Driver behaviour 'transformed' by A90 average speed cameras

[CoolHands]

Exactly what politicians wanted to hear. Transport Minister Humza Yousaf (he who doesn't bother being insured) said the findings added to the "compelling evidence" that average speed cameras "help transform driver behaviour".

Never mind that they're all driving in each other's blindspots, texting, facebooking etc as there's even less incentive to look at what's happening when you're droning along eh. When you ride a motorbike (as I do) you really notice these aspects.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-cent...

[PaulD86]

I have the misfortune of living in a city that the A90 runs through. It's a terribly tedious road. I also have a healthy disregard for speed limits at times* and generally hate speed cameras. However. Much as it pains me to say this, I actually do think the average cameras have improved the A90. By improved I mean made 'less worse'. Previously you could pretty much guarantee seeing a camera van somewhere on it and so speeding on it was very risky - I have many people who have had points from camera vans on that road. Now I set the cruise and just accept that it's a boring road and there is nothing to be gained from trying to make it pass quicker. Horribly defeatist, I know.

That said. I never want to see average cameras on any interesting road! I just think for the A90 they are the lesser evil in a way.

• I don't condone racing through towns and cities but have no issue being above the limit on well sighted country roads or quiet motorways, for example.

[CoolHands]

Problem is by getting the validation they wanted, they will extend it to every road regardless

[Loplop]

I've always found average speed zones to be dangerous, my personal approach is to let speed soak off as I hit the first camera.

Everyone else seems to do 70 up to the first camera and then slam on, you can imagine the implications of that.

Then everyone that doesn't have cruise control fitted to their cars spends more time looking at their speedo than the road ahead and then you have HGV drivers that probably have more accurate speedos than most performing 1 - 2 mph difference overtakes, causing people to instinctively move to the outside lane to overtake the lorries.

Every average speed zone is a shambles.

[LG9k]

I use the A40 and M4 into London regularly and both have average speed cameras. They are way better now than they used to be, no more concertina braking at every "old style" speed camera and traffic flow is vastly improved.

[MB140]

Average speed cameras have ruined the cat and fiddle. So much so the cafe/pub at the top closed not long after they were introduced.

I’m surprised people don’t vandalise them more. If I ever got diagnosed with a terminal disease I’d be up ther with a JCB one night and have them all smashed down. Do the world a favour.

[IforB]

The A90 is a horrific road for deaths and injuries. It's always had a massive Police presence on it too, which has invariably tempered the fun.

Fortunately there are plenty of brilliant roads up there that rarely see a Police car, so it's not much of an issue if you want to have fun.

[Debaser]

Driver behaviour 'transformed'?

Is the road any safer now?

[murphyaj]

Loplop said:

Then everyone that doesn't have cruise control fitted to their cars spends more time looking at their speedo than the road ahead.

I've never understood this. It's already the law for every road on the mainland UK that you have to keep your speed below the speed limit, so surely it's a minimum requirement for any driver that they are at least able to do so without staring at their speedo like it's an eye test. I don't always stay below the speed limit, but I am certainly able to do so when I need to without diverting most of my attention do it.

I know it's more important to drive to the conditions, and most people drift over the speed limit regularly. But if someone really can't just keep below a certain speed for a few miles without spending more than a fraction of the time checking the dial then I'd question their car control. Surely everyone had to do exactly that during their driving test? I wonder if some people see a 70MPH average speed check and think "right, that means I have to keep my speed between 69.5 and 70 for the entire length of the zone".

[ElectricPics]

murphyaj said:

I wonder if some people see a 70MPH average speed check and think "right, that means I have to keep my speed between 69.5 and 70 for the entire length of the zone".

I think that's spot on from what I see most days in my local long term roadworks, and to do that requires slavish devotion to the speedo so the last thing they're looking at is the road and other traffic.

[Swole]

I drove the A217 from J8 M25 up to Banstead, not far from Sutton and Roman’s Supercar Centre, a road I know well.

I was surprised to see average speed cameras along this stretch now all the way up to Banstead (not including the Mad Mile), which seems like it’s had no positive effect on the relief of traffic or road safety in comparison to how it has been for years. This road was many years back NSL, and eventually it was reduce to 40mph due to a number of deaths of people who could manage to lose it in a straight line. This was aside from what was known as the “Mad Mile” which was reduced to 60mph, a dead straight old street racing section of dual carriageway which seemingly didn’t have the same record for road deaths. Anyhow, this Mad Mile is not part of the average speed zone and is still 60mph, and since he rest has been 40mph it’s been pretty good.

Before the Avg Cams, people would break the limit a bit, I’d say 50mph would be a good average for the road, but for the most part it was safe and the road was never too clogged or accident induced until you reached the traffic lights at J8 M25 slip. Everyone got on with their business and it was a quick route out of London at times. Now, it’s monotonous, full of ditherers who are afraid to break 30mph for fear of being caught over 40mph (go figure) so, the road is actually slower and more congested.

I can only assume they’ve done it as it has always been a great spot for mobile vans, and this must in the long run, save them money whilst still raking in free money.

[MiggyA]

CoolHands said:

Problem is by getting the validation they wanted, they will extend it to every road regardless

This, seems like the cost of average speed cameras has come way down recently and they've started putting them up all over the place around here (Manchester area).

[brrapp]

Average speed cameras, Mogadon for the motorist.

[vonhosen]

CoolHands said:

Problem is by getting the validation they wanted, they will extend it to every road regardless

They can't afford that.

[bristolracer]

I take my speed off the Sat Nav not the speedo
50 on the sat nav is about 53/54 on the speedo
I get home a bit quicker...

[thesmurfs]

Loathe average speed cameras because it's the only deterrent that actually slows me down for a section of the m6. But as soon as they end it's always pleasing to be able to gun the accelerator.

Edited by thesmurfs on Tuesday 23 January 15:55

[8bit]

IforB said:

The A90 is a horrific road for deaths and injuries. It's always had a massive Police presence on it too, which has invariably tempered the fun.

Fortunately there are plenty of brilliant roads up there that rarely see a Police car, so it's not much of an issue if you want to have fun.

There never really was any "fun" to be had on that road anyway.

My tuppence worth - the speed limit hasn't changed, just the means of monitoring and enforcement. People that are outraged by this mostly tend to be the sort that feel they have some higher right to go faster than everyone else. From what I've seen since the average cameras went online, it's all but eliminated the twunts in big German SUVs driving 3 feet behind cars already travelling at the limit in lane 2 whilst legally and safely passing stuff doing 65 in lane one, every few miles. That makes for a less stressful journey in my view.

Just stick the cruise on at 70 and forget about the cameras, there are many things more worthy of getting worked up about than this. If you want driving fun then as you quite rightly point out there are much better roads to have it on than the A90.

[Bonefish Blues]

Debaser said:

Driver behaviour 'transformed'?

Is the road any safer now?

Mr Yousaf said: "I'm confident that this encouraging improvement in speed limit compliance along the length of the A90 will help to reduce casualties in the same way as has been achieved with similar average speed cameras on the A77 and A9.

He doesn't know yet.

[Dave Hedgehog]

CoolHands said:

Problem is by getting the validation they wanted, they will extend it to every road regardless

its coming like it or not, modern cars have all the tech built into them needed for road pricing, auto generation of fines or auto speed limiting is just some extra lines of code

and then there is self driving cars

[Harji]

LG9k said:

I use the A40 and M4 into London regularly and both have average speed cameras. They are way better now than they used to be, no more concertina braking at every "old style" speed camera and traffic flow is vastly improved.

the man speaketh the truth, I live somewhere in between these roads, and use them regularly , there is some sense of order and flow to it.