M4 / M5 Bristol Speed Cameras Removed

[Scockers]

The grey speed camera boxes that were gantry mounted on the M4 and M5 around the interchange have vanished this last week or so.

Does anyone know if they have gone for good? Or are they being replaced with a newer smaller version which are less easy to spot!

Keen to know if anyone can shed some light on this

[Alan_D350]

For what it's worth, I'm certain I saw a flash go off on the M4 eastbound carriageway last Sunday (18 June) as I was going west between the M32 and M5.

[jkh112]

I thought the larger yellow ones mounted halfway up the gantries on the hard shoulder side were the active speed cameras now, at least in the M5 section between the M4 and cribbs.

[Scockers]

I only noticed them missing on Tuesday.

I pass through that section every weekday.

[Scockers]

jkh112 said:

I thought the larger yellow ones mounted halfway up the gantries on the hard shoulder side were the active speed cameras now, at least in the M5 section between the M4 and cribbs.

That could be it then.

[giltranator]

I spotted this last week and was meaning to post. As mentioned, the yellow ones at the side are still there:
M5 northbound the gantry before the Aztec West junction
M5 Southbound the gantry before the Cribbs junction
M4 westbound and eastbound halfway between M5 and M32 junctions

I have noticed that there are cameras monitoring the hard shoulder on some of the gantries, i'm not sure if these are for speed or just surveillance. They're similar to the cctv ones at the side of the road.

I must admit the removal of the boxes has made me a little nervous heading through that section now. Tbh i'' surprised they actually took the boxes down as they were a deterrant even if they weren't switched on.

[anonymous-user]

jkh112 said:

I thought the larger yellow ones mounted halfway up the gantries on the hard shoulder side were the active speed cameras now, at least in the M5 section between the M4 and cribbs.

That's the badger. The cantilever mounted cameras cover all lanes, gone are the one trick pony cameras that can only cover a single lane. The same applies in terms of speed limit. 70mph at all times bar when the hard shoulder is being run.

[LordGrover]

I assume the whole Almondsbury Interchange area is rigged and operating so stick to the limit - it's only a short stretch.

[Paul Dishman]

I'm on a naughty boy's course for doing 70 past a 60 limit coming home from Castle Combe on Bank Holiday Monday evening, so the cameras are definitely live

[scrumpy]

Yes, last week I was on M5 running south from M4 towards Cribbs and possibly just south of the Aztec West junction saw a flash from a gantry on the northbound side. A bit strange I thought as I could see no cameras. Then yesterday and today I had a good look around and could see no cameras on the M4 / M5 gantries at all. I have to admit that I was not looking for yellow ones at the sides. But why take the old ones down as surely it took some time (presumably using a 'Cherry Picker') and would need partial road closures to achieve. As said, at least the old ones were a visual deterrent.

[anonymous-user]

scrumpy said:

Yes, last week I was on M5 running south from M4 towards Cribbs and possibly just south of the Aztec West junction saw a flash from a gantry on the northbound side. A bit strange I thought as I could see no cameras. Then yesterday and today I had a good look around and could see no cameras on the M4 / M5 gantries at all. I have to admit that I was not looking for yellow ones at the sides. But why take the old ones down as surely it took some time (presumably using a 'Cherry Picker') and would need partial road closures to achieve. As said, at least the old ones were a visual deterrent.

The newer cameras allow for ease of maintenance due to their location. The above lane cameras are quite old hat now, and in the event of a technical issue, like you say - it becomes a total closure or at the very least an overnight lane closure and MEWP job to fix them. With the newer cameras they're out of the way of live lanes, and can provide lane coverage across the whole carriageway, it makes a bit easier for the managing agent and there's not the disruption to the road user.

I thought there'd been more information cascaded about the HADECS 3 system as they've been there a while as a retrofit to the gantries (when the super gantries were first installed, they didn't exist so the above lane individual cameras were current kit at the time).

[RVVUNM]

I thought the side cameras where average speed cameras and have been active for some time. I noticed the carriage cameras had gone last week.

[jkh112]

The side cameras I was referring to are quite large and are not average speed cameras as they aren't repeated along the stretch of motorway.

[tylerama]

Hadecs are mounted on the left hand side of the road on the gantry about 12 foot - approx - up, roughly about the size of shoebox. They cover all the lanes at once and adjust to the speed limit shown on the gantry. They have a set of three smaller cameras about 300 yards BEFORE the gantry, which takes a picture of the current limit to give proof what the limit was at the time.

Specs are the average speed cameras mounted on the thinner, taller, yellow poles. The newer ones have two to three yellow cameras facing either way and have a small aerial at the back, I assume to connect to their control box nearby.

[Stuart J]

tylerama said:

Hadecs are mounted on the left hand side of the road on the gantry about 12 foot - approx - up, roughly about the size of shoebox. They cover all the lanes at once and adjust to the speed limit shown on the gantry. They have a set of three smaller cameras about 300 yards BEFORE the gantry, which takes a picture of the current limit to give proof what the limit was at the time.

Specs are the average speed cameras mounted on the thinner, taller, yellow poles. The newer ones have two to three yellow cameras facing either way and have a small aerial at the back, I assume to connect to their control box nearby.

That's spot on,

Sad reading here https://www.speedcamerasuk.com/hadecs-3.htm

[RVVUNM]

Interesting read and I now understand what they are, thanks

[Alex_6n2]

Scockers said:

The grey speed camera boxes that were gantry mounted on the M4 and M5 around the interchange have vanished this last week or so.

Does anyone know if they have gone for good? Or are they being replaced with a newer smaller version which are less easy to spot!

Keen to know if anyone can shed some light on this

The HADECS 2 cameras have gone

Replaced by HADECS 3 units mounted to the side of the gantry