JohnC
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More CamerasJust announced on the BBC website:
'Safety tools'
Work on the M80 Stepps to Haggs scheme began in January and is expected to be completed by 2011.
The project includes almost five miles of new two-lane motorway and hard shoulders between Stepps and Mollinsburn, 1.6 miles of three-lane motorway between Mollinsburn and Auchenkilns, and almost 4.5 miles of two-lane motorway between Auchenkilns and Haggs.
Transport Scotland said the cameras, backed by Strathclyde Safety Camera Partnership, would generate a safe and steady traffic flow by recording the average speed of vehicles.
Project manager Carson McCartney said: "Average-speed cameras are proven safety tools that will significantly improve safety for both road users and the workforce during this busy work period.
"These cameras are enforceable and will promote safety vigilance at all times."
I think the problem with these cameras is that they do operate at all times which is completely inappropriate for some weekend, early morning and evening/night driving when there is no-one around.
I have travelled this piece of road quite a bit recently and it is unbelievably slow to do 40mph. The average speed of traffic is at least 50mph at present but at 9pm, 40mph just makes no sense. 50mph or even 60mph enforced by cameras would at least allow people to make reasonable and safe progress.
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garry
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The M6 from manchester to brimingham has three or four sets of average speed cameras at the moment. As you say, at certain times of day it's OK, but I came up at 5am the other morning - 50mph with hardly another car on the road feels too slow.
These things cause drivers to concentrate less - have a drive along an american freeway and you'll see lots of 55mph traffic, but the driver will be having a coffee, shaving, applying makeup, eating breakfast, watching TV. Anything to break the boredom.
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Roadsterstu
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Re: More Cameras | JohnC wrote: | | "These cameras are enforceable and will promote safety vigilance at all times." |
Of course they will, right... 
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gonnabuildabuggy
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| garry wrote: | | These things cause drivers to concentrate less - have a drive along an american freeway and you'll see lots of 55mph traffic, but the driver will be having a coffee, shaving, applying makeup, eating breakfast, watching TV. Anything to break the boredom. |
Too right, lack of concentration kills more than speed.
At 70 or so I'm all eyes, checking the road, watching for people pulling out, etc. At 50 (on the M'way) I'm listening to the radio.
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simonp
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When there are cameras about I'm looking at my speedo all the time. You can't use CC coz people in front don't stick to 50 and slow down slightly when they see the yellow mast.
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Matt
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In my limited experience of Average cameras on the M5 roadworks, all they promote is the odd person slowing down and a twat behind in your boot, trying to push you on.
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TimR
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They were on the A90 past Perth a couple of years ago and it was funny to see everyone getting into the right hand lane near the end ready to go when the limit changed.
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Boxer6
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Re: More Cameras | JohnC wrote: | Just announced on the BBC website:
'Safety tools'
Work on the M80 Stepps to Haggs scheme began in January and is expected to be completed by 2011.
The project includes almost five miles of new two-lane motorway and hard shoulders between Stepps and Mollinsburn, 1.6 miles of three-lane motorway between Mollinsburn and Auchenkilns, and almost 4.5 miles of two-lane motorway between Auchenkilns and Haggs.
Transport Scotland said the cameras, backed by Strathclyde Safety Camera Partnership, would generate a safe and steady traffic flow by recording the average speed of vehicles.
Project manager Carson McCartney said: "Average-speed cameras are proven safety tools that will significantly improve safety for both road users and the workforce during this busy work period.
"These cameras are enforceable and will promote safety vigilance at all times."
I think the problem with these cameras is that they do operate at all times which is completely inappropriate for some weekend, early morning and evening/night driving when there is no-one around.
I have travelled this piece of road quite a bit recently and it is unbelievably slow to do 40mph. The average speed of traffic is at least 50mph at present but at 9pm, 40mph just makes no sense. 50mph or even 60mph enforced by cameras would at least allow people to make reasonable and safe progress. |
The Traffic boys' plethora of 5-series have been pretty busy of late, but not enough it seems. I think a (probably small) part of the problem was that they introduced this 40-limit weeks before they actually started any work, and that from the previous 70mph limit, giving people all those weeks to learn to ignore the new limit completely.
Also, there are very few areas where the workforce are anywhere near the road, which is another thing drivers notice and think "Why should I drive so slowly when no-one's here" - understandable, if not condonable!
The most galling thing is (aside from the points raised above re middle-of-the-night driving) that the motorway, when finished, still won't link the two parts of the M80 - the stretch from Moodiesburn to Crowwood roundabout (AKA Dolly Parton!!!) will remain a dual-carriageway. What a waste of £274 million!
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SpecB
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When I was in Michigan they dropped the limit from 70mph to 60 in the work areas. There were signs stating "Limit 45mph where workers present".
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SpecB
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I forgot to say they also had signs that stated "Kill or injure a worker - $7500 + 15 Years".
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Roadsterstu
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| SpecB wrote: | | I forgot to say they also had signs that stated "Kill or injure a worker - $7500 + 15 Years". |
I've seen similar. I think it was probably in Michigan, actually, a couple of years ago. Either there or Indiana.
I can't shake off the feeling that average camera sections in roadworks are just an excuse to set the limit lower than it really needs to be, in order to justify a lower than necessary speed limit when the work is finished. Maybe I'm just overly cycnical about these things. But I suspect not.
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Martin
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| SpecB wrote: | | I forgot to say they also had signs that stated "Kill or injure a worker - $7500 + 15 Years". |
There are loads of roadworks in Florida at the moment, but I was surprised to see that they speed limit isn't reduced that much as long as two lanes remain. The signs tell you that fines are doubled when workers present, but nothing about jail time!
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canadian bacon
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We have much the same rules here in that if workers are present the fines double !
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Boxer6
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Re: More Cameras | Boxer6 wrote: | | ........ What a waste of £274 million! |
I stand corrected - according to last night's Evening Times, it's £320 million!!
Out of interest (to me, mostly!) I traversed the full road-worked stretch of road this afternoon - from start to finish it's 8.7 miles, and at the posted limit of 40 mph took me......... 8 minutes, over 2 minutes longer than it should do.
That was at a cruise-controlled (apart from the numpties who obviously can't even do 40!) 44 mph which, on my car, equates to almost exactly 40 mph in R/L speed! As John points out, it s incredibly boring, and I foresee a lot more mobile phone usage when the cameras go up, as people seek to divert their ennui. Sadly, there are very few alternative routes for most people, so we're stuck with it for the next two years.
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DaveGibson
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Re: More Cameras | Boxer6 wrote: | | ....... - from start to finish it's 8.7 miles, and at the posted limit of 40 mph took me......... 8 minutes, over 2 minutes longer than it should do. ............. |
Eh???? I think you need to check your watch (or your speedo). Since 60mph is a mile a minute, to do 8.7 miles in 8 minutes would be over 65mph. At 40mph you should have taken 13.5 mins.
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Boxer6
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Re: More Cameras | DaveGibson wrote: | | Boxer6 wrote: | | ....... - from start to finish it's 8.7 miles, and at the posted limit of 40 mph took me......... 8 minutes, over 2 minutes longer than it should do. ............. |
Eh???? I think you need to check your watch (or your speedo). Since 60mph is a mile a minute, to do 8.7 miles in 8 minutes would be over 65mph. At 40mph you should have taken 13.5 mins. |
Wee typo there Dave - should read 18 minutes!! Spellcheck is only so good!! 
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'G'
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This stretch of road has been the subject of much debate for years.
The local authority abandoned the plans for a completely new bypass, when locals campaigned against the proposed route. They even had plans to divert it through North Carbrain, Cumbernauld causing many houses to compulsorarly purchased then demolished.
On this North Lanrakshire Council, stated this was always the plan. It was my father, a retired Structural Surveyor from Strathclyde Regional Council, the council who were originally working on this route with Dumbartonshire who stooped this as he had the original maps and site surveys of the abandoned proposed route. He always copied his work for his own reference.
He contacted "The Cumbernauld News', a local news paper, and presented them with this evidence, in the form of written documents and maps and plans. North Lanarkshire Council had an embarrassing climb down and chose to convert the A80 into the M80. There will be no alternative major 'A' class road through this area now.
The speed cameras are no surprise. The road will still be unsuitable for the amount of traffic that will travel through it. The local roads will also suffer. This is the same local authority that, during redevelopment of the Cumbernauld Town Centre, cancelled the funds and left it half finished. It is frequently reffered to as Britains 'carbuncle'.
And yes, the local authority involved is Labour controlled.
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Boxer6
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Noticed just now that, since yesterday afternoon, a whole army of Average Speed Cameras (facing towards the drivers!!) have sprouted up on the A80 and the M73.
Didn't seem to make much difference to some repmobiles and truckers though - or the driver of the X5 bus into Glasgow!!!
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Dr. Hfuhruhurr
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| Boxer6 wrote: | | Didn't seem to make much difference to some repmobiles and truckers though - or the driver of the X5 bus into Glasgow!!! |
Typical X5 driver, then?
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