Reply to: Motorway average speed cameras

[ASB]

Switch lanes after each one. They don't work then and you can go as fast as you like.

Yes (ish). It was the case that in order to be admissible as evidence readings had to be from the same lane. From about 4 years ago:- http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/a...nging-lanes.do

I believe the situation has now changed a bit, paired cameras in a controlled zone are enough, if you can be certain of passing each camera in a zone in a different lane you are ok because pairing will fail.

[NickFitz]

Switch lanes after each one. They don't work then and you can go as fast as you like.

Not true. People thought that because when they were first used they hadn't been type-approved for that case, but that ceased to be true at least a couple of years ago.

More here.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Switch lanes after each one. They don't work then and you can go as fast as you like.

Despite what you may read in the press, SPECS is not lane specific, or limited to vehicles that enter and exit the zone in the same lane.

[Alf W]

On my weekly commute I encounter lots of sets of road works with average speed cameras and I move into the first lane sit behind a lorry and comply with the speed limit of 50mph.
BUT I am always getting over taken and it seems that only half of the cars are doing 50, the rest seem to be going much faster. Am I missing something? does 50mph mean up to 60 or something?
I'm just surprised that so many cars seem to whizz through the cameras, I'm not going to put it to the test - as I'm sure someone will suggest

Has anyone been caught speeding on one of these average speed thingies ?
At the last count I went through 7 sets of these from Manchester to Swindon

Switch lanes after each one. They don't work then and you can go as fast as you like.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Take your number plates off for a commute that is mostly in average speed camera territory, you're unlikely to see any police cars in these areas.

I want a set of rotating plates like James bond's Aston DB5

[shoes]

Take your number plates off for a commute that is mostly in average speed camera territory, you're unlikely to see any police cars in these areas.

[mrdonuts]

they look as though they only look at front plates, letting motorcyclists do whatever speed they f uckin well like

[VectraMan]

No No No! You are an aggressive driver who causes accidents!

Not at all. Clearly there's a bit of co-operation that needs to happen, but the person already on the motorway has all the advantages. He's has full view, and is probably going faster, and has time to make room. It's easy to say "well they should give way", but the person on the slip road is desperately trying to look in their mirrors, desperately trying to match the speed with traffic, and is rapidly running out of road.

It's not so bad on UK motorways, but go abroad or try dual carrigeways (I know the A34 and A3 fairly well for this), and there's very little room on the slip roads. Sometimes it's a case of be agressive, or end up in a ditch at 70mph. Either that or you stop at the end of the slip road, and that really is a thousand times more dangerous as you're then forced to join the road ridiculously slowly.

All because a few selfish people would rather cause a near accident than lift off and be 5 seconds late. And slowing and joining behind isn't always an option if the person behind is equally selfish, and no matter how you look at it, the more momentum you lose the worse the situation becomes and the greater hazard you create.

Motorway accidents are caused by people failing to anticipate what's happening ahead. Not to mention the fact that suddenly braking due to idiots not making room for traffic out of sliproads is what usually causes traffic jams too.

[Board Game Geek]

Spot on Drewster.

Naturally, I have to merge when I join the motorway, and what makes life difficult is when the oncoming car on the motorway speeds up (to try and get past me as I merge) or slows down (possibly to let me merge).

I'm not a mind reader and have no idea what the chappie is doing, which then causes me to try and second guess their actions.

If chappie carried on at a constant rate, then it's easier to merge.

It's when you get breakdowns on the slip road that merges with the motorway that things get really interesting.

Or the muppet I saw once who drove halfway down the slip road, realised they were going in the wrong direction, so they veered in to the hard shoulder and reversed all the way back up the slip road to the roundabout.

[Drewster]

Aren't both sides of this argument being agressive. On the one hand, vectraman with his god given right to merge, on the other, you two with your "I refuse to slow a little" and let you out? I bet you don't try that with 44tonners - esp the foreign ones.

In my original post I said "as far as possible at a constant speed".... as wel as saying iI would attempt to pull out...

If I remain at a constant speed the other drivers do not need to try to predict or adjust to what I "might" do...

If I slow down.... it might be nothing to do with the merging driver and I might speed up again.... and run into him just as he looks away....

Obviously situations vary... if its a busy road with a lot of nose to tail traffic I would try to make eye contact with the driver (muppet or not) and we can agree via a nod & a wink that he will merge in front of me.... if he doesn't attempt this basic curtesy I am perfectly happy to "hold my ground".

I wouldn't ever actually cause a crash just to prove a point... but my point is that all drivers (including me) should drive in such a way that they don't cause any other road users to "have" to do something..... all (including me) should be aware of what other drivers are doing and (where possible) make adjustments - so if I am driving on the inside lane of the main carriageway with empty lanes outside me I should notice the merging driver and move into the middle/outside lane to ease his entry (so to speak) but he shouldn't just "barge" in.... If I (or the old geezer in the flat cap) keep trundling along the inside lane without moving out the "merger" should adjust his speed (up or down) to merge without causing me to do anything "different".

Far too often people think "that old geezer in a flat cap is driving like a donkey..... which gives me the right to cut him up/give him a heart attack"

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Aren't both sides of this argument being agressive. On the one hand, vectraman with his god given right to merge, on the other, you two with your "I refuse to slow a little" and let you out? I bet you don't try that with 44tonners - esp the foreign ones.

[Drewster]

Sort of WHS ^ but less shouty.

But I do find that Vectra's and the like are usually the bane of my driving life....

Trust me that isn't even close to SHOUTING!!

[MaryPoppins]

Sort of WHS ^ but less shouty.

But I do find that Vectra's and the like are usually the bane of my driving life....

[Drewster]

Erm, what are you expecting people to do on slip roads? Stop at the end and wait? (If you've ever seen anybody do that it's about the most dangerous and terrifying thing imaginable).

People already on the motorway have to move over or make room.

No No No! You are an aggressive driver who causes accidents!

What I expect people to do is obey the rules of the road and in a generic sense to drive in such a way as not to make me "have" to do anything I wasn't going to do.

So in your example if/when I see someone who wants to join the M'way from a slip road.
1) IF the lane outside me is clear enough for me to pull out without causing a knock on effect to other road users...... I will pull out to allow the merging driver clear access to the inside lane.
2) If 1 isn't possible safely I will continue on the inside lane - as far as possible at a constant speed.

It is the responsibility of the merging driver to merge safely.... he can do this by speeding up and "slotting" into the traffic stream ahead of me - as long as he doesn't cause people (specifically me) to "have" to break/swerve etc
or he can do this by slowing slightly to "slot" in behind me - as long as he doesn't force the driver behind me to break/swerve etc.

If he can do neither of these things he should slow further... and at an extreme level he may need to actually stop before finding a suitable gap
It is much better for him to do this rather than cause an accident on the main carriage way "behind him" causing mayhem and havoc while he drives on oblivious.

I understand (and sympathise) that by slowing down and even stopping on the slip road he runs the risk of some (other) muppet who thinks they own the road tailending him..... I know we sometimes have no choice but to adjust for such muppets but they do need to realise that they are in the wrong not the careful drivers who are not causing the problems.

In case its not clear from the above - If you VectraMan really think that other drivers should "move out of your way" it is you who is the Muppet and you should be ashamed of yourself.

[Bagpuss]

On my weekly commute I encounter lots of sets of road works with average speed cameras and I move into the first lane sit behind a lorry and comply with the speed limit of 50mph.
BUT I am always getting over taken and it seems that only half of the cars are doing 50, the rest seem to be going much faster. Am I missing something? does 50mph mean up to 60 or something?
I'm just surprised that so many cars seem to whizz through the cameras, I'm not going to put it to the test - as I'm sure someone will suggest

Has anyone been caught speeding on one of these average speed thingies ?
At the last count I went through 7 sets of these from Manchester to Swindon

They go off at something over 60mph, I haven't tested any speed over that yet. Also noticed that since they have been there I have had less traffic jams on my commute and the journey time has fallen by about 30 minutes. I would be happy if they stayed there as they seem to be stopping the phantom traffic jams that are caused by the tailgaiters.