on the rear of each of these gantries. It would be interesting to know the reason for each section of road needing a different limit.

Out of interest (and because I had nothing better to do) between J4 & J5 on the M6N (to just before the roadworks 50mph starts) There are 10 variable speed limit gantries of which 5 of them have cameras.

[Voldemort]

SAG6Y said:

...and the speed varied from 60 to 40 to national speed limit to 30 and the traffic was very light. Surely, this is dangerous and it can't be realistic to follow these speeds...

Any advice would be useful. Thank you.

I know what you mean. Just the other day I drove from my house to the shops and the speed limit went from 20 to 30 to 60 to 40 to 60 to 70 and then to 30. It's a bloody nightmare reading the signs and having to adjust ones speed accordingly. But I did it. And so do millions of others. Maybe you'll join us now?

[Mill Wheel]

Voldemort said:

I know what you mean. Just the other day I drove from my house to the shops and the speed limit went from 20 to 30 to 60 to 40 to 60 to 70 and then to 30. It's a bloody nightmare reading the signs and having to adjust ones speed accordingly. But I did it. And so do millions of others. Maybe you'll join us now?

I bet if you drive the same way tomorrow, the limits will be the same, and the reasons for them the same.

I think the OP is insinuating that the limits are set to trap drivers into passing them above the set limit, because a SINGLE length of road, with a SINGLE set of circumstances, is having SEVERAL limits imposed for no good reason.
I noticed it myself as I travelled along that part earlier this month.
At one point, some 50mph road works finished, and a NSL sign on a stand was placed a few yards past the end of the cones, then the next variable speed gantry had a 40mph limit set!
They must earn a lot of money over the year... although perhaps not as much as other pointless cameras/limits.

Daily Telegraph said:

The camera with the third most fines was on the A2034 in Southampton, and caught 10,985 drivers in 2012, which was more than three times the 3,234 caught in 2010.

Street view here - limit is just THIRTY MILES PER HOUR:
http://goo.gl/maps/q7fvg

[covboy]

The best bit is on this stretch approaching J5 in the evenings the Gantry signs start to slow you to 40mph - as there is usually 4 lane running. BUT before you get to J5 and the roadworks start, it is suddenly safe to do 50mph. In fact the temporary 50mph limit starts about halfway along the camera road markings past the last gantry (about 50 yards? ) – which is sometimes showing 40mph !

[LoonR1]

Based k. The past months experience since they opened it up near Leeds on the M62 then I'm a big fan. Traffic actually moves freely now.

In fact the only problem is idiots still driving at 50mph despite the roadworks being long since finished

[Devil2575]

I drove through these on the M62 on Saturday and then again on Sunday. The limit was frequently different on each gantry as the OP says, which did make things a little bit interesting as cars kept speeding up and slowing down rather than maintaining a constant speed. I think the reason was to try and keep traffic flowing as it was quite congested, on the Saturday. On Sunday it was 40 a lot of the time as the weather was very bad and the spray reduced visibility somewhat.

I noticed the camera for each lane on the back of the gantry as well as the typical markings on the road so made sure I kept my speed down.

I did wonder if the speed setting for the cameras changed with the variable limit. I guess I now know.

[covboy]

LoonR1 said:

Based k. The past months experience since they opened it up near Leeds on the M62 then I'm a big fan. Traffic actually moves freely now.

In fact the only problem is idiots still driving at 50mph despite the roadworks being long since finished

Generally they do work (taking the M42 round here as an example) but I’ve read on here, because at times they are automatically set to suit traffic flow via road sensors, they can sometimes be “fooled” by a rogue reading from a particularly slow (or stationary) vehicle