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Current Status of M42?

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ed_m

Post subject:

Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 20:36

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Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2005 13:55
Posts: 2247
Location: middlish

well i have been reserving judgement... and yes its pretty cack in all but a few traffic scenarios.

which is a shame cos potentially i think it could work quite well, in fact i'd like to get my hands on the control system myself to play with.

re: cameras, you quickly learn to spot a plain gantry and one with a suspicious extension at the back.

plus by law there is a 10 second grace period between indicated & enforcable speed limits.
so if one changes as you go under dont brake madly like a numpty (although the numpty ahead probably will be anyway)

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BlackadderTF

Post subject:

Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 22:27

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Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2005 20:07
Posts: 81
Location: Bedfordshire

Blimey, those cameras are a bit hard to spot!
Seem a bit well concealed, and I don't fancy driving along staring up at every gantry for several seconds - v. dangerous (infact, didn't the Vietcong used to hang objects in trees so that you would look up and miss the spikey pit on the ground infront of you?).
Would be interesting to see the accident stats (rear end shunts particularly) for the site when it goes live compared to previous years.

Are we looking at the future here, with every length of UK motorway/Dc covered by variable limit cameras (gets foggy - big brother nocks the limit down to 20)?

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DieselMoment

Post subject:

Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 13:11

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Joined: Sat Dec 04, 2004 13:41
Posts: 514
Location: Thames Valley

Nemesis - I'm a regular M42 user - see my thread: http://www.safespeed.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7950

Coming up the M40 from J5, it's an easy journey to J3A, where the motorway splits. The signs are a bit confusing, but you need to be over to the left if going north on the M42 to the M1. Watch out for some bad lane changes. The M42 "managed" section is a pain in the neck; I don't go much above the posted speed limit and it's not normally possible anyway, although the traffic moves well and it's not congested. Look out for some more worrying signs for the M6 toll route! The first time I came up here after the M6 tollroad opened, the signs confused me into thinking I'd missed a turn and was committed to the M6 toll. This was not the case and all was well.

On the southbound trip, there's a point where the M42 and M6 toll merge, and it's tempting to move out to the right and accelerate as two lanes become four - but if continuing down the M42 you need to stay in the left lanes.

Other than that I like this route - good luck!

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Dixie

Post subject:

Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 14:54

Friend of Safe Speed

Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2005 19:50
Posts: 3369
Location: Lost in the Wilderness

Sent an FOI asking how many NIP's had been issued and how many prosecutions, recived the following reply.

Quote:

From: "Cooke, David" <David.Cooke@highways.gsi.gov.uk>

Subject: RE: M42 Traffic Management System J3A - 7
Send: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 15:53:55 +0100

Mr xxxx,

Thank you for your email to the Highways Agency Information Line regarding enforcement on the Active Traffic Management (ATM) project on the M42 junctions 3A - 7.

There are no fixed speed enforcement cameras in operation at present. As part of the ATM project a speed enforcement camera system has been developed that responds to variable mandatory speed limits. The Police expect to use the cameras to support the enforcement of speed limits later this year. The ATM enforcement system is primarily designed to encourage drivers to comply with the variable speed limits, which will only be in use during congestion or an incident. Mandatory/enforceable speed limits were introduced onto this section on the 29th November 2005. These limits are being enforced by the police at their discretion.

I hope that this answers the points you raised.

If you have any further queries please contact the Highways Agency Information Line 08457 50 40 30, contact us by email at m42atmproject@highways.gsi.gov.uk or visit our web site at www.highways.gov.uk/ATM.

Regards

Dave Cooke
ATM Business & Information Manager
C6, 5 Broadway
Broad St
Birmingham
B15 1 BL

_________________
Useless laws weaken necessary laws.

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Steve

Post subject:

Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 15:13

Friend of Safe Speed

Joined: Sun Sep 25, 2005 10:16
Posts: 7986
Location: Moved to London

At a guess, I would say that they will be using the new fangled digital gatsos (using IR flash). I believe these don't yet have type approval (hence no prosecutions) but they should have it by the end of the year.

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Dixie

Post subject:

Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 15:51

Friend of Safe Speed

Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2005 19:50
Posts: 3369
Location: Lost in the Wilderness

smeggy wrote:

I emailed the Agency in March to ask whether the cameras where being used and got this reply.

Quote:

Mr xxxx,
Thank you for your email regarding the M42 junctions 3A - 7.

Mandatory/enforceable speed limits were introduced onto this section on the 29th November 2005. These limits are being enforced by the police at their discretion via our systems.
It is not currently planned that we will use the enforcement system on ATM to enforce under normal motorway conditions although the capability is there and the Police can still enforce the national speed limit via other methods, as on all other motorways. The ATM enforcement system is primarily designed to encourage drivers to comply with the variable speed limits, which will only be in use during congestion or an incident.
I hope that this addresses your queries.

My bold, So it looks like they where telling porkies.

_________________
Useless laws weaken necessary laws.

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civil engineer

Post subject:

Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 16:09

Member

Joined: Fri Apr 22, 2005 10:30
Posts: 2053
Location: South Wales (Roving all UK)

My opinion is that the thing has failed.

at peak hours the flashing '50' is just insulting as you nudge along between 0 and 5 mph.

as soon as the rush hour has gone you have a well under capacity road where you're restricted to 50/60/50/60/50 (or whatever the professional traffic flow controller feels like at that given moment) doing your best to keet to the ever changing innapropriate limit!

more lanes!!! and possibly a relief m42???

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Twister

Post subject:

Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 18:27

Gold Member

Joined: Tue Jul 27, 2004 11:05
Posts: 1044
Location: Hillingdon

civil engineer wrote:

at peak hours the flashing '50' is just insulting as you nudge along between 0 and 5 mph.

Flashing? Is this on a mandatory limit sign, and if so which parts of the sign are actually flashing?

_________________
Chris

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civil engineer

Post subject:

Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 18:33

Member

Joined: Fri Apr 22, 2005 10:30
Posts: 2053
Location: South Wales (Roving all UK)

ok ok ok

the 50 is 'illuminated'

I do tend to tell a tall tale!

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Ziltro

Post subject:

Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 19:01

Member

Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2005 02:50
Posts: 2868
Location: Dorset

Form what I have heard they don't 'flash' but they do, or can 'flicker' as the lights are run on AC and the numbers are run off a different phase from the outside circle. Or is that the M25 ones?

_________________
Andrew.

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Graeme

Post subject:

Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 19:15

Gold Member

Joined: Sun Aug 06, 2006 09:13
Posts: 771

I've never been up this stretch when the variable limits are in operation, but I have been under the dozens of cameras.

Quite honestly, whether they're switched on or not I think they are a serious hazard. There's so many of the b****dy things that it forces a continual watch on the speedo.

I did not feel safe at all driving up it. Other than the fear of drifting over and being flashed it's only a matter of time before someone that doesn't know they're there is bombing up the road, spots them and slams the brakes on.

Stupidity, but then I'm not surprised.

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Lum

Post subject:

Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 21:18

User

Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2005 00:01
Posts: 2258
Location: South Wales

I like how they refer to the system as an ATM system.
That's a cash machine then?

Anyway, I can confirm that a camera'd gantry will have matching cameras on the opposite side, and they are actually quite easy to spot. There are 96 cameras in total, but you need to divide that number by 8 since there is one camera for each lane. Most of them are clustered around the start and end of the VSL section, but there are a few in the middle.

Might I suggest using the M5 and the non-VSL section of the M42 as an alternative route (depends on where you're going I guess). That route is pretty good these days since the M6 toll has done wonders to unclog the M6/M5 junction. It still sucks at rush hour, but so does everywhere else in that part of the country.

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volvofl10

Post subject:

Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2006 00:59

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Joined: Tue Aug 15, 2006 23:31
Posts: 29

the speeds assigned to the overhead warning signs are operated by a 3 year old clown .
several of my colleagues formt he same depot all reckon the same and have said so since the road works finished.
the operators could gain a great deal of experience from going to the m25 control centre for a weeks coarse.
4am in the morning and you can find several 60's in a row, followed by a 40, then an instant leap back to 60 then NSL !!! and theres nothing on the road at the time.

as fot looking for the cameras on the opposite side, this is true from the A45 thru to the M40 , after each junction travelling in the M40 direction , there are 3 places where theres no cameras for several gantrys .

in quiet times on the road, most average speeds in lane 3 are 80mph. you get the odd one doing 85 or 90 , but they dont appear to set any camera flashes off.

as someone said earlier , its fun when a warning symbol lights up though , from 80 to 40 with only 30 foot of skidmarks ( the car in front, not me)_

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civil engineer

Post subject:

Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 19:26

Member

Joined: Fri Apr 22, 2005 10:30
Posts: 2053
Location: South Wales (Roving all UK)

the worst thing is say 6.30pm, the road is nice and clear but the signs are 60mph.....well the first few are then they drop one in at 50mph (which at a glance looks the same).

Clowns? really? or just maximising the bonus?

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volvofl10

Post subject:

Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 00:05

User

Joined: Tue Aug 15, 2006 23:31
Posts: 29

civil engineer wrote:

, the road is nice and clear but the signs are 60mph
Clowns? really? or just maximising the bonus?

Clowns

go thru there at 4.50pm and the signs say 60, 60 , 60 then just as you pass solihull going towards the M6 the signs go back to NSL or clear, and justa s you get to 70 you find the back of the standing traffic starting to que for the NEC and the M6

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