3 new SPECS speed cameras on M25
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!
[…] of speed cameras, on the section I used nearly every day for the best part of 10 years. These new speed cameras on M25 are of the SPECS type, which measure average speed and look like […]
April 10th, 2007 at 3:36 pmBig brother is watching you!
April 13th, 2007 at 10:38 amSince 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!
April 19th, 2007 at 10:30 amI 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).
April 20th, 2007 at 10:31 amCan 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??
September 3rd, 2007 at 12:02 pmHi 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.
September 3rd, 2007 at 1:20 pmhello 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!!
September 4th, 2007 at 10:02 amHi 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
September 4th, 2007 at 10:12 amwhat 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
October 22nd, 2007 at 4:55 pmHas 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??
October 26th, 2007 at 9:02 pmAFAIK 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.
October 29th, 2007 at 10:17 pmI 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!!!!
November 12th, 2007 at 3:04 pmOr 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.
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.
November 17th, 2007 at 12:34 pmhey,
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
November 20th, 2007 at 6:14 amhas anybody actually been done by these spec cameras yet, i thought they was only used for road works? maybee futer ones.
December 29th, 2007 at 6:36 pmhi all
January 6th, 2008 at 11:10 ami 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
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?
February 9th, 2008 at 11:36 amCan anyone confirm if these are definately active?
March 16th, 2008 at 11:14 amHi Andy,
These are definitely active - thats how you get the informational messages on M25: eg: distance to Jn27: 8 miles
Time: 9mins
Vipul
March 17th, 2008 at 10:18 amYou 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”
March 23rd, 2008 at 10:03 amI 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.
March 30th, 2008 at 9:07 pmHello 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
March 30th, 2008 at 9:17 pm….. 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.
March 30th, 2008 at 9:19 pmthank 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
March 30th, 2008 at 9:29 pmMR 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
March 30th, 2008 at 9:44 pmVipul: ok i will see on my tomtom post back tomorrow eve
March 30th, 2008 at 9:50 pmMy 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
March 30th, 2008 at 10:18 pmcouldn’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
March 31st, 2008 at 6:34 pmHi,
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
March 31st, 2008 at 6:42 pmRight,
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
April 10th, 2008 at 6:16 pm