439 'offences' detected by M5 cameras with wrong 20mph limit

[carinaman]

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/m5-s...

I don't know if pursuing those fines and offences for the technicality of breaching a wrong 20mph limit on a Motorway in the middle of the night half a day after the accident brings speed enforcement and the safety justification into disrepute.

Great British justice includes getting done for a technicality on a wrongly set limit?

Any signage for the 20 mph limit was legal and therefore the fines and penalty points are correct and not wrong?

[Initforthemoney]

Regardless, the limit was 20mph, right or wrong.

[caelite]

Initforthemoney said:

Regardless, the limit was 20mph, right or wrong.

Username is apt for someone defending the operations of smart motorways. :P

[Cooperman]

Initforthemoney said:

Regardless, the limit was 20mph, right or wrong.

So you would definitely have driven at 20 mph in that situation and never, ever, drive in excess of the posted speed limit?
Right!!

[anonymous-user]

I suspect it would have been pretty dangerous for people to slow from 70 to 20 on a motorway (assuming there were no staggered slowing-down limits in place either). A car doing 70 (or more likely 80 to 90) rear-ending a car doing 20 sounds like a much more dangerous thing that could happen than someone doing 45 in a 20 the morning after the incident.

[carinaman]

Should at least two responsible adults be required when setting the numbers on electronic speed limit signs on Motorways?

[768]

caelite said:

Initforthemoney said:

Regardless, the limit was 20mph, right or wrong.

Username is apt for someone defending the operations of smart motorways. :P

[matjk]

Why so few prosecuted , nearly 500 caught and less than 100 nicked, I wonder what the level was to get a NIP ?
What a disgrace this happened but we have all seen Random smart motorway limits that make no sense pop up and I for one stick to it just because I don’t want points , the number of people that totally ignore them amaze me , it’s like they know something I don’t . Can they all be on stolen plates ???

[Cold]

carinaman said:

Should at least two responsible adults be required when setting the numbers on electronic speed limit signs on Motorways?

Good luck with that search.

[Escapegoat]

Initforthemoney said:

Regardless, the limit was 20mph, right or wrong.

How many days would you spend in front of a red light that just doesn't change?

[Greendubber]

Escapegoat said:

Initforthemoney said:

Regardless, the limit was 20mph, right or wrong.

How many days would you spend in front of a red light that just doesn't change?

You could see that as comparing making a slow progress with no progress, two different things IMO. Yes 20mph on the motorway is a PITA but it's not the same as waiting for hours/days at a red light going nowhere.

I'd stick to whatever the gantry signs say as I have no idea what's ahead and don't want points. Yes it's frustrating but I'd be more pissed off getting pinched as I have no way of knowing if the lint sign should be on or not, I'd rather presume it's there for a reason and just accept it.

[768]

You'd do 20mph on a deserted motorway at 2am? I'm not sure I would.

[Greendubber]

768 said:

You'd do 20mph on a deserted motorway at 2am? I'm not sure I would.

And that's your choice.

If there's a number with a red circle around it on a smart motorway I don't feel I have the choice if I want to maintain my clean sheet. I often get caught in seemingly pointless temp limits on smart motorways at night/very early hours but I have no idea if there's something in the road, blokes working etc. I'm no saint when driving but I really don't see the point of chancing it, getting caught and moaning about it later. I'd rather tut, mumble something at the time and set the cruise control and hope it's over soon.

[768]

The point of chancing it is to avoid getting your back doors smashed in!

[meatballs]

You see a 20mph limit on a motorway you have to suspect something pretty dangerous is ahead.

Nah fk it must be wrong, blazes through at 80.

[Greendubber]

768 said:

The point of chancing it is to avoid getting your back doors smashed in!

By everyone else driving at the posted limit or by the few idiots who think they can just breeze through whilst not paying attention to the speed limit or whatever they're driving towards?

How many cars drove down the M5 at the posted limit in the OPs post and how many got driven into? I'm guessing zero....

Edited by Greendubber on Monday 9th September 20:31

[768]

I'd guess zero, thanks to 500 drivers not slamming their anchors on.

[Gnits]

Greendubber said:

Escapegoat said:

Initforthemoney said:

Regardless, the limit was 20mph, right or wrong.

How many days would you spend in front of a red light that just doesn't change?

You could see that as comparing making a slow progress with no progress, two different things IMO. Yes 20mph on the motorway is a PITA but it's not the same as waiting for hours/days at a red light going nowhere.

I'd stick to whatever the gantry signs say as I have no idea what's ahead and don't want points. Yes it's frustrating but I'd be more pissed off getting pinched as I have no way of knowing if the lint sign should be on or not, I'd rather presume it's there for a reason and just accept it.

Indeed they are not the same. However, the question is not about the particular example illustrating the principle but about the principle itself i.e. would you blindly obey the law even if there appeared to be a mistake?
If someone places a no entry sign along a road you drive down everyday and everyone else was 'disobeying' it, would you?
We have all seen endless signs that are plain wrong, obeying every single one without question or careful consideration is childishly naive at best and dangerous at worst, it follows the 'I was just dong my job' mentality.
I would suggest that if the signage says 20 and eveyone is doing 80, then 80 it is or, you are likely to get an HGV enema and you can feel righteous as you pick bits of airline from your soft palate in your hospital bed.
Equally, if eveyone IS doing 20 and you stick at 70 then you are the clearly the @rse.

• I'm not picking on you by the way but it was a nice, clear post to start from!

[meatballs]

Gnits said:

Indeed they are not the same. However, the question is not about the particular example illustrating the principle but about the principle itself i.e. would you blindly obey the law even if there appeared to be a mistake?
If someone places a no entry sign along a road you drive down everyday and everyone else was 'disobeying' it, would you?
We have all seen endless signs that are plain wrong, obeying every single one without question or careful consideration is childishly naive at best and dangerous at worst, it follows the 'I was just dong my job' mentality.
I would suggest that if the signage says 20 and eveyone is doing 80, then 80 it is or, you are likely to get an HGV enema and you can feel righteous as you pick bits of airline from your soft palate in your hospital bed.
Equally, if eveyone IS doing 20 and you stick at 70 then you are the clearly the @rse.

• I'm not picking on you by the way but it was a nice, clear post to start from!

And today's motoring moral dilemma is...

[S0updr4g0n]

carinaman said:

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/m5-s...

I don't know if pursuing those fines and offences for the technicality of breaching a wrong 20mph limit on a Motorway in the middle of the night half a day after the accident brings speed enforcement and the safety justification into disrepute.

Great British justice includes getting done for a technicality on a wrongly set limit?

Any signage for the 20 mph limit was legal and therefore the fines and penalty points are correct and not wrong?

Mrs S0up got caught by this and I was a passenger; it did indeed go from 70 to 20, I recall the gantry signs were not that far apart really but I could be wrong. Car in front also got caught.