Does anyone know if the speed cameras on the gantry signs on the M42 between jct 6 & Jct 3 north and south bound are working? And does anyone agree that they are causing more congestion than before? Take last Monday evening bombing along about 54 mph motorway clear, gantry slows us down to 40mph, I was unable to brake speed quick enough so went through at about 45 mph. Brake lights go on & we all slow down, but there was no congestion so why slow us down?
prdcb1:
Does anyone know if the speed cameras on the gantry signs on the M42 between jct 6 & Jct 3 north and south bound are working? And does anyone agree that they are causing more congestion than before? Take last Monday evening bombing along about 54 mph motorway clear, gantry slows us down to 40mph, I was unable to brake speed quick enough so went through at about 45 mph. Brake lights go on & we all slow down, but there was no congestion so why slow us down?
Are they the type that calculate your average speed between any two of the gantries? If so, your 45mph is irrelivent so long as kept to the limt afterwards. These cameras (specs I think?) are on the A616 near Sheffield when you come over Woodhead from Manchester and a few months ago after trying hard to stay below the speed limit, I lost my concentration for a moment and the truck I was in had a habit of running away if you let it and I also went through at about 45 and for a while was scared I’d get done for it but fortunetly it wasn’t the case. If remember right, all the gantry cameras aren’t used at the same time, they just use two out of how many there are, though you as the driver don’t know which ones are in use.
I was at a conference a couple of weeks ago where one of the guest speakers was one of the whizz-hids from the highways agency who set up the M42 active traffic management system. He was asked about the tax cameras and said that the HA had no idea which ones were working and which were not - they are controlled by the constabulary 
He did give us quite a lot of information on how the system is supposed to work - shame he’s only been out of college a couple of years and probably has little experience of drivers’ behaviour on the roads.
I had to use the road the other night, and my impression was that instead of spending £20 odd million on active traffic management, they should have put a decent surface down.
To answer the question, I would doubt that the cameras would be operating on the gantry immediately after the change of speed limit. That’s too unreasonable even for the revenue collectors … …isn’t it 
As for congestion - the system is automatic and is based on information from the sensors in the road, so even though it was not there, there must have been congestion 
Is it possible to attain the speed limit on the M42? 
been going thru there on a night trunk this week, and there are a lot of roadworks at night!!! Looks like they are installing the sensers in the road surface.
So if their not working yet, they soon will be
My understanding is that the overhead gantries will display speeds the same as those on the western M25. When a speed limit is displayed the sign will display a red border and have a camera active.
The speeds displayed at present are the same as any other motorway speed limit - advisory.;
Signs displaying “Variable speed limit” are currently sprayed over in grey paint on most of the signs.
Calv
Calv:
Signs displaying “Variable speed limit” are currently sprayed over in grey paint on most of the signs.Calv
Ruddy vandals… 
They can’t leave anything alone can they?
If you look at the gantries on the opposite carriageway of that section of the M42 you will see that there are only two gantries with cameras installed out of the 15 odd miles of road.
Same applies on both sides. Have a look next time you’re down that way in daylight.
Already mentioned up there somewhere ^^^^
The current roadwork’s overnight are installing some kind of equipment …
Why couldn’t they have done whilst putting the gantries up i,ll never know …
At the moment at night time anyway , any speed restrictions are just A black background with an ADVISORY speed limit in there … It’s up to you if you exceed the advisory limit but be awar you can get done for driving without due care and attention if the old bill spot’s you …
When the signs have the speed limit with a red circle bordering it then that is the maximum speed limit for that stretch of road …And you obviously have to stay to that speed …Until the sign’s state other wise …
I didn’t know they were even active.
I think I heard on the radio the other day, wasn’t fully listening.
But the new section of M77 from Glasgow to Kilmarnock has these average speed cameras all the way along the road.
Is is now the longest speed trap in the country, I think they said it was about twenty miles.
So far only twenty people have been caught.
Is this what they will do every time they build a new motorway?? 