Average speed cameras on m25

[nil1121]

I was driving around the M25 over the weekend thro the road works and there are the average speed cameras which the speed limit is 50mph. I am sticking to 50mph and there are people still flying past me. I want to know do these cameras actually work and are these people getting speeding tickets ?

 

[guest100718]

I was driving around the M25 over the weekend thro the road works and there are the average speed cameras which the speed limit is 50mph. I am sticking to 50mph and there are people still flying past me. I want to know do these cameras actually work and are these people getting speeding tickets ?

It is average speed after all....

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

When you and all immediately around you are doing 50mph - someone doing 60mph will seem to rocket past you. So get to an average of 50mph over a reasonable stretch when occasionally doing 60mph isn't that difficult.

 

[Foxholer]

I think ASCs are the most effective moderator of speed there is! That doesn't stop me from 'hating' them - especially at weekends when there is no-one actually working in that section - nor getting angry at the guys flying past at significantly higher!

And that's as a motor-cyclist who hasn't yet seen one facing in the direction to pick up my plate!

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

On average speed - my experience of regularly having driven the M6 Toll is odd. I would drive on it early Sunday evenings. Most of the time that motorway was almost empty. I found I could very happily drive at a steady 70mph very much more easily than when on a busy motorway when you are in middle of folks belting along at 80-90mph+ Driving at 70mph then becomes difficult.

Average speed cameras on all motorways - measuring average speed in maybe 20 mile segments - when would therefore I think find us all driving happily at around 70mph - without the need or urge to belt along at 80-90mph. We would still be able to drive at these speeds when driving conditions deemed it sensible. So maybe our speed limit for motorways should be expressed as average over a defined distance.

 

[Hacker Khan]

Average speed cameras on all motorways - measuring average speed in maybe 20 mile segments - when would therefore I think find us all driving happily at around 70mph - without the need or urge to belt along at 80-90mph. .

Really? In modern cars on a quiet motorway (which are the safest roads) you think people would be happy to poddle along at 70mph? Don't think so myself. The government just about admitted recently that 80 is a more sensible limit nowadays, mostly due to the vast increase in the safety and reduction in stopping distances of cars since the limit was set decades ago. But they bottled increasing it in the end mostly due to pressure from the environmental interest groups.

We should do what they do in the US and other countries where you have variable limits at all times depending on the conditions. So in some conditions 80mph is perfectly safe to do, but in others you would not want people going over 60mph. You could argue the variable speed cameras now popping up is a way to do this, but from the ones I see they are just there to slow traffic down, sometimes for no obvious reason. Sure reduce it to 60 if it is very busy and bad weather, but how about increasing it to 80 when you have light traffic and perfect visibility?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Really? In modern cars on a quiet motorway (which are the safest roads) you think people would be happy to poddle along at 70mph? Don't think so myself. The government just about admitted recently that 80 is a more sensible limit nowadays, mostly due to the vast increase in the safety and reduction in stopping distances of cars since the limit was set decades ago. But they bottled increasing it in the end mostly due to pressure from the environmental interest groups.

We should do what they do in the US and other countries where you have variable limits at all times depending on the conditions. So in some conditions 80mph is perfectly safe to do, but in others you would not want people going over 60mph. You could argue the variable speed cameras now popping up is a way to do this, but from the ones I see they are just there to slow traffic down, sometimes for no obvious reason. Sure reduce it to 60 if it is very busy and bad weather, but how about increasing it to 80 when you have light traffic and perfect visibility?

I said it was odd. Driving along an empty motorway I found I had little feeling of the difference between driving at 70mph and 90mph - I know - as occasionally I found myself drifting up to 90mph even 100mph without realising it. What had I to compare myself with - nothing? Much of the time nobody to pass and nobody to catch.

What then is the point of driving quickly on an empty motorway if you have little experience of any thrill of speed. My own experience was that I just didn't bother. There seemed to be no point in driving at 90mph - even although I could have done - and easily - and with little risk to anyone else.

 

[MegaSteve]

Think my lad, who uses the M25 as part of his daily commute, would be over the moon to average 30mph... Struggles to achieve it even on the days he uses his 750gsxr....

 

[USER1999]

I said it was odd. Driving along an empty motorway I found I had little feeling of the difference between driving at 70mph and 90mph - I know - as occasionally I found myself drifting up to 90mph even 100mph without realising it. What had I to compare myself with - nothing? Much of the time nobody to pass and nobody to catch.

What then is the point of driving quickly on an empty motorway if you have little experience of any thrill of speed. My own experience was that I just didn't bother. There seemed to be no point in driving at 90mph - even although I could have done - and easily - and with little risk to anyone else.

Surely the reason to drive faster is to save time on the journey, not for the thrill of driving quickly? It certainly is for me.

 

[Hacker Khan]

Surely the reason to drive faster is to save time on the journey, not for the thrill of driving quickly? It certainly is for me.

Yup, me too. Can't say I have ever experienced a thrill by driving quickly as despite wanting the speed limit upped I don't like driving quickly (by which I class as over 80mph), scares me a bit.

The vast majority of people drive quickly on public roads because they want to get somewhere quicker to get on with doing something. People probably drive on track days and the such like for the thrill.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Yup, me too. Can't say I have ever experienced a thrill by driving quickly as despite wanting the speed limit upped I don't like driving quickly (by which I class as over 80mph), scares me a bit.

The vast majority of people drive quickly on public roads because they want to get somewhere quicker to get on with doing something. People probably drive on track days and the such like for the thrill.

All fair enough - just suggesting that if we are to be held to a speed limit on our motorways - whether it be 70, 80 or 90mph - then the safest way to do that would be as an average speed over a distance; and enable variable average speed according to traffic volumes and road conditions. So on M6 toll - much of the time the 70mph limit is almost pointless - so when empty you could easily indicate an average speed over it's 25-odd miles of 80mph. This would allow some driving at speeds of >80mph when driver deems conditions safe or if circumstances require higher speed for a short period - as is often required.

When I was driving up the M6 Toll I was never driving to a deadline (going north Sunday evening for work Monday). I was quite happy to sit at a legal 70mph - and it was very easy to do - and very stress-free

 

[Rooter]

Is the M6 toll got average cameras now?? oops...

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

At times. Though often have traffic cops sitting on one of the bridges watching and measuring. But I think the M6 Toll would be perfect stretch of motorway to experiment with a speed limit of 80mph average.

 

[Rooter]

At times. Though often have traffic cops sitting on one of the bridges watching and measuring. But I think the M6 Toll would be perfect stretch of motorway to experiment with a speed limit of 80mph average.

I have often experimented with variable speed limits on that road! I should share my findings! then again, the forum police would not like it.

 

[G.U.R]

As someone who uses the M25 very infrequently 5 or 6 times a year I don't mind the ASC what I do object to is the idiot in lane 3 doing 67MPH when the inside 2 lanes a are clear meaning all traffic has to pass him on the outside lane. It would appear that although now illegal Police are coming down as hard on these people as they are on people still using mobile phones while driving.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

...what I do object to is the idiot in lane 3 doing 67MPH when the inside 2 lanes a are clear

Surely this is now against the law - as would the tailgating of said driver you may or may not have been doing So you are now fully entitled to be flashing your lights and hammering your honky tonk to get them to move Though taking them by surprise doing this not a good idea - nor would under-taking.

 

[Imurg]

As someone who uses the M25 very infrequently 5 or 6 times a year I don't mind the ASC what I do object to is the idiot in lane 3 doing 67MPH when the inside 2 lanes a are clear meaning all traffic has to pass him on the outside lane. It would appear that although now illegal Police are coming down as hard on these people as they are on people still using mobile phones while driving.

The problem is catching them.
Traffic Police numbers are down, there are simply not the same numbers of Police on the roads to catch people in at he act.
If they do catch someone they do prosecute.
It's all well and good making up new laws if there are not enough Police to put them into practice..

 

[Golfmmad]

I was driving around the M25 over the weekend thro the road works and there are the average speed cameras which the speed limit is 50mph. I am sticking to 50mph and there are people still flying past me. I want to know do these cameras actually work and are these people getting speeding tickets ?

They should be - they certainly are on the A23 road widening with ASL of 40mph. A lot of drivers do not realise the need for safety for the road workforce. Even at weekends when workers are not there the need to keep to the limits are necessary because of narrow lanes creating less room for error.

Take the stress out of driving :

Even at 40mph use cruise control or keep to a constant speed, using less fuel of course.

Let the impatient speed merchants bomb past you.

:thup:

 

[londonlewis]

Motorways in the UK are the safest roads in the country.
I think the facts from last year were as follows;
Accidents on motorways represented only 4% of all motor-vehicle accidents during the year.
These accidents only represented 2% of all fatalities.

Most accidents occur on inner-city roads (people driving into the back of someone etc...)
But the most fatalities occur on rural roads - due to head on collisions (the impact speed is therefore significantly higher).

Therefore you could argue that speeding on a motor way is a lower risk than driving the speed limit on a rural road.

In terms of speed cameras. They don't clock you if you are just above the limit. There is a buffer.
For a fixed speed camera (i.e. one of the many on the A3) the speed they flash you is 10% above the limit, plus 2. e.g. if the speed camera is set at 50, you need to be travelling above 57 to get flashed.

For mobile speed cameras (e.g. police vehicles in a car on the motorway) I have heard they will typically not pull you over unless you are doing more than 86 (when the limit is 70).

Therefore, you could realistically drive at 55mph during an average speed camera zone and you wouldn't be penalised.

 

[Andy808]

I said it was odd. Driving along an empty motorway I found I had little feeling of the difference between driving at 70mph and 90mph - I know - as occasionally I found myself drifting up to 90mph even 100mph without realising it. What had I to compare myself with - nothing? Much of the time nobody to pass and nobody to catch.

What then is the point of driving quickly on an empty motorway if you have little experience of any thrill of speed. My own experience was that I just didn't bother. There seemed to be no point in driving at 90mph - even although I could have done - and easily - and with little risk to anyone else.

The difference between 70 and 90 MPH over a short distance doesn't make much difference but we travel to Scotland to see the outlaws every couple of years and it makes a massive difference over those kinds of distances. We travel over night when the roads are empty so the missus and kids can sleep all the way there and it takes us 7 hours door to door. If I did the same journey during the day it can take up to 12 hours! If I want to speed for the thrill I take the bike out for a good hard ride away from any speed camera sites in Cornwall.