I’m not sure that I follow the logic that is suggested in this news report that a speed camera in road works is not there to reduce speed but to increase revenue.
Have you ever walked on a motorway? I have. I had the misfortune to breakdown on the M27 once and had to walk about 500 yards to an SOS phone (this was in the days before mobiles). It is not a pleasant experience.
Each year, many people are killed on the hard shoulder in similar circumstances. The news article gives figures for the number of road workers killed and injured each year. I never feel any envy for the blokes putting out cones and signs when people are passing them at 80 – 90mph.
Speed limits in roadworks are there for the benefit of those people working to maintain the roads you drive on. There is a simple and effective way of reducing the danger to them and avoiding getting a speeding ticket and penalty points – SLOW DOWN. There, it’s not rocket science. Leave ten minutes earlier, check the web for roadworks information, use any of the dozen or so mobile advice services (they are free on my phone).
Incidentally, I saw a very effective use of technology recently to overcome the perceived problem of bunching and "panic braking" (which is caused only by those who think it is smart to speed up between cameras, because the speed limit only counts where you might get caught, obviously). On the roadworks on the A1(M), they have erected the cameras that read your number plate when you enter a section of road and read it again when you leave (the section of road in this case being the three miles or so that are currently being resurfaced) – and, by so doing, calculate your average speed on the section. I only saw one speeding driver (who deserved his ticket) – everyone else was observing the 50mph limit without bunching or panic braking and the traffic was moving freely – probably adding only a couple of minutes to the journey time. Perhaps this type of camera should be more widely used instead of the familiar Gatso.
Rant over.
I’ve walked along the motorway a few times after breakdowns, punctures and stopping to help after witnessing accidents. I do around 35,000 miles a year, almost all on motorways, so these things happen occasionally. It’s not a nice place to be.
I’m not in favour of speed cameras on motorways, in my experience speed hasn’t been a main factor in any of the crashes or near misses I have been witness to. I see lots of bad driving, most of it is caused by people not paying attention or not adjusting their driving style to the conditions. I want other drivers concentrating on the road, I don’t want half of their attention taken up by scanning the horizon for cameras.
I do agree that roadworks are a different matter entirely, all roadworks should have the SPECS cameras (average speed) so that people stick to the limits.
Steve
PS – Active traffic management on the M42 is good, variable speed limits (and cameras) slow cars down on the approach to jams so that they have often cleared by the time you get there.
PPS – Sorry for waffling on…
If you install the average speed cameras I’d imagine the installations of cruise control in cars would increase and I think (THINK!) that’s a bad thing as people concentrate LESS when they have less to do (I read this somewhere… something about separating the driver from the car or somesuch).
But yes, people should slow down.
And most crashes are caused by middle-lane drivers on motorways. PULL OVER YOU IDIOTS, it’s an OVERTAKING LANE!!
phew.. sorry about that…