Flexible Speed limits - what's the situation??!!

[paulgs1000]

Travelled to London to see my eldest's new flat (fantastic by the way ) yesterday. On the M25 I came across the flexible speed limits. There was an incident ahead (flashed up) and the red circled 60 came on over the gantry, then on the next gantry it was 50, and at the final one it was 40.
Now, being from 'up north' and having read that smart motorways now have cameras on these gantrys for every lane, I slowed down to the mandatory need speed limit. Every other vehicle just carried on!! By the time I'd slowed down to the last one the situation was dangerous - I'd become a moving chicane with lorries steaming up behind and overtaking . . . .didn't see any flashes. :?

I couldn't understand it and wonder if anyone living in London had any comments, knowledge, views?

On the way home at 11.30 we saw 2 flashes of cameras where the red circled flexi speed limit had been posted - I could see in my mirror that the gantries had the red circles up after being shocked by the flashes - so how do they/are they, working!!?? :?

 

[Bing]

Not all the gantries have cameras Paul, despite there being markings on the road. If people have speed camera detectors or markers on their satnavs and there is no camera, if the traffic is not slowing in front then people don't bother slowing down. Though I always slow to 70 nowadays whether the variable speed limits are in or not.

 

[Smartbear]

Hi Paul, I was under the impression that the motorway gantry cameras flash at the posted variable limit-I certainly slow down when a lower limit is flashed up overhead & wouldn't want to take my chances with them
Rob

 

[paulgs1000]

Not all the gantries have cameras Paul, despite there being markings on the road. If people have speed camera detectors or markers on their satnavs and there is no camera, if the traffic is not slowing in front then people don't bother slowing down. Though I always slow to 70 nowadays whether the variable speed limits are in or not.

Bit of a gamble Bing you could lose your licence past 4 gantries
They are definitely working (as we saw on the way home) - All very confusing
Though that might explain why our satnav was only highlighting some of the gantries as having speed cameras

 

[sp3ctre]

My understanding is that they flash at the variable limit when it is displayed. The discussion point I thought was whether or not they are active at all when there is no limit displayed. The rumour in the early days was that they were not, but I wouldn't want to risk it.

 

[PerryGunn]

Not all the gantries have cameras Paul, despite there being markings on the road. If people have speed camera detectors or markers on their satnavs and there is no camera, if the traffic is not slowing in front then people don't bother slowing down. Though I always slow to 70 nowadays whether the variable speed limits are in or not.

Bit of a gamble Bing you could lose your licence past 4 gantries

There's a 'continuous offence' defence against that - if you speed past several cameras the court should only treat it as one continuous bout of speeding

 

[paulgs1000]

My understanding is that they flash at the variable limit when it is displayed. The discussion point I thought was whether or not they are active at all when there is no limit displayed. The rumour in the early days was that they were not, but I wouldn't want to risk it.

This is what I understood from reading articles etc (even in the IAMS magazines) yet there is little doubt that this wasn't the case yesterday. It made for a very dangerous situation - At one point I was travelling a good 20-30 mph slower than surrounding traffic and causing a potential hazard! Yet we saw for ourselves that the system was working on the way home. Very odd. :?

 

[paulgs1000]

Not all the gantries have cameras Paul, despite there being markings on the road. If people have speed camera detectors or markers on their satnavs and there is no camera, if the traffic is not slowing in front then people don't bother slowing down. Though I always slow to 70 nowadays whether the variable speed limits are in or not.

Bit of a gamble Bing you could lose your licence past 4 gantries

There's a 'continuous offence' defence against that - if you speed past several cameras the court should only treat it as one continuous bout of speeding

I've never heard about that Perry - would it apply as one continuous bout since 1974? :lol:

 

[sp3ctre]

I've never heard about that Perry - would it apply as one continuous bout since 1974? :lol:

I know of someone who went on a business trip and got caught by the same pair of cameras in each direction. They managed to get it classed as a single offence.

 

[PerryGunn]

Bit of a gamble Bing you could lose your licence past 4 gantries

There's a 'continuous offence' defence against that - if you speed past several cameras the court should only treat it as one continuous bout of speeding

I've never heard about that Perry - would it apply as one continuous bout since 1974? :lol:

:lol:

The law doesn't specify a minimum spacing for speed cameras so if you were speeding on one stretch of road and got caught by 3 successive cameras, say, 500m apart, would that be one offence or three?

If it's three offences, what would happen if the cameras are only 10m apart - is it still three offences?

To use a reductio ad absurdum argument, could you go past four cameras spaced 1m apart and be charged with four separate offences and end up with 12 points and a ban?

It's the difference between being caught in the process of committing one offence multiple times and committing multiple offences...

 

[Smartbear]

There's a 'continuous offence' defence against that - if you speed past several cameras the court should only treat it as one continuous bout of speeding

I've never heard about that Perry - would it apply as one continuous bout since 1974? :lol:

:lol:

The law doesn't specify a minimum spacing for speed cameras so if you were speeding on one stretch of road and got caught by 3 successive cameras, say, 500m apart, would that be one offence or three?

If it's three offences, what would happen if the cameras are only 10m apart - is it still three offences?

To use a reductio ad absurdum argument, could you go past four cameras spaced 1m apart and be charged with four separate offences and end up with 12 points and a ban?

It's the difference between being caught in the process of committing one offence multiple times and committing multiple offences...

I think the authorities would try to prosecute for multiple separate offences (why am I not surprised?) but with a good solicitor I've read of these being beaten back to one offence of speeding on a particular road...
Rob

 

[Bing]

Not all the gantries have cameras Paul, despite there being markings on the road. If people have speed camera detectors or markers on their satnavs and there is no camera, if the traffic is not slowing in front then people don't bother slowing down. Though I always slow to 70 nowadays whether the variable speed limits are in or not.

Bit of a gamble Bing you could lose your licence past 4 gantries
They are definitely working (as we saw on the way home) - All very confusing
Though that might explain why our satnav was only highlighting some of the gantries as having speed cameras

That's my point - my camera detector knows where they are, as they're not on every gantry. So I only slow when the alarm goes off.

 

[goldbcfc]

M6 Jct 10 my route to work is a nightmare well known for getting caught. From memory the gantry ones flash one got me last year I just thought a car had flashed behind me. I was just offered a course but most the Birmingham city cameras are now being switched back on again after being off for 3yrs. I'm gutted time to get cautious it was a variable that got me last time one moment its 50 then 60 then 50 again and the roads clear does my nut in.

If you see those rows of yellow cameras on motorway and you think you have been going over limit. Just change lanes they only work for each separate lane cant calculate average if your switching lanes. I've had 0 points for years and use motorway daily for work.

 

[BMWZ4MC]

My understanding is that they flash at the variable limit when it is displayed. The discussion point I thought was whether or not they are active at all when there is no limit displayed. The rumour in the early days was that they were not, but I wouldn't want to risk it.

In 2006, I went under a gantry at 85mph on the Surrey stretch of the M25 between the M3 and A3. There was a double flash from the camera despite there being no reduced speed displayed on that gantry. Whilst I didn't receive a ticket, it was evidence enough for me that the cameras were active even when the variable speed limit was not in force.

 

[Bing]

If you see those rows of yellow cameras on motorway and you think you have been going over limit. Just change lanes they only work for each separate lane cant calculate average if your switching lanes. I've had 0 points for years and use motorway daily for work.

That used to be the case many years ago, but is not now true. The camera system is a lot more intelligent now. Best strategy for average speed areas is sit no more than 4/5 mph above the speed limit, no more.

 

[Steve84N]

The gantry cameras near me you can see them if you look up as you get closer before you go under them. Unfortunately, the ones near Brum they seem to have put in the camera platforms on lots more than just the ones with cameras so you can't tell until you're even closer.

 

[goldbcfc]

Its annoying because they could quite easily send you a letter and say look we caught u don't do it again or we will prosecute you would take the caution and be more aware. They just like takin gour money is there honestly any need for all the cameras. I mentioned their now turning the Birmingham ones back on and my mate has literally just sent me this few minutes ago

sneaky putting cameras up on bus stops