Contesting smart motorway fine

About half 5 this morning I was following a tipper on the M60 C/W approaching the prestwich junction. As we were dropping down the hill before the climb up to prestwich junction there was hardly any traffic, no roadworks and no bad weather yet the gantry at the bottom of the hill was lit up saying 50mph. There was none lit before and the one straight after was back to NSL. The gantry saying 50mph just happened to have a camera on it and the tipper got flashed.

It got me thinking, if you had dash cam footage would you be able to contest the fine since its clearly being used to raise money rather than road safety?

I’ve seen it time and time again and it’s unfair. It’s time people started fighting back.

Here here

Is it not just easier and less tine consuming to drop to 50mph? It would’ve cost seconds instead of hours/days/weeks contesting a potential fine.

Yeah I get the point and it can be frustrating and leads people into ignoring gantry info because it’s wrong/not turned off when it’s finished with etc but ultimately it’s a few seconds lost and a few clicks of the CC and that’s it.

I’m sure you can contest it but you’ll need to spend time gathering evidence etc and ultimately they could say it was down to 50mph for any number of spurious safety reasons and its then game over for any challenge.

If the signal was the one just prior to the exit slip, it would have been set to slow traffic down for something on the exit slip.

toonsy:
Is it not just easier and less tine consuming to drop to 50mph?.

Don’t be daft It was a tipper that got flashed

toonsy:
Is it not just easier and less tine consuming to drop to 50mph? It would’ve cost seconds instead of hours/days/weeks contesting a potential fine.

Yeah I get the point and it can be frustrating and leads people into ignoring gantry info because it’s wrong/not turned off when it’s finished with etc but ultimately it’s a few seconds lost and a few clicks of the CC and that’s it.

I’m sure you can contest it but you’ll need to spend time gathering evidence etc and ultimately they could say it was down to 50mph for any number of spurious safety reasons and its then game over for any challenge.

You’re right it’s not worth the hassle but it really annoys me. I was on the M6 near Birmingham last week about half 4 in the morning and 1 gantry was set to 30mph. Again there was hardly any other traffic on the road and the gantry happened to have a camera on it.

Of course if there is a genuine reason for it I have no problem with them being on like around Leeds in an afternoon when it’s busy and the cameras are flashing constantly, people deserve to get caught but when there is nothing on the road it really annoys me.

Also I slowed down to 50mph this morning and the tipper in front didn’t seem to be going much faster but it was enough to trigger the camera. Does anyone how much over the limit the camera’s are set?

I believe the signs are automatic so there would be a reason they were set at 50. I recently saw an abnormal load plus ■■■■■■ vehicles on M25 doing about 35mph, as he went under the gantries 50 signs lit up and they take a while to go off again.

For my sins. I attended a speed awareness course on Monday.
Anyway the fella doing the course mentioned smart motorways. He said if the speed changes as you approach there’s a 10second leway built in to save issues.

He also said if you believe him. But he seem knowledge able.
That smart speed cameras have built in sensors if traffic slows the speed lowers. Yet he also said they Have sensors that measure air pollution. If the readings are high they reduce the speed limit. To reduce emissions.
And signs can only be changed by a control.centre in an emergency .ie break down accident.
Most of the time there changed automatically by sensors…

That’s what course instructor told me.on Monday anyway…

And incase anyone cares. Was a girl there in her early 20s. Protesting I shouldt be here my car detects signs speed signs and it didn’t detect this sign and.i got caught. My car didn’t detect it wasn’t my fault. Fellas response would you follow a sat nav if told you to turn down a no entry road.
Looking at her she probab would of done

toonsy:
Is it not just easier and less tine consuming to drop to 50mph? It would’ve cost seconds instead of hours/days/weeks contesting a potential fine.

Yeah I get the point and it can be frustrating and leads people into ignoring gantry info because it’s wrong/not turned off when it’s finished with etc but ultimately it’s a few seconds lost and a few clicks of the CC and that’s it.

I’m sure you can contest it but you’ll need to spend time gathering evidence etc and ultimately they could say it was down to 50mph for any number of spurious safety reasons and its then game over for any challenge.

Absolutely correct, but drivers seem incapable of following basic instructions such as I don’t know…speed limits.

Chances are there was some reason for it recently but it’s not been changed back yet.

No you can’t contest. No it’s not money making. In fact, if you sent footage In you’d be proving you knew it was 50mph and that you couldnt be bothered putting your right foot on the brakero knock that little bit off.

The speed limits adjust for a number of reasons…but the most important one is to maximise traffic flow. A motorway’s maximum traffic flow capacity is at 40 mph: any faster and the greater gaps and harsher braking cause congestion to flow back ‘upstream’ in the traffic flow.

A bit like pouring beer out of a bottle too quickly.

edd1974:
For my sins. I attended a speed awareness course on Monday.
Anyway the fella doing the course mentioned smart motorways. He said if the speed changes as you approach there’s a 10second leway built in to save issues.

He also said if you believe him. But he seem knowledge able.
That smart speed cameras have built in sensors if traffic slows the speed lowers. Yet he also said they Have sensors that measure air pollution. If the readings are high they reduce the speed limit. To reduce emissions.
And signs can only be changed by a control.centre in an emergency .ie break down accident.
Most of the time there changed automatically by sensors…

That’s what course instructor told me.on Monday anyway…

And incase anyone cares. Was a girl there in her early 20s. Protesting I shouldt be here my car detects signs speed signs and it didn’t detect this sign and.i got caught. My car didn’t detect it wasn’t my fault. Fellas response would you follow a sat nav if told you to turn down a no entry road.
Looking at her she probab would of done

My wife has been on a speed awareness course through her job and she was told that if the overhead gantries change the speed limit it’s 60 seconds leeway you have not the 10 seconds you mentioned so god knows what the correct answer is .

The TNUK experts say its money making yet these things have been designed by people who are trained in it, and have spent hundreds maybe thousands of hours researching and collecting data on the traffic flow in an area before it’s turned to smart motorway. Yet there’s experts that are more qualified on here that just say its money making.

Well news flash. See a speed limit, and whether you agree with it or not. Slow to that limit. And don’t get a ticket. So the “money makers” don’t make any money from you then. Revolutionary concept isn’t it?

bald bloke:

edd1974:
For my sins. I attended a speed awareness course on Monday.
Anyway the fella doing the course mentioned smart motorways. He said if the speed changes as you approach there’s a 10second leway built in to save issues.

He also said if you believe him. But he seem knowledge able.
That smart speed cameras have built in sensors if traffic slows the speed lowers. Yet he also said they Have sensors that measure air pollution. If the readings are high they reduce the speed limit. To reduce emissions.
And signs can only be changed by a control.centre in an emergency .ie break down accident.
Most of the time there changed automatically by sensors…

That’s what course instructor told me.on Monday anyway…

And incase anyone cares. Was a girl there in her early 20s. Protesting I shouldt be here my car detects signs speed signs and it didn’t detect this sign and.i got caught. My car didn’t detect it wasn’t my fault. Fellas response would you follow a sat nav if told you to turn down a no entry road.
Looking at her she probab would of done

My wife has been on a speed awareness course through her job and she was told that if the overhead gantries change the speed limit it’s 60 seconds leeway you have not the 10 seconds you mentioned so god knows what the correct answer is .

Even if it’s 10seconds, given that you could bring a fully loaded 44 tonner to a complete stop from 56mph in 10 seconds I’m sure we can all slow from 56 to 50 or 40 in that time. And for a car given that you could EASILY bring it to a stop from 70mph (of course no one will be going faster than that will they as that’s illegal) in 10 seconds, then again it shouldn’t be too much of problem to slow to 60 50 or 40 in that time.

DickyNick:
The TNUK experts say its money making yet these things have been designed by people who are trained in it, and have spent hundreds maybe thousands of hours researching and collecting data on the traffic flow in an area before it’s turned to smart motorway. Yet there’s experts that are more qualified on here that just say its money making.

Well news flash. See a speed limit, and whether you agree with it or not. Slow to that limit. And don’t get a ticket. So the “money makers” don’t make any money from you then. Revolutionary concept isn’t it?

So someone with bits of paper on the wall and letters after their name knows more than a guy who drives a stretch of road every day for years/decades? These things are pure money makers, nothing more. I see it night after night after night, speed limits reduced for no reason for one gantry only. And it’s always a camera gantry.

That said, I have no sympathy for those who think the laws dont apply to them. I just wish the authorities would stop lying to us and tell us what we already know, it’s a stupid tax.

Nite Owl:

DickyNick:
The TNUK experts say its money making yet these things have been designed by people who are trained in it, and have spent hundreds maybe thousands of hours researching and collecting data on the traffic flow in an area before it’s turned to smart motorway. Yet there’s experts that are more qualified on here that just say its money making.

Well news flash. See a speed limit, and whether you agree with it or not. Slow to that limit. And don’t get a ticket. So the “money makers” don’t make any money from you then. Revolutionary concept isn’t it?

So someone with bits of paper on the wall and letters after their name knows more than a guy who drives a stretch of road every day for years/decades? These things are pure money makers, nothing more. I see it night after night after night, speed limits reduced for no reason for one gantry only. And it’s always a camera gantry.

That said, I have no sympathy for those who think the laws dont apply to them. I just wish the authorities would stop lying to us and tell us what we already know, it’s a stupid tax.

How do you know it was for no reason 2 minutes ago and it’s just not been updated yet? Or control are awaiting confirmation that it’s safe to lift the limit? This is what I mean, it’s all well and good saying stuff like that without seeing the bigger picture and just automatically thinking it’s authority against us.

I think it’s a bit more than a few bits of paper on the wall. The driver who has driven it for decades I imagine doesn’t know or care about emission sensors and wider environmental impact and what levels of CO2 and other emissions are emitted at different speeds, and how a slow flow of traffic compared to stop start traffic has an impact on that. All these things have been researched and tested by experts with scientific support. And no I’m sorry someone who’s been driving a truck 30 years doesn’t qualify as an expert.

Single flash or double? The cameras on M4 e/b approaching j19 (M32) were busy last week…no speed limit in force but they still flashed… on my way w/b I saw a few get it and a few on my way back…me included! I I think it’s just a ‘mind game’…see it go off and everybody else slow down for 50 yards!!

Actrosman:
Single flash or double? The cameras on M4 e/b approaching j19 (M32) were busy last week…no speed limit in force but they still flashed… on my way w/b I saw a few get it and a few on my way back…me included! I I think it’s just a ‘mind game’…see it go off and everybody else slow down for 50 yards!!

That’s happened to me a few times where they’ve flashed at me doing 55mph with no speed displayed on the gantry. I was told that it may be some calibration sequence that they go through.

mm1988:

toonsy:
Is it not just easier and less tine consuming to drop to 50mph? It would’ve cost seconds instead of hours/days/weeks contesting a potential fine.

Yeah I get the point and it can be frustrating and leads people into ignoring gantry info because it’s wrong/not turned off when it’s finished with etc but ultimately it’s a few seconds lost and a few clicks of the CC and that’s it.

I’m sure you can contest it but you’ll need to spend time gathering evidence etc and ultimately they could say it was down to 50mph for any number of spurious safety reasons and its then game over for any challenge.

You’re right it’s not worth the hassle but it really annoys me. I was on the M6 near Birmingham last week about half 4 in the morning and 1 gantry was set to 30mph. Again there was hardly any other traffic on the road and the gantry happened to have a camera on it.

Of course if there is a genuine reason for it I have no problem with them being on like around Leeds in an afternoon when it’s busy and the cameras are flashing constantly, people deserve to get caught but when there is nothing on the road it really annoys me.

Also I slowed down to 50mph this morning and the tipper in front didn’t seem to be going much faster but it was enough to trigger the camera. Does anyone how much over the limit the camera’s are set?

Like many on here I spend most of my time on Mways, never seen a gantry sign at 30mph, even when the traffic has been crawling, never seen it below 40mph.
Normally they go 60, 50, 40 and then up again, never seen them go straight to 50 unless joining from a slip road to an existing limit.

Washwipe:

mm1988:

toonsy:
Is it not just easier and less tine consuming to drop to 50mph? It would’ve cost seconds instead of hours/days/weeks contesting a potential fine.

Yeah I get the point and it can be frustrating and leads people into ignoring gantry info because it’s wrong/not turned off when it’s finished with etc but ultimately it’s a few seconds lost and a few clicks of the CC and that’s it.

I’m sure you can contest it but you’ll need to spend time gathering evidence etc and ultimately they could say it was down to 50mph for any number of spurious safety reasons and its then game over for any challenge.

You’re right it’s not worth the hassle but it really annoys me. I was on the M6 near Birmingham last week about half 4 in the morning and 1 gantry was set to 30mph. Again there was hardly any other traffic on the road and the gantry happened to have a camera on it.

Of course if there is a genuine reason for it I have no problem with them being on like around Leeds in an afternoon when it’s busy and the cameras are flashing constantly, people deserve to get caught but when there is nothing on the road it really annoys me.

Also I slowed down to 50mph this morning and the tipper in front didn’t seem to be going much faster but it was enough to trigger the camera. Does anyone how much over the limit the camera’s are set?

Like many on here I spend most of my time on Mways, never seen a gantry sign at 30mph, even when the traffic has been crawling, never seen it below 40mph.
Normally they go 60, 50, 40 and then up again, never seen them go straight to 50 unless joining from a slip road to an existing limit.

I’ve seen one just before the Brynglas tunnel flashing 20 mph which is absolutely stupid.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=154190&hilit=+Brynglas

I’m on the M60 every morning at about 04.45 (if they haven’t closed it) between the M61/A666 to J10. Usually very light traffic at that time, and consecutive gantries have gone 50, 60, 40, NSL in that order, and then before the high level Barton Bridge 40 plus the congestion sign. Okay, I get the speed sensor bit, and even at that time of the morning there can be some 40 mph ditherers hogging the outer lanes, but the congestion sign? it’s a good forward view from the top of the bridge and there’s nothing in sight.