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PostPosted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 01:44 
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BBC News wrote:
A9 average speed cameras 'have reduced speeding'
26 January 2015 Last updated at 12:55
Cameras have been installed at 27 sites along the A9
The number of drivers caught speeding on the A9 has fallen dramatically since average speed cameras were introduced, according to new figures.
The controversial camera system, which stretches from Dunblane to Inverness, went live in October.
Despite critics claiming it would have little effect on safety, the A9 Safety Group said the cameras had a positive influence on driver behaviour.

Opponents argue that the cameras disrupt traffic flow on the road.
The A9 Safety Group, which involves Transport Scotland, police and road maintenance companies, said overall speeding was down from about one in three drivers to one in 20.
It added that the cameras - which have been introduced at 27 locations between Dunblane and Inverness - had detected 298 vehicles exceeding the speed limit over the first three months.
Police Scotland said 2,493 offences had been recorded over the same period the previous year.

Journey times
The safety group said excessive speeding - where drivers were traced travelling at more than 10mph above the speed limit - had fallen by 97%.
An associated pilot scheme allowing lorries to go at 50mph, which is 10mph faster than the national limit, has helped to reduce journey times, it added.

Average journey times between Perth and Inverness have increased by up to 14 minutes, according to the new report. Journey times were "slightly higher" in December, it said.

Sticker A Transport Scotland sticker showing speed limits on the A9
Stewart Leggett, chairman of the A9 Safety Group, said the figures from the first three months of the camera scheme and HGV speed limit pilot were "very encouraging".

He said: "Drivers are clearly paying heed and moderating their speed, and we welcome this positive contribution to road safety on the A9.
"All the early findings on speed, journey time and journey time reliability are in line with our predictions, while traffic volumes on the A9 are remaining higher than in 2013, with no evidence of drivers diverting onto other routes.
"The low number of drivers being detected by the cameras and the speed profiles from along the route indicates the early effectiveness of the cameras in improving behaviour.
Average speed cameras on A9 The new camera system went live in October 2014
"But the A9 would be safer still if every driver observed the limits."

Ch Supt Iain Murray, head of road policing at Police Scotland, said the cameras had influenced driver behaviour.
Road Safety Scotland and the Road Haulage Association have also welcomed the results.
Neil Greig, of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, told BBC Scotland that he was "very pleased the cameras were working".
He said: "It is going to take over 10 years to dual the entire A9 from Perth to Inverness. During that time we did need to do something about the road safety record of that road."

Single carriageway'
The £3m camera scheme has been installed while work is progressed to upgrade single carriageway stretches of the A9 between Inverness and Perth to dual carriageway.

The Scottish government hopes to upgrade the whole length of the A9 to dual carriageway by 2025.

The £3bn project involves the upgrade of 80 miles of single carriageway. The road south of Perth is dual carriageway.
line
A9 Cameras will be installed at 27 sites in the £2.5m project
On the road Steven McKenzie, Highlands and Islands reporter
"Are we nearly there yet?" one of my kids will inevitably shout from the back seats five minutes into an almost four-hour drive from Inverness to Glasgow.

There are a number of stock replies from the front, such as: "No. And just be happy you have your wee TVs and videos to watch. We didn't have those in our day."
The journey is usually punctuated with other constant questions: "Is this the long bit of dual carriageway, or the short one?" "Why is he overtaking now???"

Driving the A9 is never something that is looked forward to. It is a long and frequently busy road. Whether you are travelling on it at nine at night, or two in the morning, there are always cars, or cars towing caravans, or big motor homes towing cars, as well as vans and lorries.

The road has acquired an almost mythical infamy. Even people who have never driven it will tut and mutter about journey times and how dangerous it is.

Sorting out the A9 was never going to be easy, or cheap.
Installing the average speed camera system has cost £3m, while dualling the road all the way from Inverness to Perth involves a mammoth programme of work that will run to an estimated £3bn.
There are some who argue that the road should not be upgraded at all and the investment should go on the rail network instead.

The completion of the dual carriageway project by 2025 should bring an end to some of the questions about journeys on A9 - although "are we nearly there yet?" is unlikely to ever go away.
line
The cameras keep watch for any cars breaking the 60mph speed limit on the single carriageway sections.
In the past three months there have been no fatalities on the parts of the A9 covered by the cameras and overall the accident rate is down.
But the system has attracted strong criticism.

Mike Burns, spokesman for A9 Average Speed Cameras Are Not the Answer, said his group had looked at details of more than 100,000 accidents on the road since 2004.

He said: "Only 2% were determined to be down to speeding and the rest were down to incidents of, for example, foreign drivers being on the wrong side of the road, poor overtaking and right-turn manoeuvres over dual carriageways.
"If these cameras were such a success, why is the A9 Safety Group now considering shutting right turns to stop right-turn accidents?
"The cameras were meant to be the be all and end all of all accidents, but they simply are not."
If only road safety was so simple as merely reducing a speed.
Whilst we do not condone 'speeding' we do recognise the reality of what goes on on the roads, and what the real issues are to bring about road safety.
More technical offences for the drivers and riders that will not reduce accidents nor bring about better road safety. A 10 yr plan of Avcams is going to be interesting as the recession ends and the KSI steadily increase. What will they say then ? ;)

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PostPosted: Fri Mar 20, 2015 01:47 
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Did I hear on the traffic news tonight that the A9 had been closed in both directions because of a major accident? If so, was that in the average speed camera zone?


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PostPosted: Fri Mar 20, 2015 21:52 
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Another report? If so ,possibly trying the repaet often and folk believe it theory. :shock:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=26699&p=253285&hilit=a9+cameras+have+reduced+speeding#p253285

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 01:38 
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Ah, it appears it was!

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/ne ... -a9-crash/



http://a9road.info/uploads/publications ... ations.pdf

Working well then, I see....


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 23:54 
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next magical cure forA9 accidents- plastic Gnomes . :shock: :D :loco:

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 03:09 
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Accident here : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-h ... s-31983846

Two lorry drivers clashed! I guess wind might have been a cause but the weather will have to be checked.
I did read recently that due to a CSP ?sp test many lorry drivers are now retired and many young 18yr olds who would have never previously been allowed to drive the larger vehicles are now doing so! Mad ! :(
Here : http://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/n ... ed-reforms

Oh there was a previous fatal at the end of Feb with another lorry driver too ... also on the scam section! :( It will be interesting to get the Fatal total at the end of 6mths of scams! :( Awful for all those who have needlessly lost their lives due to this appalling and dangerous scheme. :(

A9 cam locations : http://a9road.info/uploads/publications ... ations.pdf

and
Just found this map from the Road Safety Foundation .. :
http://www.roadsafetyfoundation.org/med ... region.pdf

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 22:04 
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As I said on the trucking post, if that's the case, why don't we hear great shouts of woe about Forces HGV drivers, many of them getting their HGV CLASS 1 before they were 18 . Possibly an unmentioned reason why so many large UK transport firms are keen on ex forces drivers- they've got an extra few years experience.

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PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 01:50 
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Of course, you just KNOW it won't be the cameras' fault - it'll be the trial 50 limit for trucks... :roll:


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 00:40 
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Mole, funny you should say that :
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/tran ... .121454946
Scotland Herald wrote:
Dangerous driving down on A9 since speed cameras launched, survey finds
Helen McArdle
Transport Correspondent
Tuesday 24 March 2015

ROAD rage and dangerous overtaking has been cut on the A9 since average speed cameras launched last year, according to the first survey of driver behaviour on the Perth to Inverness route.
A9: Motorists reported witnessing fewer road rage incidents or dangerous overtaking after the average speed cameras launched

In the latest signal that the initiative is making the notorious road safer, motorists who use reported that they were now far less likely to speed themselves and had witnessed fewer instances of road rage, tailgating, dangerous overtaking or motorists cutting up other drivers.

Average speed cameras were activated at 27 locations between the cameras Dunblane and Inverness in October despite criticism from opponents that it would disrupt traffic flow, slow journey times and increase driver frustration - potentially exacerbating risky overtakes and aggression.

However, the report, compiled by the A9 Safety Group, said it was "those with a tendency to speed" who were most likely to report an "increased their level of driver frustration and their perceived journey time".

It comes after Police Scotland said 298 speeding offences were detected on the road in the first three months after the cameras launched - compared to 2,493 for the same period the previous year.

Neil Greig, the Scotland-based director of policy for the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said the survey proved that it is possible to alter driver behaviour on a mass scale.

He said: "What it really shows is that you can change driver behaviour. This is really the biggest study of that we've ever had in terms of scale on one particular route.
"We're seeing the amount of speeding going down, fewer risky manoeuvres, so it's definitely working.
"I have no sympathy with people who were used to doing 100mph and now can't. But something I have asked - and I've asked the A9 Safety Group to look into - is, what is the source of that frustration? Were people speeding just because they liked it, or because their work are putting them under pressure to drive faster.
"We need to know whether we should be targetting individual or employers who are putting unrealistic pressure on staff."

The survey compared responses from sample groups representing similar gender and gender before and after the cameras were introduced. In both cases, respondents had driven on the A9 between Perth and Inverness for at least 15 minutes in the previous 24 hours.

Three quarters of respondents to the After survey said they "never" exceeded the speed limit by 15mph when travelling along the A9, compared to 43 per cent in the Before survey. Respondents were also less likely to exceed the speed limit by 10mph or even 3mph after the cameras went live.

When asked about the driving behaviour they had witnessed on their most recent A9 journey, 2 per cent of drivers in the After survey said they had seen another driver being "cut up" compared to 19 per cent in the Before survey.

Road rage and aggressive behaviour incidents had also fallen from 19 per cent to 6 per cent of respondents, with risky overtaking down from 13 per cent to 4 per cent and tailgating down from 14 per cent to 4 per cent.

However, the results come days after a major crash on the road which has long been maligned as the deadliest in Scotland due to its high number of fatal and serious collisions.

Lorry driver, Alexander Fraser, 50, was killed on the A9 near Kingussie, in the Highlands, on Friday after his vehicle collided with an Argos lorry.

A two-car crash on the A9 near Bankfoot, in Perthshire, also claimed the lives of two men in their 40s in February.

Stuart Leggatt, of the A9 safety group, whose members include Police Scotland and Transport Scotland, said: "Any fatality on the A9 is one too many and our thoughts are with the families of those involved in the recent tragic incidents.
"All our efforts are made in the interest of safety and these latest results are an encouraging sign.
"The A9 Road User survey has tried to gauge the effect the recent road safety measures may have had on drivers' perceptions of safety and driving experience. Coupled with the early performance data published in January this year, we can see a positive impact on driver behaviour but we know more can be done."
:( You can imagine what I've commented ...!

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 01:59 
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I've also been commenting here on the A9 Road Watch :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1738804 ... tif_t=like

A really interesting page but they have an awful habit of deleting threads just as they are getting really interesting - most sad. :(

Also :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkJlXX_J3_8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbEsZRt5u9U

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... ed+cameras

Although some people seem to like the more relaxed 'chill' behind vehicles the bad driving continues and I think from reports there is in some, a feel that the average speed cams are creating a 'safer feel' mode. Might that be lulling people into a false sense of security ? May some be taking grater risks due to extreme frustration. A 'frustration rage'? Food for thought perhaps?
Edited ...

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 08:45 
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Risk compensation is a well known and proven fact of human behaviour.

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.


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PostPosted: Thu Mar 26, 2015 02:22 
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Scotland Herald wrote:
...However, the report, compiled by the (totally impartial with no vested interest whatsoever) A9 Safety Group, said it was "those with a tendency to speed" who were most likely to report an "increased their level of driver frustration and their perceived journey time".

(My red). Another graduate from the university of the bleedin' obvious then... :roll: ...and don't tell me, "...those who normally dawdled along at 50 or less anyway didn't report an increased level of driver frustration and perceived journey time"? Well, you learn something every day! :loco:

Scotland Herald wrote:
Neil Greig, the Scotland-based director of policy for the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said the survey proved that it is possible to alter driver behaviour on a mass scale.

Letting their tyres down would be another way, I suppose...

Scotland Herald wrote:
The survey compared responses from sample groups representing similar gender and gender before and after the cameras were introduced. In both cases, respondents had driven on the A9 between Perth and Inverness for at least 15 minutes in the previous 24 hours.

I know some people will go to great lengths to camouflage their identity to prevent camera prosecution, but were there really THAT many who changed gender after the cameras were introduced?


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PostPosted: Thu Mar 26, 2015 04:12 
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POLICY NOTE: THE HGV SPEED LIMIT (M9/A9 TRUNK ROAD) REGULATIONS 2014
SSI 2014/274 : http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2014/ ... 274_en.pdf
and draft :
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/sdsi/2014/9780111023433

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PostPosted: Thu Mar 26, 2015 04:42 
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Mole I see your sense of humour is as steadfast as ever ! :)
Yeah I hadn't picked up on the gender reference ! :)
Malcolm - yes totally agreed.

The 15min is almost a round run of Aviemore or from Kinussie to Aviemore i.e not much distance at all!
Hardly fair assessment of any kind! Let alone the 130 miles of tolerating the scams and the mental fatigue, distraction and frustration many experience.

One chap has told me though that by setting the cruise control and settling down, he finds it more comfortable than the former style of 'gunning it'.
I find this interesting. I wonder if the years had already made him quietly question his actions and this is perhaps a 'reason' to change because he has to. However if this is helping those people does that mean that for some, and perhaps others, this will help a group even if it is only for a while. (I suspect this more leisurely attitude will wear off.)
Clearly this is all psychology but then changing attitudes by enforcement through scams, is nasty but maybe this might be one group that could 'benefit' ?

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PostPosted: Thu Mar 26, 2015 16:14 
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I like the Mole unbiased report :D , but I seem to remember working in a few truck depots after the 56 limiters were brought in and hearing reports of an INCREASE of trucking accidents. Most traffic managers put it down to driver boredom. the limiter had taken over from the driver.

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PostPosted: Fri Mar 27, 2015 05:00 
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Yes it could be that it is very questionable. Wasn't that brought in to help reduce the potential impact speed ?

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PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 16:38 
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Yes - it's all about impact speed, often ignored . But if the driver is alert, and reading the road, could this sort of accident be prevented?

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