SPECS Camera in Kent

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xsaravtr

Original Poster:

801 posts

269 months

Tuesday 6th August 2002
quotequote all
Received the following in an email from UK SpeedTraps...

Rob

SPEEDCHECK SERVICES PRESS RELEASE

1st Live SPECS safety cameras in Kent


Essential road works will be taking place between Junctions 10 -11
of the M20 Motorway in Kent during the summer. Speed Check
Services, the manufacturers of the SPECS digital system, have been
chosen to supply safety cameras throughout the works area. This is
the 1st time SPECS has been used in the South East.

In common with other works of this nature, a temporary mandatory
speed limit of
50 mph will be in force through the works area. SPECS cameras are
being used by Kent Police to enforce this limit as the safety of road
users and the workforce is paramount.

The SPECS system calculates a vehicles average speed from the
time it takes to pass between pairs of safety cameras. These
cameras can be up to 6 miles apart. It follows that, to avoid
prosecution, drivers must observe the 50mph speed limit throughout
the whole roadworks, not just at the camera sites. SPECS removes
the risk from drivers who brake hard at fixed camera sites and
accelerate again once they have passed the camera.

As SPECS is not reliant on the use of flash photography, drivers who
contravene the speed limit will not see the customary double flash
from the cameras. The cameras are, however, brightly coloured
and mounted on distinctive blue columns.

Ian PROCTER, Chairman of the Kent and Medway Safety Camera
Partnership, said,
" Our aim is to encourage drivers to comply with speed limits not to
punish them. We want to stop them from speeding, not catch them
speeding. Securing greater
compliance with speed limits at road works improves safety for
drivers, their passengers and the work force which, in turn, reduces
the demand on the health service and makes roadworks safer
places for us all. Everyone can benefit from drivers moderating their
speed."

fish

3,998 posts

289 months

Wednesday 7th August 2002
quotequote all
You still get hard braking because:

"oh dear I just appear to have gone infront of Specs at 70 in a 50 and I can see the next camera about 300-400 metres away. If I ram my brakes on down to about 10mph for the next bit my average is below 50 - no ticket."

I would imagine this will cause just as many problems as standard cameras!

I haven't had to do this yet as Notts Ring road is always conjested and I know where the specs are.

hertsbiker

6,371 posts

278 months

Wednesday 7th August 2002
quotequote all
Interesting - if it is illegal to break the speed limit, then slowing down for the second camera is "perverting the course of justice" is it not? and therefore a greater offense.

Seems like SPECS will only criminalise more people than it saves.

c