Speed awareness course

[quiet_riot]

Anyone tried contesting the speeding charge.

Just got done doing 60 on the smart section of motorway when gantry had 50 displayed on an empty motorway.

I'm curious to know two things:

1) the basis of the appeal
and
2) how much extra points/fine you'll get for a frivolous appeal

 

[Harvster]

I did a speed awareness course via Zoom last week, with a trainer (or whatever they're known as) called Steve from Wigan, who was a Blue. Ironically I got caught speeding on the way back from the League Cup Final! The course was actually very interesting and does make you consider the importance of keeping your old foot off the gas.

 

[Maccblue]

I did one last year in Runcorn. As many have said it’s very informative and if work sent you as a training course and paid you prob quite enjoy it. As it’s a Saturday morning and paid £85 for the privilege it’s not quite the same

Bloke and a woman him scouse her a Manc. Work vey well together. As a double act

First opening lines were “you would not believe the number of dual carriageways in the north west that have a 30mph stretch. Queens drive , Princess Parkway, even Alan Turing way coming from city’s ground has one !!!!

Don’t I know it! Had to leave the Newcastle game to get back for a family do a couple of mins early (yes I know) as the road was quiet and the mrs in my ear hurry up we’re gonna be late, 37 in a 30 across the junction at Hyde Rd. Yes that camera works !!

 

[ytic04]

It was more of a smart motorway gripe.
Two gantries lit on the twenty miles I did and no change in traffic conditions from one end to the other. Out of hours and empty.
Why was it on, and just happened to be a gantry with a camera on it.

 

[Northernstorirs]

I'm not much of a speeder but people taking ages to start off at traffic lights should be given points.

 

[give it to gordon]

I did one a few years ago got caught doing 35 in a 30 country lane , no house just a lane. Anyway I turned up still angry that I was 'having' to do this. After about ten minutes the two ladies had broken the ice and I found it interesting and fun !.

The biggest laugh came when one lady was telling the group how she got nicked. It turns out she was in a funeral courtege when she was nicked, no one else in the courtege got a speeding ticket just her and she wanted to know why that was !!.

 

[TheRemainsOfTheDave]

It was more of a smart motorway gripe.
Two gantries lit on the twenty miles I did and no change in traffic conditions from one end to the other. Out of hours and empty.
Why was it on, and just happened to be a gantry with a camera on it.

All the gantries that have cameras on can still be working when the speed limit is at national speed limit. The one issue I have is that I quite often don't see any national speed limit sign displayed to denote the end of the variation. Technically if you have seen a gantry with a speed limit displayed and then the next gantry without one, the limit still applies and this should be the case until the national limit is displayed. However, gov.uk has a page on how to use a smart motorway and this section is interesting ...

"A speed limit displayed inside a red circle is legally enforceable. If you go over the speed limit, you’re breaking the law and could receive a fine. We’ll let you know when it no longer applies by setting the national speed limit sign.

If no speed limits are displayed then the national speed limit applies. When speed limits are displayed, they remain in place until notified that they have ended, or a different speed limit is displayed."

If, as you say, only 2 gantries were lit over a range of 20 miles when there were other gantries not displaying, and there were no other obvious reasons for the reduced speed (roadworks, heavy traffic, weather conditions, messages about obstructions etc) then it would be interesting to see if the argument that you were concerned that you were now driving too slow for the conditions would stand up and believed in good faith that the national speed sign had not been displayed due to an error, akin to when temporary traffic lights fail and drivers have to break the law in order to keep the traffic flowing.

Probably won't work if you were caught by the gantry displaying one of the messages, though.

 

[BimboBob]

I'm not much of a speeder but people taking ages to start off at traffic lights should be given points.

It's the ones who come up to the lights or a junction and sit 20 feet back. If you have no idea about how long your car is you need to be banned. Useless cunts.

 

[BimboBob]

All the gantries have cameras on (and working) I've heard, and they are still working when the speed limit is at national speed limit. The one issue I have is that I quite often don't see any national speed limit sign displayed to denote the end of the variation. Technically if you have seen a gantry with a speed limit displayed and then the next gantry without one, the limit still applies and this should be the case until the national limit is displayed. However, gov.uk has a page on how to use a smart motorway and this section is interesting ...

"A speed limit displayed inside a red circle is legally enforceable. If you go over the speed limit, you’re breaking the law and could receive a fine. We’ll let you know when it no longer applies by setting the national speed limit sign.

If no speed limits are displayed then the national speed limit applies. When speed limits are displayed, they remain in place until notified that they have ended, or a different speed limit is displayed."

If, as you say, only 2 gantries were lit over a range of 20 miles when there were other gantries not displaying, and there were no other obvious reasons for the reduced speed (roadworks, heavy traffic, weather conditions, messages about obstructions etc) then it would be interesting to see if the argument that you were concerned that you were now driving too slow for the conditions would stand up and believed in good faith that the national speed sign had not been displayed due to an error, akin to when temporary traffic lights fail and drivers have to break the law in order to keep the traffic flowing.

Probably won't work if you were caught by the gantry displaying one of the messages, though.

My first ever speeding ticket was for doing 46 on the M25 at 9pm on a summer's evening. It was signposted as 40 and saying congestion ahead. Trouble is I could see quite far ahead and there was very little traffic. 4 more gantry's said 40 congestion as I wizzed past before magically switching to the national speed limit. Unfortunately one of them must have flashed.

This is no grounds for contesting. Common sense might have applied but there's none when speeding is concerned.

 

[TheRemainsOfTheDave]

My first ever speeding ticket was for doing 46 on the M25 at 9pm on a summer's evening. It was signposted as 40 and saying congestion ahead. Trouble is I could see quite far ahead and there was very little traffic. 4 more gantry's said 40 congestion as I wizzed past before magically switching to the national speed limit. Unfortunately one of them must have flashed.

This is no grounds for contesting. Common sense might have applied but there's none when speeding is concerned.

There's probably no grounds for contesting that the speed limit was exceeded, but there may be grounds for contesting that the Highways Agency did not use the technology in a fair manner or it was unclear. If you approached a set of traffic lights and it became obvious that they were never going to change to red, what would you do? That's an example many of us have experienced and it's an example of failed technology whereby punishing those that went through the light would be unfair because not going through the lights would be blocking the carriageway and would also be an offence.

These smart motorways should show the speed limit on every gantry and then the national limit should be shown on multiple gantries when the limit is re-set. If they are using the gantries selectively, it is unclear to the driver. I have seen gantries light up then go off almost immediately, does that mean the speed limit it displayed is in force or not?

 

[lonestay]

I was told on the one I attended, that the smart motorway are recording all the time. So if the signs are off and you are above the national speed limit ie. 70mph then the cameras don't flash but still record speed . If the speed signs are on limiting the speed to what ever is set , then they flash if above that speed . Theres a section of motorway at Newport South Wales that's notorious for dropping the speed limit for one section in the smart zone . So you come up to the smart zone it's set at say 50mph , you set cruise control or speed limiter for that speed then you come up to the section by the golf club and for about 100 yard they drop it to 40mph, then immediately back to 50mph, I swear that section alone funds the Welsh economy! They would argue that it's safety for the slip road, but its like being in a disco with the strobe lights on going through that section !!!!

 

[BimboBob]

I was told on the one I attended, that the smart motorway are recording all the time. So if the signs are off and you are above the national speed limit ie. 70mph then the cameras don't flash but still record speed . If the speed signs are on limiting the speed to what ever is set , then they flash if above that speed . Theres a section of motorway at Newport South Wales that's notorious for dropping the speed limit for one section in the smart zone . So you come up to the smart zone it's set at say 50mph , you set cruise control or speed limiter for that speed then you come up to the section by the golf club and for about 100 yard they drop it to 40mph, then immediately back to 50mph, I swear that section alone funds the Welsh economy! They would argue that it's safety for the slip road, but its like being in a disco with the strobe lights on going through that section !!!!

The bit by Luton on the M1 is never set to anything higher than 60. Most of the time it's on 50, even during this pandemic it never changed. No roadworks but a slip road. So you have an empty motorway, at least it was a few weeks ago, with a speed limit of 50. I have no idea why.

 

[lonestay]

The smart motorway is just a revenue gathering system , not safety related really , I just wish they were honest about it.

 

[dickie davies]

The bit by Luton on the M1 is never set to anything higher than 60. Most of the time it's on 50, even during this pandemic it never changed. No roadworks but a slip road. So you have an empty motorway, at least it was a few weeks ago, with a speed limit of 50. I have no idea why.

Some information we were told on our course was that there are pollution monitors in areas around motorways. Traffic is asked to slow down to help air quality, which explains why on clear roads there are reduced speed limits

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

The bit by Luton on the M1 is never set to anything higher than 60. Most of the time it's on 50, even during this pandemic it never changed. No roadworks but a slip road. So you have an empty motorway, at least it was a few weeks ago, with a speed limit of 50. I have no idea why.

It's a revenue stream! It changes part way through, can't remember now whether it's northwards or southwards and goes from 60 to 50. Yer have to be 100% aware or yer carry on with yer set cruising speed of 60 and, whoa, when did that change to 50mph. And too late, the bastards have yer!

 

[ytic04]

All the gantries have cameras on (and working) I've heard, and they are still working when the speed limit is at national speed limit. The one issue I have is that I quite often don't see any national speed limit sign displayed to denote the end of the variation. Technically if you have seen a gantry with a speed limit displayed and then the next gantry without one, the limit still applies and this should be the case until the national limit is displayed. However, gov.uk has a page on how to use a smart motorway and this section is interesting ...

"A speed limit displayed inside a red circle is legally enforceable. If you go over the speed limit, you’re breaking the law and could receive a fine. We’ll let you know when it no longer applies by setting the national speed limit sign.

If no speed limits are displayed then the national speed limit applies. When speed limits are displayed, they remain in place until notified that they have ended, or a different speed limit is displayed."

If, as you say, only 2 gantries were lit over a range of 20 miles when there were other gantries not displaying, and there were no other obvious reasons for the reduced speed (roadworks, heavy traffic, weather conditions, messages about obstructions etc) then it would be interesting to see if the argument that you were concerned that you were now driving too slow for the conditions would stand up and believed in good faith that the national speed sign had not been displayed due to an error, akin to when temporary traffic lights fail and drivers have to break the law in order to keep the traffic flowing.

Probably won't work if you were caught by the gantry displaying one of the messages, though.

About every sixth gantry there is a yellow speed camera fitted on the side of the gantry, any idea what's the difference between theses ones and the ones you say are on every gantry.?

The yellow one was flashing away at every car behind me when i checked my mirror.

 

[Indaparkside]

If you didn’t speed we wouldn’t need these courses you selfish fuckers
Remember
Stay in the speed limit
Protect other drivers
Save lives

 

[Tuearts right boot]

If you didn’t speed we wouldn’t need these courses you selfish fuckers
Remember
Stay in the speed limit
Protect other drivers
Save lives

I must remember that.

 

[casserole of nonsense]

If you didn’t speed we wouldn’t need these courses you selfish fuckers
Remember
Stay in the speed limit
Protect other drivers
Save lives

Even if I'm heading to Barnard Castle?

 

[TheRemainsOfTheDave]

About every sixth gantry there is a yellow speed camera fitted on the side of the gantry, any idea what's the difference between theses ones and the ones you say are on every gantry.?

The yellow one was flashing away at every car behind me when i checked my mirror.

Yeah badly worded that first bit. I meant to say that the cameras can be active all the time but the varying types & makes mean they will be installed in different ways and places.