No more hidden speed cameras

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Wed 18 Feb 2015 23:41
No more hidden speed cameras - Bilboman

Headline from today's newspaper: "The traffic department will no longer mount hidden speed traps on single carriage roads"
The head of traffic police in a statement to the parliamentary Road Safety Commission defended the transparency of speed controls and denied that her department had a revenue-raising agenda. Mobile speed cameras will be "visible and for a limited duration, placed at different locations and with a prior warning sign. Fixed and mobile speed cameras will be visible, so that the posted speed limit sign is adhered to.... The ultimate objective is not the speeding ticket."
I almost forgot to mention that this is in Spain, where road safety has improved markedly in the last few years - road deaths have dropped by 80% in under 20 years and, as in Britain, the year 2013 saw the lowest number of fatalities since records began.

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Thu 19 Feb 2015 07:14
No more hidden speed cameras - oldroverboy.
Makes too much money here, but. My speed awareness course did the trick for me. Saves me the fines and fuel. I also feel that I am more aware of the consequences so go slower. The clearer dials in the new car help too.
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Thu 19 Feb 2015 07:43
No more hidden speed cameras - gordonbennet

The days of being able to use your common sense to set your own speed limit (often well below that posted) are well and truly a thing of the past, our generation ladies and gents have seen the best days of motoring in this country pass into history.

Lorries and PSV's have had speed monitoring/recording/limiting for many years, it's only a matter of time before similar restrictions find their way into car use one way or another.

Whether majoring on speed as such makes the roads any safer for all is another question entirely, we all know people with all classes of licence that are a menace in a vehicle at any speed and others who get a move on above the limit at times but who are competent alert safe drivers using speed as and when appropriate.

Lowest Common Denominator or One Size Fits All...its Utopia folks.

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Thu 19 Feb 2015 11:17
No more hidden speed cameras - ExA35Owner

I have some sympathy with a colleague who describes speeding fines as a tax on stupidity. He argues that if you know the speed limit - which isn't much of a challenge - you can then drive within it - which again isn't difficult.

I have seen a different view from a road engineer. The point he made was that speed limits affect the average speed of traffic and therefore the severity of impacts when they occur. The effect of the imposition of a limit varies between locations, and average speeds are reduced by a greater margin when drivers can identify for themselves that the limit seems appropriate.

If the purpose of speed cameras is to enforce speed limits, then visible cameras will only be effective at reducing speeds for the stretch of road where they are installed. If a driver has no clue whether a camera is watching, and if cameras are reasonably common, the deterrent effect will apply on all roads rather than just at camera locations. Note the effect of average speed cameras on motorway roadworks or smart motorways.

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Thu 19 Feb 2015 13:57
No more hidden speed cameras - oldroverboy.

Note the effect of average speed cameras on motorway roadworks or smart motorways.

Two of the bits of the M4 I use hav avg speed cameras, clearly signposted, and one in particular at Port Talbot has much improved sine the introduction.

If they are a useful tool for safety , it's alright by me,

But while people will stray a little bit if they have the "tolerances" then ok too, but if they are strict eg 50... that becomes a revenue raiser.

So like many others try to drive at 49 in those circumstances and hope for the best. set limit chime for 50 on smartfone app too!

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Thu 19 Feb 2015 14:18
No more hidden speed cameras - madf

I am afraid most speedersa are numpties. It does not atke much intelligence to work out likely areas for cameras.. and satnavs warm of them.


So people who speed and are caugfht are bad drivers and inattentive as well. They need to be fined a lot more to make sure they drive more safely or are taxed off the road.

I am serious: people who speed and are caught more than once are idiots. they learn nothing from their mistakes..

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Thu 19 Feb 2015 14:28
No more hidden speed cameras - craig-pd130

I am serious: people who speed and are caught more than once are idiots. they learn nothing from their mistakes.

As I regularly exceed speed limits on extra-urban roads and motorways (not by much, but that's no defence), I agree entirely.

Travelling at speed requires awareness of ALL hazards and being able to safely negotiate them, and this includes fixed and mobile cameras, vans on motorway bridges / in laybys, unmarked police cars etc.

If as a driver you're not looking for these as you proceed, you're being inattentive.

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Thu 19 Feb 2015 22:52
No more hidden speed cameras - ExA35Owner

Forgot to mention in my earlier post one bit of research I remember from long ago (so can't give chapter and verse). Urban dual carriageway, 30 limit. When limit raised to 40, the average speed of vehicles went down.

One other observation: speed limits (apart from national limits, and urban 30) are set by highway staff who have some sound knowledge of safe speeds, and have data on collisions on that stretch of road. They are likely to make a better stab at the correct limit for that particular road than a driver who doesn't know the area.

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Fri 20 Feb 2015 14:52
No more hidden speed cameras - Bilboman

Interesting replies so far and none of the usual zero-tolerance/string 'em up/all speed kills high and mighty brigade, either!
The Basque Police will for the moment continue to set hidden speed traps, but the fixed radars are painted bright yellow as a trade-off. Navarra's police are not big on hidden cameras, and I'm not sure what the Catalan police will do, but it will be interesting to see after a year or so how the presence of hidden/unhidden mobile speed cameras in different areas affects speeds, fines and of course collisions.
As of this summer a number of EU countries will formally exchange data on overseas drivers, allowing for fines to be sent to other countries (Denmark and the UK not for a couple of years) so the net is closing fast, folks!

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Fri 20 Feb 2015 22:06
No more hidden speed cameras - P3t3r

Why is it wrong for the police to enforce the law? The law doesn't change depending on whether there is a camera. Why aren't the police allowed to do their job and catch the speeders (using cameras)? Stupid rules!

Doing 100+mph isn't necessarily dangerous on a motorway, but with what I see, even 70mph is too fast for the way many people drive :(

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