Let\'s Do Some Calculations
 

I had the misfortune to have to go through the roadworks by J13 on the M25 today. Anyway at the start they have a display up which has the dubious honour of advetising how many people have been caught speeding through the roadworks.Anyway this morning at 7am it was 7,500.

So at say £50 per offence (for ease of calculation) that makes £37,500 in fines and that's after 1 month!!!. So the roadworks will be there for 2 years (?) or 24 months. That equals £900,000 in fines!!!!

And they say cameras are not there to genrate revenue!!!!

These are only estimated figures so please correct me if I'm wrong.

Doesn\'t it say \"offences recorded\" or similar?
 

.........maybe they won't prosecute all of them?

Yeh right - fat chance!!!;)

Tim:frog:

I try not to use the M25 :devil::devil:

Im sorry, but if you could read the sign talking about how many people have been caught then surely you could read the one that says what limit it is?
Or how about the one that says speed cameras in force?
Im sorry but you have to ride/drive taking into account all hazards ahead, and this is just another hazard that may get you in a different way to say a blind bend or crossroads!
Ride to the conditions.

and I go through those damn roadworks everyday...... they are not recording numbers as they happen they are changing every couple of days. Being as I have now been sitting there every day for about 5 weeks now i have been thinking that they are not the total figures for just the roadwork section, - as believe me you can't do more than 40mph through there even if you wanted to, - unless it is very early or late.... So I think it is showing the total number of those caught on both sides through the variable speed limit bit. As I sit thre I see loads of cars get caught going the other way.

Did you know that on a Friday it takes me 3 hours to get home if I leave at 6pm. So last week I went to the pub with my boss (and as an aside met his mate, John Motson, - ok if you like football), anyway I stayed there for 2 hours had something to eat, left there at 8pm and got home at the same time, 9pm! What's that all about then? Is it some kind of time warp spave continuam thing?

Sorry AndyB not sure I understand what you're getting at there. I was actually in a car doing 20 mph and was interested that they are now publicising the numbers that they catch as a further reinforcement deterent.It's only when you start to let your mind work out the sums that you realise the sums involved and that is what I was getting out.

I go through there a couple of times a week on my way to Hemel. Did it for the first time today on the 996 and its just about bearable, but the lanes are so narrow now that flitering is a slow old job...

certainly in the peak periods (that'll be 5am to 11pm then!!!!) they cant be catching anyone speeding as its snails pace at best :(

But, got to say, I dont think they can be catching people on the variable limit section as only 1 vehicle in a 100 can actually be doing what it says above the lane...

Errrrm where is the M25?? is that in Brum, i rarely venture to far from Brum.

hey Jason, I am going to Hemel also. Give us a wave when you filter through, - I am the one in the silver beemer!! - It does have a DSC sticker on the rear window! :lol:

[Edited on 2-4-2004 by Ian]

Ian thought you'd be getting the MS out to run it in now that you've got a sensible commuting bike:lol: In any case you could practice your Paris-Dakar moves through the roadworks and miss the traffic problems, may come across the odd JCB though:lol:

I must admit that It seems a bit of a mystery how these people are caught speeding, if everyones complaining about crawling through there?

Revenue generators?
 

I'm surprised at you Webby. The only revenue these devices are used to collect is from those amongst us that either blatantly break the law with apparent disregard for the consequences or are going so fast that they didnt have time to react when they pass them. Either way the camera's are only "collecting dosh" from people who are breaking the law! I'm not saying that every speed limit in every location is correct, but if you think the limit is wrong then appeal against them! If you dont break the law then there's nothing to get "caught" for, I'm sick to death of people calling these machines revenue generators, the only generators of revenue are those that break the law and get caught, surely we should be applying an old adage here....

If you cant do the time then dont do the crime!?!

I'm not old enough to be a synic just yet but I do believe the majority of the safety cameras are purposly placed where they'll raise the most cash rather than prevent the most injuries. BUT.... I agree with Psychlist, AndyB, etc - break the limit, get flashed, pay the fine and blame only yourself.

Parking tickets are a bargain over here - only 40 francs! Cheaper than parking at Heathrow for the day!! But I digress....

nb

is it still justice when roadworks are not being carried out at 3am in the morning (therefore no risk to workers) and the road is empty but well lit that someone doing 50mph on a motorway should be prosecuted?? Not all things are black and white...

Black and white?
 

No, sometimes they're Red and Yellow :lol:

You've been off that bike too long Paul "if you think the limit is wrong then appeal against them!" You must be on a Yellow planet:lol:

i've been had twice
once in the car
once on the bike
thats 6 points and 120 quid
i've slowed down a lot now
im not very happy about it but they do work

I must agree with the surprise that the number of people actually caught when I went through there crawling at about 20-30. It's that that starts the thought process and you realise just how much these things raise in revenue, even when it seems impossible to speed!!!

I do agree that if you speed you take a risk and therefore if you get caught you have to pay, and the simplest way to avoid that is not to do it.

Accident "Black spots" as you call them, can be to do with some sort of physical feature of the road layout, that we fail to prepare for. The lack of planning for which is usually after a long straight.

So remove the causation factor of the excess speed on the long straight, and we make it through the difficult bit!

Funnily enough though, we still manage to have collisions on the motorway, and they are fairly long and straight.

Seems to me its most of the people that get caught that need a check up VM! They should have seen the limit signs if not the camera LoL?
Just cos most people have NO EXCUSE they start screaming "Unfair!" cos they cant get away with it! Those people make me sick! If you really want to do something positive, obey the law for a week or two and start a written campaign to your local council, MP etc against any speed limits you think are unfair and against any cameras you think are not legitimate!
No, on second thoughts it's much easier for you to just sit there and shout your mouth off by copying the publicity seeking scare tactics employed by all the rags that pander to whichever whim they can exploit!
If thats the way you all want to behave then good luck to you all.
:yawn: