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Antoeknee
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Joined: Jul 29, 2005
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 Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 1:02 am Post subject: Specs Cameras |
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In acouple of weeks the SPECS cameras on the dual carriageway A14 between Spittals interchange and Girton will come into operation.
The Cambridge Evening News carried an article about these cameras
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/region_wide/2007/04/16/7598bc16-e755-4ea9-b69d-94ed8b92f6f1.lpf
One interesting comment was:
The SPECS system has been criticised by some, as drivers can only be prosecuted if they are filmed in the same lane at the start and finish of each section.
The RAC Foundation has warned this could cause accidents if speeding motorists change lanes to avoid being caught.
I'd never heard of this before and was wondering if anyone would like to comment. |
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tonygold
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| Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 8:35 am Post subject: |
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have heard this before. in fact i think i remember reading this is a saturday daily telegraph motoring supplement.
as i understand it, if you go past the first specs in one lane and past the next one in a different lane it cannot record your distance / speed. |
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thebinman
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| Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 9:59 am Post subject: |
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I think some specs cover 2 lanes & some only one lane  |
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Skippy
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| Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 10:58 am Post subject: Re: Specs Cameras |
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| Antoeknee wrote: | | The SPECS system has been criticised by some, as drivers can only be prosecuted if they are filmed in the same lane at the start and finish of each section. |
Apparently this is true. Although the system could measure speed regardless of which lane the vehicle is in, the Home Office type approval which regulates the way they can use the system says that the vehicle must enter and exit the zone in the same lane.
I'm not sure how the installation on Tower Bridge in London works - they have two cameras at the entry to the zone and one camera at the exit. 
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GJF
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| Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 11:21 am Post subject: |
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Skippy wrote:
| Quote: | | I'm not sure how the installation on Tower Bridge in London works - they have two cameras at the entry to the zone and one camera at the exit. |
Are they facing the same direction?
The spec's on Tower Bridge are supposed to watch both directions, speed limit 20mph.
Back to multi lane roads, often if there are less cameras than lanes they will work on the outside lane to get possibly faster drivers.
I haven't yet heard of anyone seeing if you can speed by altering lanes and not getting caught, so at present we are all being cautious without knowing the ultimate answer.
It would be interesting to have a guinea pig, where is Jeremy Clarkson when you want him?
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sgould
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| Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 12:34 pm Post subject: |
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I've been wondering about the lane coverage. Has anyone been fined for exceeding the 50mph limit on the M25 between J25 and J26 through the Holmesdale tunnel? The cameras are a pair at each end, but there are three lanes...
Are they dummy cameras?
New cameras on the M1 south of J5. Again a pair of cameras covering three lanes. It looks like these are the same columns that were removed from the M25 bridge repairs between J17 and J18 a month or so ago where they were also covering three lanes.
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GJF
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| Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 1:37 pm Post subject: |
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sgould wrote:
| Quote: | | Are they dummy cameras? |
As Tower Bridge is classed as a permanent site, I would have thought it unlikely that these are dummy cameras.
I have thought for sometime and this has come up before, that they could use dummy Spec's cameras, but there is no evidence that this has ever happened.
For those that wish to know how Spec's work, this site for SCS (they are the sole provider of digital average speed enforcement to Police and highways authorities) might help.
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StanStill
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| Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 1:47 pm Post subject: |
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Be careful, I read somewhere recently that there is a new type of Specs camera that is capable of recording number plates no matter which lane you are in. The problem with the older type of Specs that I have heard is they each have their own database of recorded number plates and cannot be integrated, the new type, which is just one camera does not have this problem.
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GJF
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GJF
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| Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 2:09 pm Post subject: |
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StanStill wrote:
| Quote: | | Be careful, I read somewhere recently that there is a new type of Specs camera that is capable of recording number plates no matter which lane you are in. |
Under Home Office 'type approval' rules, each individual set cannot be linked to any of the others. So cars are timed only between sets of number plate readers 'paired' for the same lane.
A spokeswoman for the Home Office has said: 'The manufacturers applied for the camera to be type-approved to measure one lane only. It has been type-approved for this use - this can be either the lane under the camera or a lane to either side of it.'
If there is a new camera out it would have to go through new Home Office approval, I'm not sure if that has happened yet, if it has, i haven't seen it in the press who are sure to publish it.
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thebinman
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bmuskett
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| Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 4:29 pm Post subject: Loophole plugged |
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| GJF wrote: | | If there is a new camera out it would have to go through new Home Office approval, I'm not sure if that has happened yet, if it has, i haven't seen it in the press who are sure to publish it. |
In case anyone is subscribed to this thread, this loophole HAS been fixed. See this article on The Register.
Although reading the linked Sun article, Jeremy Clarkson doesn't know about it yet. |
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