Speeding camera (M1 Northbound before J29)

[top4718]

Not the only thing that they focus on, but the only thing that is rigorously enforced at spot points all over the country by cameras and fines...

 

You can see why people might thing that there is an over focus on it.

 

Oh, that and the lowering of many speed limits all over the country now that councils have been given that ability, some directly against the advice of the studies they commissioned (A57 Sheffield to Ladybower for example).

 

Exactly Cyclone, its such an easy measure to rake money in that other driving offences hardly factor anymore such is the obssession.

 

I asked a question earlier - there is a regular speed camera on Retford Rd in Handsworth (almost every week) was this a particular accident "blackspot" hence the introduction or is it merely a spot for "easy pickings"?

 

With regards to the speed awareness course it cost me £85, I was sat in a class of 20 people (assuming they all paid the same figure) thats £1,700 a class, there were five classes running concurrently - £8,500, the classes run twice a day five days a week and saturday morning, if my maths is correct thats £93,500 per week for very little outlay, if thats not an excellent money earner I don't know what is. You can certainly see why the emphasis is placed on this offence.

[Cyclone]

We know that "easy pickings" are targeted. There have been cases of speed cameras being erected on roads before the road has even opened.

 

I guess the problem is, that from a driver point of view, dangerous and aggressive driving is far more of a concern than someone doing 80 in a 70 zone in a safe way.

From an enforcement point of view, cameras are totally incapable of judging what is dangerous but can easily determine speed.

Speed limits are important IMO, that we have them, but I think they've become over enforced if that can be a valid concept. The level of enforcement effort dedicated to them is out of all proportion with the severity of breaking the speed limit.

[tzijlstra]

I'm delighted to live in the UK, enforcement of speeding here is practically non-existent compared to the Netherlands, where it really is an additional cash cow for local government. Lived here for 9 years and only once had a fine for speeding, from the lovely Scots who love taking laserimages of 'English' drivers coming up the M74.

 

That realisation also makes me wonder if the M1 cameras are indeed just being tested. Going past again today, might report back!

[DT Ralge]

Exactly Cyclone, its such an easy measure to rake money in that other driving offences hardly factor anymore such is the obssession.

 

I asked a question earlier - there is a regular speed camera on Retford Rd in Handsworth (almost every week) was this a particular accident "blackspot" hence the introduction or is it merely a spot for "easy pickings"?

 

With regards to the speed awareness course it cost me £85, I was sat in a class of 20 people (assuming they all paid the same figure) thats £1,700 a class, there were five classes running concurrently - £8,500, the classes run twice a day five days a week and saturday morning, if my maths is correct thats £93,500 per week for very little outlay, if thats not an excellent money earner I don't know what is. You can certainly see why the emphasis is placed on this offence.

 

Is the board (on Retford Rd) telling of the 58(?) child casualties no longer there?

[L00b]

I'm delighted to live in the UK, enforcement of speeding here is practically non-existent compared to the Netherlands, where it really is an additional cash cow for local government. Lived here for 9 years and only once had a fine for speeding, from the lovely Scots who love taking laserimages of 'English' drivers coming up the M74.

You want to try France, where the unbound authoritarian zealousness promoted by Sarkozy way-back-when has literally transformed driving habits in less than a decade, generating billion upon billion's worth of speeding fines.

 

Bearing in mind that speed traps over there can be set up wherever on the roadside in minutes, onboard unmarked cars or handheld by smurfs hiding in bushes, with no requirement whatsoever to signal the speed trap in advance with signs or day-glo paint schemes.

 

Arguably it did work, by reducing road casualties quite significantly in the early years. But it's started to run out of puff in the past 3 years (road casualties going back up consistently, suggesting that the level of ever diminishing returns level was reached 3 years ago).

 

Yet, still it goes on, bringing up a mental image of baby seals being clubbed

Edited May 9, 2016 by L00b

[top4718]

Is the board (on Retford Rd) telling of the 58(?) child casualties no longer there?

 

I've been using the road on and off for about the last 7yrs and have never seen it, the only serious accidents I can recall in recent years on that stretch were both a result of reckless driving.

 

58 children killed seems a hell of a high figure, are you sure?

[rudds1]

You don't have to be killed to be classed as a casualty ,so the 58 casualties might include kids who just been hit by vehicles and survived

[tzijlstra]

You want to try France, where the unbound authoritarian zealousness promoted by Sarkozy way-back-when has literally transformed driving habits in less than a decade, generating billion upon billion's worth of speeding fines.

 

Bearing in mind that speed traps over there can be set up wherever on the roadside in minutes, onboard unmarked cars or handheld by smurfs hiding in bushes, with no requirement whatsoever to signal the speed trap in advance with signs or day-glo paint schemes.

 

Arguably it did work, by reducing road casualties quite significantly in the early years. But it's started to run out of puff in the past 3 years (road casualties going back up consistently, suggesting that the level of ever diminishing returns level was reached 3 years ago).

 

Yet, still it goes on, bringing up a mental image of baby seals being clubbed

 

Sounds like Sarkozy took lessons from the Dutch

 

I had a pen-friend called Tobias, each time he sent a letter it would cost me between 35 and 60 euros. Tobias was a laser-system handled by the local police force that knew exactly where people would go 2km/h+ too fast on the main-road and would spend all day sitting there, gaining income.

 

Tobias was loyal, he sent me a letter at least once a month, often more. Another pen-friend was the stationary camera right behind some traffic-lights where the speed-limit jumped from 50 to 80. The camera however measured just before the 80 zone and just behind the traffic lights. The lights were usually on green (main arterial road) and people would get caught all the time whilst accelerating to 80. My cousin lived in the village and sat down one morning in rush hour to see how many it flashed, he counted around 3 per minute for an hour. That is 3x60x60 (average fine, achieved at going 10 km/h too fast) equals over 10,000 euros per rush hour. He wrote to the council to complain and they replied quite openly, stating they used the revenue to upgrade the roads and would not move the camera for that reason.

 

Fortunately I live here now, that 60 euros is now 102...

 

The other thing about the Netherlands (and probably France) is that everybody gets caught out. The stretch of Penistone Road that is 30 (for some bizarre reason, hemmed in between 40 Mph stretches) would be plastered with cameras (hidden and visible) and everybody doing over 32 Mph would get a fine. Be pleased the British police aren't muppets like that, or certainly be pleased that the income doesn't go to local government, because I have a feeling that is the key-difference.

[Cyclone]

Is the board (on Retford Rd) telling of the 58(?) child casualties no longer there?

 

http://www.southyorks.police.uk/node/2064

 

Please be aware that these statistics cover the calendar years 2007-2011, as the data for the first three months of 2012 is incomplete, so therefore financial years would provide incomplete statistics and they would not be as current as the statistics given.

 

The statistics cover Retford Road from the junction of Handsworth Road to the junction at Beaver Hill Road.

During the period mentioned above there have been 5 injury collisions recorded, resulting in 2 serious and 5 slight casualties.

Of these, an analysis of the type of collision, with reference to the vehicles involved is as follows:

1) Head-on collision between 2 cars - both drivers seriously injured

2) Van driver ran into rear of bus, causing slight injuries to bus driver

3) Car driver lost control of vehicle, mounting kerb and colliding with bollard and sustaining slight injuries

4) Car driver braked to avoid another vehicle and struck by 2 other cars - 2 of the drivers sustained slight injuries

5) Bus passenger sustained slight injuries whilst exiting vehicle

 

This part of Retford Rd, or another part?

[geared]

Shame you find it tedious.

Many/most attendees report it having been illuminating, eye-opening, a useful refresher.

Those who go into into with a closed mind are likely to get little out of it, yawn, think "yeah, yeah, yeah" and, in my experience are spotted as such by the trainers in the first moments. Hey ho ...

 

Everyone I know who's been on one says they're a total waste of time and would probably be over in half the time if the idiots on the course weren't:

 

A: so argumentative

B: so un-aware of the rules of the road

 

My mate had to sit through a 10 minute argument on the correct speed for NSL, so many people thought it was 50 on a single carriageway :confused:

 

Which also begs the question - "what are you doing on a speeding course you moron???"