I have been wanting to take pics of these 3 new sets of specs installed on M25 between Jn 28 & Jn27 (anti-clockwise) which were installed this week.
The first one is installed after the road sign which says M25 B 172.6, the second one is after the sign M25 B 168.8 and the third one is immediately after the sign M25 B 164.8.
The Government’s stance is that these Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras have been installed for the purpose of monitoring traffic flows and that this information will be used to set signals on roadside mobile message signs to harmonise speeds, to control congestion before it occurs. The stretch of M25 between Jn 30 and Jn 27 is always congested at 7AM and any problems on A12 and M11 southbound further elevate traffic congestion.
The installation of these cameras basically mean that you have to drive very very carefully between Jn 28 and Jn27 to avoid being caught by these cameras. This is definitely going to INCREASE traffic congestion between these two junctions.
But I think its a big nuisance!! These SPECS cameras capture the colour image of the front of the car and calculate the average travelling speed between the two camera locations. Speeding tickets can be automatically issued via this system. The initial trial of SPECS system was reported to have captured 4300 offenders in a single day. Potentially this single site installation can make the UK Government nearly £60 million!
UK Government’s Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman uses a speed camera detector in his car to detect fixed speed cameras, and yet the Government continues to install new speed cameras all over UK!
47 Comments
Is it not time that speed limits were altered tosuit road conditions with all the cameras and message signs they could make speed limits suitable to traffic i.e. when its busy 40 or 50 may be quite fast enough but other times 90 may be acceptable. modern technology should be there tomake driving not only safer in busy times but enjoyable when quiet.
iv been travelling on the m62 between manchester and leeds a few times in last few weeks and there is specs cameras there which never worked last yr but i believe are now supposed t be working?? unfortunaley i was unaware of this and have been doing about 80 in the 50 zone there and back! does anyone know of anyone who has had a prosecution or points from these on the M62??
Its so hard to tell if when they say they are working if they actually are as there is so many that dont
am absolute bricking it now tho as 3 journeys i have done there and back would equal well over 12 points if they do!
Hey didnt realise on the m25 going from heathrow to watford that the 50mile zone had started, and started off doing bout 60 for a min den slowed down to 45 bt the camera did flash, just wonderin if ne1 knows if im goin to get points?? thanks.
Here we go again the trafic taliban are rubbing there greedy hands together they will make millions.
WATCH OUT ON THE M20 it is going to happen on all Motorways soon .
Self righteous idiots talking about sticking to the speed limit. Why not limit cars to 70mph then during the production processes? Get of your f***KING high horses
Why be intimidated by a device that only catches idiots that break the law? The more cameras the merrier for me!
HI
Have been working nights in Essex,on my last shift I did notice these spec cameras but no signs beforehand is this legal does anyone know? Or are they licence/reg recognition cameras?
Hi.
I went on the m25 tday for the first ever time going to woking from the midlands, on my way down (anti clockwise) I encountered some of these cameras that are overhead on the gantry message things, however even though I did not Rag it through them I am worried I may have got caught just going over 70 but nt by much. They flash I have been told, wud this flash be noticeable by day??? and also how many of the gantries with cameras do you think I would have come accross because they only seemed to be around for a period of time between the M1 turn off an junction 11………….can somebody please help?
Thx
do these cameras have a buffr zone, ie a bit of an allowance over 50 etc
“The speed limit is 70 thats life deal with it.”
Good little sheepie. Baaaaaah! Baaaaaah!
‘These are definitely SPECS average speed cameras but as far as I am aware, they can’t be used to give out speeding tickets. Reason is, there are no camera warning signs either on the M25 or the A12.’
There does not need to be any warning signs for any cameras. Nor do they have to be painted yellow, nor be visible. Its legislation that governs signage for cameras not law. There are signs because they want to cut speed and catch people who ignore speed limits, rather than catch them out. For example the Derbyshire Police recently re-painted one of their camera vans.
‘http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-563951/Pictured-The-workmans-van-disguised-police-target-motorists-hidden-speed-camera.html
No visible warning signs there i see?
I was on the M25 clockwise between J5 and J12 and was doing between 70 and 80. Other drivers were going a lot faster. After each of the big overhead gantries I noticed the markers in the road, and upon looking in my mirror, saw what looked like modified GATSOs aimed down at each lane. They seemed to be there most times I looked. Are they relics of the past when the GATSOs were at their most profitable? Surely they can’t have cameras covering each lane every mile or so…?! Are they all active? Also, I looked out for other forms of speed camera and didn’t notice any SPECS…
These are definitely SPECS average speed cameras but as far as I am aware, they can’t be used to give out speeding tickets. Reason is, there are no camera warning signs either on the M25 or the A12.
Incidentally, the small cameras going up everywhere are ANPR cams, used to check number plates against the tax and insurance database.
Hi everyone its been a while since i went round past those cam’s, i did not get a ticket thank goodness for that. They are also not on my tom tom. Some one also said they are used for the matrix on the side of the road for the time ie: distance to jnc 26 15 mins. With the price of fuel £118.9 i don’t really venture past 60mph unless over taking you use less fuelat these speeds. Does any one know if lpg is going up with the 40% rise soon haven’t converted yet but its defo on the cards!
Mr H – Interested to know whether you received a ticket for speeding through these GBRCC’s “Gordon Brown Revenue Collection Cameras” on the M25 in Essex in March? I went through the first two yesterday at about 76 mph and then slowed for the 3rd one. I was on my way back from a mammouth drive to Budapest at European speeds only to get back to the UK and be met by the first camera in 2536 miles!!!
No its car drivers who cant drive, hogging the middle lanes tearing down the outside at ridiculously slow or fast speeds. Whats the problem you drive at the speed limit you dont get fined I mean how hard is it? Its not rocket science. You aint gonna get there much faster doing 80 and the traffic will sure as hell stop you going much faster anyway. The speed limit is 70 thats life deal with it. Stick to the rules and no fine bloody hell
Just for info my Snooper goes off with the SPECS Cameras on thE M25 stretch in Essex.
I had been wondering what the other grey torpedo cameras were. They have gone up on the A30 at Hatton Cross at LHR. Hadn’t relised lovely Ken Livingstone’s (AKA Boris) empire had gone out that far but it appears the Emmision Zone comes out as far as Heathrow. More added taxes to the lorries going into Heathrow, very convenient. How are they going to track the cost to all the foreign lorries?
Right,
Thorpy Says:
Q:As Jez above I would also like to know what the new silver round cameras are for. They are mounted on poles across the lanes. Some are in the same area as was once a speed camera that have now been removed but not all.
A: The small round silver cameras that look like torpedos are ANPR cameras. Most of them are grouped into four or five, and stretch the whole carriageway. They record the time and date of the activation, your numberplate and a high quality photograph. It does not measure speed or distance and does not know whether you have travelled through a red light camera.
Q:hello mate do these cameras work at night, and are they speed cameras, do they trigger at a certain speed, i was doing 70-85 in middle lane and cars were whizzing past me, im just worried!!
A: The SPECS cameras capture your numberplate using infra-red. So whether you travelling at night or in the sunshine, your numberplate will always be visible. The camera will record the date and time you pass through two seperate cameras (if there are three like on the M25 between A12 and M11 Westbound then only two will work). When you have passed the second active camera it calculates the time it has taken you to travel between two points, and works out the speed. In most police forces this will be a minimum of 10% + 2mph. So on a motorway it will be vehicles travelling 79mph or more that will receive a nasty Nip through the door.
I hope this helps, any more questions just ask and I’ll see what I can do.
JJ
Hi,
I checked the vodafone satnav on blackberry this morning and none of the 3 cameras appear there.
So they may not be classed as speed cams, but there is a potential that they could be used as evidence if there is a police car chasing another car or a similar scenario.
But lots of drivers do slow down at all 3 cams causing jams. It has certainly increased my travelling times by almost 15 mins.
V
couldn’t find how to do it, next time i go round that way i will see if they come up on it plus this time i will be going a little slower! lol
My Origin B2 detector has these cameras recorded in its database as speed cameras. However i’m sure the detector manufacturers are simply covering their backsides in case they go “live” at some time in the furure. Personally I am almost certain that they do not yet issue tickets because I believe they have to be accompanied by speed camera warning signage (which they don’t have). I passed them today in a steady stream of traffic with everyone doing 85-90 so if they are active I’m sure we would have heard about it
Vipul: ok i will see on my tomtom post back tomorrow eve
MR H: These SPECS cameras are now springing up all over UK. The ones between Jn 29 and Jn27 were first installed in Feb / March 2007.
They dont come up on my vodafone satnav(on blackberry) as well. I’ll double-check it tonight and post tomorrow morning.
V
thank you Vipul for posting so quickly, i wondered how they knew the times between each junction, are they doing this on other roads as well? i thought they were used for road works only instead of the gatso one, i don’t think they are on my tom tom cam alerts i will go past there with it and see. Thanks again
….. sorry i think there was 3 of them, after te 2nd one i slowed right down to aroun 50mph, after reading the above now i am really bricking it. Those of you who don’t know wht the 4 cams on the pole across the lanes, they are the emision cams i think if you have noticed most are at points when you are entering london and some leaving london.
Hello MR H,
The official stance is that these cameras are for providing information that you see on signboards (1 signboard is between Jn 29 and Jn 28 Anticlockwise).
But I believe they could be used as evidence in some cases.
We have had no “confirmed” reports so far of any one being convicted using the evidence from these cameras.
V
I went past these yesturday and i was doing about 95mph so i slowed down and then went past the other one around 80mph now i am bricking it that i am going to get done for speeding, surely they have to warning signs to tell us that the road has ave speed cam, does it? 🙁 how long hve they been there for? i have been past that area for a long time and never noticed them and had been going a tad quick never had anything thru tho. Can anyone put mind at rest, i will post another comment i a couple of weeks.
You see what you have to remember is:- The fuel price is becoming so high that we’ll all drive around like grannies on a day out, so stealth tax Browns lot have got to get as much out of us as they can ,I love the way they call them Safety Camera’s, they cause more accidents around Peterborough than before they were introduced, they should be given there proper name ” Stealth Tax Collection Camera’s”
Hi Andy,
These are definitely active – thats how you get the informational messages on M25: eg: distance to Jn27: 8 miles
Time: 9mins
Vipul
Can anyone confirm if these are definately active?
Hi,
I went through a camera on the A227 into Gravesend (from the A2), there are two sited at either side of the dual carriageway immediatly after the bridge (about 0.5miles from A2). I didn’t regognise the type, they looked similar to ANPR – but more tubular/cylindrical… set on poles about 8ft with ariels on the side, and a seperate camera on a pole (about streetlamp height) looking down on the cameras facing at the road. Obviously, Im concerned about the speed I was doing when I passed the camera (about 85mph), even more worried by the fact I was driving a Corsa Van… and speed limits for vans have been lowered (all though Im not sure if these apply to car derived vans). What leads me to believe they may not be speed camera’s is that they were all black… and I thought all speed camera’s had to have at least a little yellow to make them more visable…. know anything about this site?
hi all
i work on M25 maintainance department, mainly safety fence repairs as far as i know these specs cams are mainly for speed checks but can be used to “prosicute offenders” we at work have been warned about them. but remember they are there to slow traffice down where people like myself that have familys to go home to at the end of our shifts. to many road workers have been killed due to speeding vehicles through road works… happy new year hope i make it to the next…. our lives are in your (the publics) hands remember !
thanxs chay
has anybody actually been done by these spec cameras yet, i thought they was only used for road works? maybee futer ones.
hey,
any news on the current situation with these specs, anyon heard that they are actually being used to “do people” or still just to monitor the road?
cheers
As Jez above I would also like to know what the new silver round cameras are for. They are mounted on poles across the lanes. Some are in the same area as was once a speed camera that have now been removed but not all.
I think it’s unfair for that guy to go on a bout truck drivers, remember we are restricted to 56 MPH by law (but actual speed limit on a motorway is 60 for a truck – weird!) When we pull out into the middle lane to over take just have a thought that the truck we are going past could and should drop back momentirily to let the other past!!!!
Or what about the car driver in there own world doing 50 and realises that theres a truck overaking them then proceeds to speed up thus undertaking the truck. Dangerous.
AFAIK those are to enforce Uncle Ken’s low emissions zone revenue raising exercise.
The only way to really cut emissions is to BAN the offending vehicles.
Has anyone noticed the number of new cameras springing up around London. They are basically 5 cameras on a small gantry pointing downwards with some kind of sensor below them, I have noticed several sets recently on the A3 New Malden and the A13. Anyone know what they are for??
what is going on around at clakitts service station every night on way home clock wise polic are pulling cars over just past services 3 to 4 police cars at a time making traffic bad
Hi Ian,
Please don’t hold me on this. Its my own private view and don’t reflect the view/opinion of Vcars.
I have had no joy in getting an official word about these cameras, but I now believe that they are just there to monitor the average speeds and show more detailed information messages on the road-side. Like yesterday, I saw a message saying: “9mins to M11 – 8 miles”. I have driven past the 3 cameras at an average speed to 80 and haven’t had any tickets, but you need to be careful as other drivers may not know and they will slow down to below 50 and thats more likely to cause accidents than anything else.
The cameras do work at night!
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
V
hello mate do these cameras work at night, and are they speed cameras, do they trigger at a certain speed, i was doing 70-85 in middle lane and cars were whizzing past me, im just worried!!
Hi Steve,
I took those pictures that you see above.
The 172.6, 168.8, 164.8 etc are boards on M25 by the roadside. I believe those probably refer to miles from Junction 1.
The signs are posted clockwise as well and the boards read like M25 A 172.6 compared to anti-clockwise where they read like M25 B 172.6.
Hope this helps.
Can anyone help with reference to the roadsigns above????” the road sign which says M25 B 172.6, the second one is after the sign M25 B 168.8 and the third one is immediately after the sign M25 B 164.8.”…what do the figures relate to??
I really don’t understand why they have positioned these cameras here – they don’t even cover the junction with the M11.
I travel daily on this stretch of road and I can’t remember seeing any serious incidents. The traffic used to travel safely at 80-90mph, there really was no need for speed cameras.
There are other sections of the M25 which would benefit far more from investment in safety, particularly between J23-J25 where lorries should be given a crawler lane or banned from overtaking (thanks to the appalling gradients from a lazily constructed_ motorway).
Since the installation of these cameras, my journey time has increased by 20 minutes. The area jams up quite bad, however, the problem is not just the cameras it is people (especially lorry drivers) who don’t know how to drive. I conceder myself a professional driver (Ex-Ambulance service with Police Class 1 licence) and the driving standards of the general public is appalling. I have had several near misses over this last year since using the M25 from J30 to J27 and I think the police should step-up visual patrols and covert patrols to catch those not adhering to the rules of the road.
I had one guy under-taking me today doing at least 90mph with a mobile to his ear and his head resting on the drivers side window, where are the police? He is more likely to kill other road users.
But back to the cameras, I personally think it is a good idea. If most drivers have seen a fraction of what I have seen, then they would drive safe. The only reason that the government make so much money with speed cameras is because people breach the speed limits. Those drivers who are caught think that they are above the law and push the speed limits then everyone moans about the amount of revenue generated because the cameras are doing there job. If a camera is placed in an appropriate place then I agree.
Kill your speed, not each other. That is my message to you all. Stop winging about being caught on a camera if you where speeding, you where caught, slow down!
Big brother is watching you!
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