I was just reading a story about the UKs busiest speed camera which netted £800k in just six months on a busy road junction in Cardiff. http://www.expressandstar.com/business/uk-money/2014/10/02/speed-camera-brings-in-windfall/ I was wondering what your feelings are about them. I have been caught speeding twice but on both occasions I got away with it due to being out of the country for over six months. I personally think they are a good thing in town where children may be around but do not see much point having them on our motorways. Another thing I would like to ask, "do you think those average speed cameras are actually turned on that we see so often through road works", has anyone been caught by these on the motorway?
That particular speed camera is simply a revenue generating machine and does nothing for road safety. I subscribe to the school of thought that successful speed cameras are those that generate the least income.
I agree, many of the speed cameras appear to be installed for pure money raising purposes, speed cameras seem to be a bigger distraction for drivers nowadays than mobile phones have ever been. I have not driven in the UK for twenty years, that was a comparative "golden age" for motoring, when the roads were a lot quieter, no damn cameras all over the place, not to mention the road bumps and other irritating traffic calming measures installed nowadays. I am sure that most of this stuff is planned by empty minded bureaucrats with no better purpose in life than holding commitee meetings to decide the justification for their next budget.
The planners are running riot with daft and costly projects, which anybody with a bit of common sense would leave well alone as in practice those projects will cause more misery and heartache and congest, the already at a creaking point, roads even more. Traffic calming measures, as in bumps, islands with bollards, bottle-necking, etc. etc. don't work but create other problems of their own, which owners of properties near where those monstrosities are situated can well witness. Ant the worst is the extra fuel consumption leading to more harmful gases being generated and released into the atmosphere. Traffic cameras do have some uses, if used correctly , ie where there is a high incidence of people crossing roads like near schools, city centres, etc. Any other traffic enforcement camera is there only for extra revenue.
Very true indeed Dave, I have found that the more intelligent a person is the less common sense they have, just an observation
'Common sense' is useful in helping you get from one day to the next, but don't confuse it with rational thinking. Regards traffic cams, I don't like them, I have been caught twice, once on the motorway in the S2000 driving south, camera van was on a bridge, the other time in my Accord going north, a Policeman with a radar gun jumped out from behind a tree on a deserted road on the way into a small town on a Sunday morning. All points now expired and I could get the latter ones removed from my paper licence if I really wanted. I do agree that they are largely revenue generators, some may genuinely help but my gut ('common sense'?) feeling is that it is a small proportion.
The biggest issue I have had with speed cameras have been either in Aberdeen or on the way to or from Aberdeen.
If any speed camera saves the life of a child, it is worth its weight in gold. People who get caught by a camera should plan ahead instead of racing around like idiots. There is no excuse for speeding in my book, most people have loved ones at home waiting for their safe arrival.
The A90? It is notorious for people going too fast and for the fact that there are so many crossroads, side roads, it is one of the stretches where I don't mind cameras too much.
You know, that's a good idea, I've seen the same thing in Indonesia, from a distance it does look like a policeman.
The M74 leading onto the M6 is notorious for police cameras on bridges, you just whizz round the corner and they are there. The Tories were thinking of putting the speed limit up to 80mph, wonder what happened to that, not heard anything for a while.
That's the point though most of us are planning well ahead based on the conditions, but you have a point Mike.
M74 vans on bridges is mostly revenue generating, A90 is safety related. My first points ever were on the M74 in 2005, only been caught twice, both cases pretty empty roads.
A lot of people become a different animal once they get behind the wheel, better to reach your destination late than not at all as they say.
A lot of people break the speed limits on the motorway / dual carriageway. It appears to be prevalent. I think we all know that.
