M25 Speed Cameras
Discussion
I was flashed about a week ago on the M25, my GPS i had in the car (as my speedo broke that morning) was reading 104mph, just before the gantry camera, but i might have slower down a little as i got to the sign as it was my junction in about 1/2 a mile. It was 2am and there was one other car around on the entire road, all four lanes, and it was bone dry. I have not heard anything back yet, but i am not really worried as there is nothing worrying about it can do! I guess i will just have to wait. My real question however is, the camera was in the m25, just befoe the m4 junction, and are thecameras not meant to be all painted yellow and not hidden? or is not a law and more a voluntary rule? I was hopping someone could help me out with this?
Sorry for ranting on!
Sorry for ranting on!
If you havent heard anything in around 2 months, you have probably got away with it. At around 6-7 months you have definatly got away with it!
I will leave deltaF to come in with the "DONT SIGN THE NIP!!!!"
Is it a GPS satalite speed camera detector that you got your speed reading from? If so how come you go caught?! These devices are useless if ignored!
I will leave deltaF to come in with the "DONT SIGN THE NIP!!!!"
Is it a GPS satalite speed camera detector that you got your speed reading from? If so how come you go caught?! These devices are useless if ignored!
No it is just a handheld gps, a garmin one my dad used to use on out boat when we lived overseas, it is about 5 years old but generally acurate, just gives you heading, altitude, speed, exact grid reference and trag log etc, its okay and backlit, but i think i was not watchin it enough.
I thought that when introduced it was said that the cameras on the M25 in the variable speed section would only be turned on when a speed limit of less than the NSL was in force.
Subsequently I have been informed, whether rightly or not, that they are set to trigger at around 95mph. Not sure I believe it though as rarely see them flash.
I myself was flashed at over a 100 a year or two ago, and I heard nothing.
Subsequently I have been informed, whether rightly or not, that they are set to trigger at around 95mph. Not sure I believe it though as rarely see them flash.
I myself was flashed at over a 100 a year or two ago, and I heard nothing.
No, the M25 cameras use film. The camera & radar mechanism is identical to normal film-based fixed-speed GATSO cameras. So that is an 800-shot bulk-load film, 2 shots per offense plus a couple of test shots on startup giveing about 398 enforcement shots. But since a couple of test shots are taken every time the speed limit changes then this is a theoretical maximum.
The system can and does enforce at NSL but the threshold is generally set pretty high. From memory the threshold is 0-99mph giving an enforcement speed of between 70 and 169 mph for NSL. What it is actually set to is entirely up to the operator though.
I can't remember whether the NSL enforcement can be disabled or not. After all, it has been 9 years since I worked on the system.
>> Edited by JonRB on Sunday 18th May 15:28
The system can and does enforce at NSL but the threshold is generally set pretty high. From memory the threshold is 0-99mph giving an enforcement speed of between 70 and 169 mph for NSL. What it is actually set to is entirely up to the operator though.
I can't remember whether the NSL enforcement can be disabled or not. After all, it has been 9 years since I worked on the system.
>> Edited by JonRB on Sunday 18th May 15:28
Wouldn't make any difference if they were painted yellow, as most of the cameras are hiden behind the electronic variable speed limit signs. Does make a bit of a mockery regarding camera sitement regulations. But as these were in position long before the regulations came to force they probably aren't covered. Also and correct me if i'm wrong, these cameras are not included as part of the safety camera partnership. Their job is the enforcement of the variable speed limits around the M25 only. There was a famous case where a guy was charged with speeding after being caught by one of the Gantry cameras, but as it was outside the hours of variable speed, he successfully argued that he didn't know the camera usage extended to outside the time of the variable limit, even though he was still speeding. I think this goes some way to explaining why people don't receive NIP's for speeding from the Gantry cameras on the M25 if driving outside the hours when the variable speed limit is inforce.
An except from an article I wrote on the system a while back:
The idea of the [system] was to increase traffic flow by slowing traffic coming into a gridlock or traffic jam to below the speed of the vehicles leaving the jam, hence dispersing the bottleneck and keeping the traffic moving. Being a pilot scheme, the idea was to see if this actually worked, and reports from the field indicate that in many ways it doesn't - the average speed of vehicles travelling along the section of the M25 covered by these cameras is lower than that of other sections. However, many drivers report that they feel less stressed and traffic flow is smoother with less abrupt near-emergency braking, so it is perhaps a partial success.
The system was never intended to be a "speed trap" to simply prosecute drivers travelling over the national speed limit, however an amendment to the specification called for it to have this ability, and it subsequently became clear that the Police were as interested in this ability as its original purpose of smoothing traffic flow
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